Architecture and Planning

What you need to know

1. 1
   Architects design buildings and spaces; planners plan towns, transport and housing. Related work includes landscape, conservation, urban design and 3D visualisation.
2. 2
   The B.Arch takes 5 years. You need Class 12 with Physics and Maths and an aptitude test: NATA or JEE Main Paper 2.
3. 3
   Only people registered with the Council of Architecture (CoA) may call themselves "architect"; CoA, not AICTE, approves architecture colleges.
4. 4
   Starting pay is often low for the length of study. Always check a college on the CoA list before paying.

Official sources

• coa.gov.inCouncil of Architecture (CoA)↗
• nata.inNATA (by the Council of Architecture)↗

Inside this branch

• Every year: the calendar
• What the work is2 more
• B.Arch: who can join2 more
• The entrance tests2 more
• Top colleges2 more
• Planning1 more
• After Class 101 more
• Registration and the law1 more
• Fees, pay and jobs2 more
• For girls1 more
• Avoid scams1 more

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   JEE Main Paper 2: usually two sessions, in January and April; NITs, SPAs and other central institutes then admit through JoSAA in June and July.
2. 2
   NATA: applications usually open in March; tests usually run from April to June, with an extra round around August for vacant seats.
3. 3
   IIT B.Arch: the Architecture Aptitude Test is usually in early June, just after JEE Advanced results.
4. 4
   Exact dates change every year: always check the official website before you apply.

Official sources

• jeemain.nta.nic.inJEE Main (NTA)↗
• nata.inNATA (by the Council of Architecture)↗
• josaa.nic.inJoSAA counselling↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 2

• Official
  SPA Delhi: M.Arch specialisationsConservation, landscape and urban design.
  Free
• Official
  Council of ArchitectureThe regulator for architecture.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Kinds of work
• The ladder

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What you need to know

1. 1
   Designing homes, offices, hospitals and public buildings; urban and town planning; landscape; conservation of old buildings; 3D modelling and BIM; teaching.
2. 2
   Interior design is a different course: it does not make you an architect. See the Design roadmap for it.

Official sources

• Vaidaani roadmapDesign and Fashion→

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What you need to know

1. 1
   Usually: trainee (during the course) → junior architect → project architect → senior or associate → partner or your own practice. Many architects start their own firm after some years.

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Learn from these 3

• Official
  NATA portalBrochure with current B.Arch eligibility.
  Free
• Official
  CoA minimum standards (PDF)Course length, time limit, class size.
  Free
• Official
  CoA approved institutionsYear-wise lists of approved colleges.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Eligibility
• The course

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Class 12 with Physics and Maths plus one more subject such as Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, Engineering Graphics or Business Studies, with at least 45%. A 3-year diploma with Maths and 45% also works.
2. 2
   You also need a valid aptitude score: NATA or JEE Main Paper 2. There is no age limit. Some colleges and states still ask for more: read each prospectus.

Official sources

• nata.inNATA (by the Council of Architecture)↗
• coa.gov.inCoA: minimum standards for B.Arch (PDF)↗
• Vaidaani roadmapWhich stream after Class 10?→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   5 years (10 semesters) with about one semester of office training, to be finished within 8 years. Each class has at most 40 students. Admission gives equal weight to the aptitude test and Class 12 marks.

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Learn from these 4

• Official
  NATA portalRegistration, pattern and scorecards.
  Free
• Official
  NATA helpdeskStudent queries.
  Free
• Official
  JEE MainPaper 2A and 2B bulletin.
  Free
• Official
  NTA: JEE subject rulesPCM for B.Arch, Maths for B.Planning.
  Free

Inside this branch

• NATA
• JEE Main Paper 2

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Run by CoA: a drawing test on paper and a computer test on reasoning and aptitude, 200 marks. You can usually take it more than once in a season and the best score counts.
2. 2
   The score is valid only for that year's admissions. CoA does not run counselling: states and colleges admit students.

Official sources

• nata.inNATA (by the Council of Architecture)↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Paper 2A (B.Arch): Maths, aptitude and a drawing test. Paper 2B (B.Planning): Maths, aptitude and planning questions.
2. 2
   For NITs, SPAs and other central institutes you need Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Maths and 75% (65% for SC and ST) or a top-20 percentile.

Official sources

• nta.ac.inNTA: JEE Main subject rules↗
• jeemain.nta.nic.inJEE Main (NTA)↗
• Vaidaani roadmapEngineering and JEE→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 5

• Official
  SPA New DelhiInstitute of National Importance.
  Free
• Official
  SPA BhopalB.Arch and B.Plan.
  Free
• Official
  SPA VijayawadaFee structure published each year.
  Free
• Official
  JoSAACounselling for NITs, SPAs and IITs.
  Free
• Official
  JEE AdvancedArchitecture Aptitude Test for IIT B.Arch.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Schools of Planning and Architecture
• IITs and NITs

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   SPA Delhi, Bhopal and Vijayawada are Institutes of National Importance, admitting through JEE Paper 2 and JoSAA. Government fees are much lower: SPA Vijayawada's tuition is under ₹1 lakh a year.

