Office:
McNichols Campus
Dean: Stephen Vogel
Associate Dean: Stephen LaGrassa
Telephone: (313) 993-1149
Fax: (313) 993-1512
E-mail: architecture@udmercy.edu
Program Offered
— Architecture (M.Arch)
Applications,
transcripts and request for information for this program should be directed to
the Admissions Office by calling 313-993-1245.
The School of Architecture (SOA), as part of a Catholic university in the Jesuit and Mercy traditions, exists to provide an excellent student-centered, accredited professional architectural education in an urban context. A UDM SOA education seeks to develop architects who are sensitive designers; technically competent; exhibit the highest ethical and professional standards; are socially responsible and culturally aware; and are of service to the community and the profession.
The
School makes a strong commitment to a broad based liberal arts education that
prepares architects to understand the spectrum of human endeavor. The School
intentionally keeps its enrollment small in order to maintain an identifiable
relationship with individual students. The SOA advocates an open dialogue about
architectural issues and philosophies, but searches for deeper architectural
meaning than that offered by trend, fad or style. The curriculum provides a
basic foundation in design excellence, but also addresses contemporary issues
including a focus on urban revitalization. This foundation is provided through
both in-class and out-of-class experiences that develop a student’s
understanding of societal concerns. The School is actively involved in the life
of the community. Through its design studios, including design-build studios,
and through the
Degree
The five-year architecture degree program at the UDM School of Architecture is a professional degree accredited by the NAAB. The new five-year Master of Architecture program will seek full accreditation from the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) in 2002 after degrees have been conferred upon the first graduating class.
“In
the
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.” (NAAB)
However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
The pre-professional degree, Bachelor of Science in Architecture, is not accredited by the NAAB.
This degree is useful for those individuals wishing to obtain a foundation in the field of architecture, as preparation for either continued education in a professional degree program or for employment options in architecturally related areas. We offer the Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree, at the end of four years of study, to those students who do not wish or do not qualify for our Master of Architecture degree.
Admission Criteria
The
Transfer students and students with degrees must meet all requirements for our Bachelor of Science in Architecture program prior to being considered for admission into the Master of Architecture program. Additional requirements for admission are a portfolio of work as well as a minimum 3.0 QPA in all coursework as well as a 3.0 QPA for all design studio work.
Advising
The School uses a personal advisory approach. Freshmen are advised by their design studio professor. In the second year, students are assigned one of the architecture professors to act as a “mentoring advisor.” The student and advisor each have access to the student’s academic file which outlines the curriculum and all background information regarding the student. It is the student’s responsibility to insure that his/ her record is up to date, that all agreements are noted, and signed by both parties involved, and that there is conformance with the requirements of the School and University. Each student should see his/her advisor minimally for registration and at mid-term. The advisor is also available at other times during the course of the term at the request of the student. Further, students should meet with the associate dean upon their acceptance into the Master of Architecture program or one year prior to their anticipated date of graduation with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree to review a degree audit to verify that all degree requirements will be met.
Program Requirements
The five-year curriculum in architecture is centered around the following areas:
•
Design
• Visual Communications
• Structures and Technology
• History & Theory
• Professional Practice
• University Core Curriculum
• Cooperative Education
Design is at the center of the curriculum. The Design Studios are organized in three parts: Foundation Studios (first year and second year), Upper Level Studios (third year and fourth year) and the Master’s Studios (fifth year). Foundation Studios meet three afternoons a week for 12 to 15 hours and concentrate on developing basic technical, analytic and critical thinking skills necessary to deal with the complex social, psychological and poetic issues of the built environment. The studios are “project” based and the development of the student’s personal and individual philosophy of design is one of the School’s principal aims. Upper Level Studios are comprised of a “mix” of students from both third and fourth years together in investigations of complex architectural themes in more concentrated depth. Recent Upper Level Studios have included community design, design-build experiences, architectural competitions, historical preservation, sustainability, furniture making and virtual reality.
