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Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture

Contact Information

ARCH Home Page
http://www.arch.uh.edu

Office of the Dean
(713) 743-2400

General College Information
(713) 743-2400

William R. Jenkins Architecture and Art Library
(713) 743-2340

Dean: Bruce Webb, B.A., Allegheny College; B. Arch., Montana State University; M. Arch., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State 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

General Information

As shaper of the physical environment, the architect seeks 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 theory and design, the architecture program at the University of Houston promotes inquiry into the critical questions which define architecture today. The special form this inquiry takes in the college 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 U.S. 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 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.

Master's 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.

At the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, the Master of Architecture degree is accredited as a professional degree by the National Architectural Accrediting Board and meets the educational requirements of the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners for registration as an architect in the state of Texas.