Official sources

• spa.ac.inSPA New Delhi↗
• spab.ac.inSPA Bhopal↗
• spav.ac.inSPA Vijayawada↗
• josaa.nic.inJoSAA counselling↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   IITs such as Roorkee and Kharagpur take B.Arch students through JEE Advanced plus a pass in the Architecture Aptitude Test. Many NITs offer B.Arch through JEE Paper 2.

Official sources

• jeeadv.ac.inJEE Advanced and the IIT architecture test (AAT)↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 3

• Official
  ITPI membershipHow planners become members.
  Free
• Official
  ITPI recognised institutions (PDF)Recognised planning programmes.
  Free
• Official
  JAAP PG (SPA master's admissions)M.Arch and M.Plan at SPAs.
  Free

Inside this branch

• The route

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   B.Planning takes 4 years after Class 12 with Maths, through JEE Paper 2B at SPAs and some NITs. M.Plan follows a degree.
2. 2
   Planners can join the Institute of Town Planners, India, and states hire Assistant Town Planners through their public service commissions.

Official sources

• itpi.org.inITPI: town planners' membership↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 2

• Official
  CoA approved institutions (incl. diploma)Approved diploma colleges by year.
  Free
• Official
  ITI Draughtsman (Civil) (PDF)2-year trade after Class 10.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Shorter routes

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What you need to know

1. 1
   A 3-year Diploma in Architecture (Architectural Assistantship) after Class 10 at a polytechnic; CoA lists approved diploma colleges.
2. 2
   ITI Draughtsman (Civil): 2 years after Class 10, drawing building plans.
3. 3
   Neither makes you an architect, but a diploma with Maths and 45% plus NATA or JEE lets you join B.Arch in the first year.

Official sources

• coa.gov.inCoA: approved and closed colleges↗
• dgt.gov.inDGT: ITI Draughtsman (Civil) (PDF)↗
• Vaidaani roadmapITI, Polytechnic and Skills→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 4

• Official
  Verify your architectCheck anyone's CoA registration.
  Free
• Official
  Report misuse of the titleCoA complaint form.
  Free
• Official
  Supreme Court: AICTE vs CoA (PDF)CoA, not AICTE, governs architecture courses.
  Free
• Article
  SCC Online: title vs practice rulingWhat the law protects.
  Free

Inside this branch

• What to know

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   After B.Arch you register with CoA. Only registered people may use the title "architect"; misusing it is an offence under the Architects Act.
2. 2
   The Supreme Court has said the law protects the title, not design work itself. Anyone can check an architect on CoA's website.

Official sources

• coa.gov.inCoA: verify an architect↗
• coa.gov.inCoA: report misuse of the title↗
• coa.gov.inCouncil of Architecture (CoA)↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 2

• Official
  National Scholarship PortalCentral and state scholarships.
  Free
• Official
  CoA: help for economically distressed studentsCoA's financial support page.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Fees and help
• Pay and jobs

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Government colleges cost far less than private ones; check each college's fee page. Also budget for a laptop, software, models and printing.
2. 2
   Scholarships are on the National Scholarship Portal. Some schemes need an AICTE-approved course, and B.Arch is approved by CoA instead, so check with the college first.

Official sources

• scholarships.gov.inNational Scholarship Portal↗
• Vaidaani roadmapScholarships for every stage→

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What you need to know

1. 1
   Freshers often start at about ₹15,000–25,000 a month (reported). Pay rises with experience, software skills and your own projects.
2. 2
   Government routes: CPWD and other departments recruit architects through UPSC (CoA registration needed), and states hire through their commissions.

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 1

• Official
  CoA statisticsRegistered architects by gender and state.
  Free

Inside this branch

• What to know

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   Architecture has many women: by one CoA count, about 44% of registered architects were women, and more women than men were studying it (reported).
2. 2
   CoA rules require every college to protect students from sexual harassment.

Official sources

• Vaidaani roadmapFor girls: every scheme→

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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Learn from these 4

• Official
  CoA approved and closed collegesCheck before paying.
  Free
• Official
  CoA notice on unregistered persons (PDF)Official warning.
  Free
• Official
  UGC fake universitiesCheck the university.
  Free
• Official
  Cyber crime portal (helpline 1930)Report fraud.
  Free

Inside this branch

• Red flags

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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What you need to know

1. 1
   A B.Arch college not on the CoA approved list for your admission year, or on its closed list: your degree may not let you register.
2. 2
   "Direct admission" agents selling seats or "NATA counselling": CoA runs no counselling. Check the university is not on UGC's fake list.
3. 3
   Hiring someone to design your house? Check they are a registered architect on CoA's site. Lost money? Call 1930.

Official sources

• coa.gov.inCoA: approved and closed colleges↗
• ugc.gov.inUGC: list of fake universities↗
• coa.gov.inCoA: verify an architect↗

Rules change every year: check the official website before you apply.
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