Visual Communications includes courses in multi-media drawing, computer graphics, computer aided design, three dimensional design and electives that explore various media. The ability to represent and model architectural ideas is fundamental to the design process.
Structures and Technology provides the technological background necessary to address the increasingly complex architectural themes of the studios. Included in this sequence is physics and math for architects, structures, energy and sustainable design, and environmental technology (heating, ventilating, air conditioning, electrical systems, acoustics, etc.). These courses are taught as broad, conceptual principles rather than specific, detailed applications.
History and Theory introduces the student to architectural tradition and precedent. It provides an understanding of the social, political, economic and philosophical forces that shape architecture. Through this foundation, students recognize their place in the architectural world and build their own work upon an understanding of the work of others.
Professional Practice introduces upper level students to fundamentals of managing an architectural office, project delivery systems, construction contracts, construction documents, and legal and ethical issues concerning the profession. These courses, in concert with the cooperative training program, prepare students to enter the professional world.
University Core Curriculum
The core provides courses in the sciences and the humanities that are necessary prerequisites for an educated person. The architect, faced continually with broad social issues, must have an awareness of the manifest activities of people in order to fulfill architectural responsibility.
Graduate Concentration
Candidates for the Master of Architecture degree, as part of the application process, declare an area of concentration and create a curriculum by incorporating existing graduate level courses from the colleges of the University as concentration electives. The purpose of these concentration electives is to provide the basis for developing the specialized knowledge for the 21st century. Concentrations are also intended to build upon the strengths of the University by establishing strong cross-disciplinary ties with other academic units. The concentration will form the focus of the student’s graduate study and the basis for the Master’s Studio project. Examples of concentrations are: urban studies, architecture, management and marketing, imaging and representation, and the global marketplace.
Cooperative Education
The Cooperative Education sequence is one of the unique aspects of the UDM architecture program. It gives students direct experience in the real world of architecture through required work assignments at architectural offices of the student’s choosing.
The co-op experience begins with the course CEC 300, Cooperative Education Preparation. The program in architecture integrates two required terms of on-the-job educational experience, which occur during the third term of the third year and the second term of the fourth year. Further optional co-op terms are also possible. This sequence provides students with the opportunity to alternate their development in professional offices with academic studies. Co-op is valuable in developing practical skills prior to graduation and in fine-tuning accurate perceptions of the realities of practice. Each co-op term, students are required to write a report on their work experience and submit representative samples of the work they produced. Students are also evaluated by both the employer and the cooperative education coordinator. Co-op students are required to take the following:
ARC 391, Co-op Assignment I
ARC 392, Co-op Assignment II
|
Year 1 2 3 4 5 |
Term I school school school school school |
Term II school school school school co-op |
Term III vacation vacation co-op school |
Typical Program
The total credits required for the Master of Architecture are 172 and 136 for the Bachelor of Science in Architecture. An excess of credits from several courses cannot be applied toward satisfaction of a course requirement. Excess co-operative education credits may not substitute as electives.
