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Dean: Joe Mashburn, B.Arch., University of Houston; M.Arch., Texas A&M University

Associate Dean: Lannis Kirkland, B.Arch., Auburn University; M.Arch., Rice University

Director of Graduate Studies: Patrick Peters, B.Arch., University of Cincinnati; M.Arch., Rice University

As shapers of the physical environment, architects seek to clarify our relationship to the modern world. Through work at various scales-from the design of furniture and small buildings to large, city-building projects-architecture exerts a long lasting influence on the way we live. With an emphasis on design, the architecture program at the University of Houston promotes inquiry into the critical questions which define architecture today. This inquiry is the process of making things through which ideas find form and reveal themselves in the medium of architecture. As a public college of architecture located in a major urban setting, the college is able to take advantage of the numerous cultural, professional and industrial resources of the fourth largest American city. With its unique form and vitality, Houston provides an exceptional laboratory for exploring the problems and potentials of the post-industrial city.

Accreditation

In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes two types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture and the Master of Architecture. A program may be granted a five-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on its degree of conformance with established educational standards.

Masters degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree, which, when earned sequentially, comprise an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

William R. Jenkins Architecture and Art Library

The Architecture and Art Library, located within the college, affords easy access to a collection of more than 70,000 books and periodical volumes in the fields of architecture and art. The library's on-line catalog provides access to the collection of the Architecture and Art Library as well as the holdings of the campus and system libraries. The Architecture and Art Library Special Collections include the personal libraries of architects John F. Staub and Kenneth Franzheim, Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

Resource Areas

The College of Architecture offers many opportunities for students to be involved in classes and research programs which are of special significance to the community and the profession. These activities are found within the resource areas of the college and include:

• The Resource for Historic Preservation and Adaptive Usefocuses on the study of historic preservation and adaptive use as a means to effect positive change within urban settings. The unit undertakes projects in partnership with numerous neighborhoods and organizations in fulfillment of its mission.

• The Computer Design Laboratory,established in 1983, extends its mission beyond teaching computer literacy to include academic research and practical investigation of the computer as an architectural design tool, with emphasis placed on modeling, visualization, and animation using both Macintosh and MS DOS platforms.

• The Sasakawa International Center for Space Architectureis an endowed center with a focus on research and design studies for life in outer space and investigations into design for other extraordinary habitats such as Antarctica. Projects are frequently undertaken with NASA and the aerospace industry.

Foreign Studies

• The Saintes Programis a teaching and research facility located in Saintes, France. It is supported by the Center for the Study of Architecture and Urbanism, a French foundation. It supports students on a year-round basis for the College of Architecture. While classroom and studio courses form the core of the Center's course offerings, field trips to numerous English and European cities provide students with an invaluable base of experiences and knowledge.

• Moscow Institute of Architecture, Moscow, Russia.Through an agreement with The Moscow Institute of Architecture, students may study architecture and Russian language for a semester in Russia.

Counseling

Students of all classifications benefit from counsel with the faculty. However, counseling and registration, although related, should not occur simultaneously. The college provides faculty advisors for all students. Students should consult their advisors about matters relating to course sequences, selection of electives, academic course requirements, prerequisites, or any petition for deviation from the required curriculum in anticipation of future registration. Appointments with a college advisor may be made with the receptionist in the dean's office.

Students entering the university and the college are required to participate in orientation as their first meeting with the college advisors before registration. Advisors will discuss transfer credit, required curriculum, and educational objectives of the college and determine the courses for registration.

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