|
First Year, Term I (17 credits) |
Cr. |
*Rec. |
*St.* |
|
AR 110 Architectural Design I |
4 |
0 |
12 |
|
AR 111 Visual Communication I |
3 |
0 |
8 |
|
AR 119 Intro. to Architecture |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
ENL 131 Academic Writing (Obj. 1) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
MTH 140 Elementary Functions (Obj. 2) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
PHL 100 Intro. to Philosophy (Obj. 4.A) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
AR 121 Visual Communication II |
3 |
0 |
8 |
|
AR 213 Principles of Structural Behavior |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
PHY 120 Physics for Architects (Obj. 3.B) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
CST 101 Fundamentals of Speech (Obj. 1) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
AR 130 Architectural Design III |
4 |
0 |
12 |
|
AR 116 Intro. to Computer Graphics (Obj. 2) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
AR 212 Architectural History & Theory I |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
AR 233 Structures I |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
ENL Literature Level (Obj. 5.B) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
AR 140 Architectural Design IV |
4 |
0 |
12 |
|
AR 216 Computer-Aided Design (Obj. 2) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
AR 222 Architectural History & Theory II |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
AR 243 Structures II |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
AR 234 Environmental Technology I |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
AR 210 Architectural Design V |
5 |
0 |
15 |
|
AR 215 Construction I |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
AR 244 Environmental Technology II |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Religious Studies Elective (Obj. 4.B) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Historical Experiences (Obj. 5.A) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
CEC 300 Cooperative Education Preparation |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
AR 220 Architectural Design VI |
5 |
0 |
15 |
|
AR 225 Construction II |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
PYC 265 Psychology of Environment (Obj. 3.A) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Ethics Elective (Obj.6.A) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Philosophy/Religious Studies Elective (Obj. 4.C) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
ARC 391 Co-op Assignment I |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fourth Year, Term I (17 credits) |
|
|
|
|
AR 230 Architectural Design VII |
5 |
0 |
15 |
|
AR 252 Architecture History & Theory III |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
AR 314 Energy & Architecture |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Social or Natural Science Elective (Obj.3.C) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Socio-Political Problems Elective (Obj. 6.B) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fourth Year, Term II |
|
|
|
|
ARC 392 Co-op Assignment II |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AR 240 Architectural Design VIII |
5 |
0 |
15 |
|
Core Choice (Obj 3-6) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Comparative Experiences (Obj. 5D) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Elective |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Elective |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AR 510 Master’s Studio I |
5 |
0 |
15 |
|
AR 559 Architecture & Construction Law |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Graduate Concentration Elective |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Graduate Concentration Elective |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Graduate Elective |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
AR 520 Master’s Studio II |
5 |
0 |
15 |
|
AR 519 Profession of Architecture |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Graduate Concentration Elective |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Graduate Concentration Elective |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Graduate Elective |
3 |
3 |
0 |
*Abbreviations represent: Cr. for credit hours earned, Rec. for recitation hours required, St. for studio contact hours required.
Electives
Elective courses are intended to provide students with the opportunity to take special interest courses which may be of value but are not necessarily related to the architectural program. Electives may be chosen from among any courses offered as credit at the University.
Architectural Electives
Each term architectural electives are offered to students in areas such as: visual communication, sustainable building, advanced computer graphics, history and theory or urban planning as options for satisfying their elective requirements. These courses permit students to examine architectural topics of special interest in greater depth.
Laboratory Facilities
Located
in the
Architecture tools and equipment are also available to both students and faculty for instruction and research. A woodworking model shop containing power and hand tools is accessible for student work in conjunction with their design and visual communication studio classes.
The
International Study Programs
Since
1980 the
Florence-Volterra Study
Program
Beginning
in 1984 the
Lecture Series
There is a sponsored lecture series which brings leading edge architects and designers to the campus. These lectures are open to and attended by students, professionals and the general public.
Dichotomy Student Journal and Lecture Program
Architectural students publish a journal of theory and criticism entitled Dichotomy. This journal is organized exclusively by the students in consultation with a faculty advisor. It is funded by subscriptions and a special fee charged to architecture students each term they are enrolled.
Special Policies for the
Retention of Student Work
The School reserves the right to retain examples of student work, done in conjunction with class assignments, for purposes of exhibition and accreditation needs.
Grading System
The
Appeals
Students
have the right to appeal grades with which they disagree. Two steps are
followed. First, the student confers with the instructor involved. Second, the
final appeal, (if the above does not resolve the issues), is an appeal on the
part of the student to the dean of the
Students may also appeal actions of the Faculty Council such as probation and dismissal. Appeals should be in written form to the chair of the Faculty Council who will then put the appeal on the next available agenda. The student is encouraged to be at the meeting when her/his appeal is being heard and make a verbal presentation of her/his case at that time.
The
student has a final appeal to the dean of the
Summer Design
Each year during term III, an undergraduate studio is offered for those students who are out of phase. It is a multi-level studio and may be taken by any student who has completed second year studios and the technical courses in advance of his or her design level. This studio is not open to first or second year design students.