Mail us your
Questions, Comments
Registrar's Web Team
19 August 1997
Degrees Offered
Master of Architecture
Master of Science in Architectural Studies
Doctor of Philosophy
Facilities for the study of architecture are centrally located on campus in three adjacent and historically significant buildings: Battle Hall (1911) and Sutton Hall (1918, renovated in 1982), designed by the distinguished American architect Cass Gilbert; and Goldsmith Hall (1933, expanded and renovated in 1988), designed by noted French architect Paul Philippe Cret, one of the planners of the original forty-acre campus.
The Architecture and Planning Library, a branch of the General Libraries, maintains more than 45,000 volumes and bound periodicals, several thousand professional reports, all major architecture and planning journals, and the Architectural Drawings Collection of more than 120,000 architectural drawings and photographs. The collections of the nearby Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center include a large number of rare architecture books, including the classics of architectural literature.
The Architecture Reference Center contains audiovisual equipment, technical and design reference material, and more than 200,000 photographic slides of architectural and related works.
The Center for American Architecture and Design provides support and resources for the scholarly study of American architecture, particularly that of the Southwest. Through lectures, exhibitions, seminars, symposia, fellowship support, and the collection of research materials, the center encourages a community of architecture scholarship.
Computer-aided design and research opportunities are provided by the school's computer laboratory, which maintains microcomputer equipment and terminals interfaced with the extensive computing facilities of Academic Computing and Instructional Technology Services. The Winedale Historical Center, a museum of cultural history housed in restored nineteenth-century Texas buildings eighty miles east of Austin, provides in-residence research opportunities in Texas architectural history, preservation, and restoration. The proximity of Austin to Latin America and the resources of the University's Institute of Latin American Studies and Benson Latin American Collection provide exceptional opportunities for the study of Latin American architecture.
The master's degree programs in the School of Architecture lead to professional, postprofessional, and nonprofessional degrees with advanced study in areas of scientific and historical inquiry, technological development, architectural design, and research. Students who have gained knowledge and proficiency in professional skills may select an area of study: advanced architectural design, history and theory, historic preservation, design with climate, urban design, or interdisciplinary research on topics approved by the Graduate Studies Committee.
The emphasis of the doctoral degree program is on the history of architecture. The scope of study may include areas such as the history of theory; the history of design; the history of urban design, settlement, or cities; the history of landscape; and the history of technology. With a particular focus on modernism and the modern period, the program draws on the experience and expertise of the history of architecture faculty and the faculty of the Department of Art and Art History. The program aims to develop students' skill in critical analysis and their mastery of critical theory. Research methods range from the most traditional, including fieldwork and primary research, to the most contemporary, including computer-aided form analysis and image processing.
Master of Architecture. This degree program is offered to qualified applicants holding baccalaureate degrees in any discipline, including pre-architecture.
Doctor of Philosophy. Admission decisions are made by the doctoral subcommittee of the Graduate Studies Committee. Requirements include a Master of Science in Architectural Studies degree from the University or an equivalent degree from another institution. Students with a master's degree in architectural history or a master's degree in art history that includes at least three graduate seminars in architectural history will also be considered for admission.
Degree Requirements
Master of Architecture
Professional degree program. For students entering with degrees other than professional degrees in architecture, the Master of Architecture is an accredited first professional degree, with accelerated graduate professional courses designed to prepare the student for advanced work in architecture; the coursework is prescribed on the basis of the student's previous college work as shown in transcripts, portfolio, statement of intent, and references. Before progressing into advanced architectural design, first professional degree candidates must demonstrate a certain proficiency in design and communication skills through a qualifying review conducted by the faculty. Students entering without a background in architecture normally complete the first professional degree program in approximately three and one-half years of study in residence; the academic records of students holding preprofessional degrees in architectural studies are individually evaluated for course credit toward the first professional degree requirements.
The student must complete all prerequisites and professional courses prescribed for his or her degree plan in addition to the University-wide requirements given in chapter 3 for either the master's degree program with thesis or the master's degree program without thesis or report. For the master's degree with thesis, students complete thirty semester hours of coursework, including the six-hour thesis course and the requirements of one of the concentrations described below. For the master's degree without thesis or report, students complete thirty-six semester hours of coursework.
Postprofessional degree program. For students entering with a professional degree in architecture, the Master of Architecture is a postprofessional degree, normally requiring thirty semester hours of graduate work, including the six-hour thesis course. Students may also choose the program without thesis, which requires thirty-six semester hours of graduate work, culminating in six hours of independent study. Based on the student's interest and an evaluation of the statement of intent, portfolio, and transcripts, specific degree requirements are established for the postprofessional program offerings:
Advanced design (The Charles Moore Program): A postprofessional program providing an opportunity to examine and refine design philosophies. Participants may develop an individual program of study based on their specific design interests.
Design with climate: A postprofessional program emphasizing the integration of climatic and ecological technical knowledge and computational techniques into architectural design.
Historic preservation: A postprofessional program providing knowledge and skills used in the preservation of historic buildings and in the sensitive design for their adaptive use for contemporary needs.
Urban design: Postprofessional graduate study developing an understanding of the urban environment and its users' needs, and promoting design skills to improve the quality and efficiency of the built environment.
Master of Science in Architectural Studies
The Master of Science in Architectural Studies degree program consists of advanced academic work in areas that support architecture, including historic preservation, design with climate, architectural history/theory, urban design, and interdisciplinary studies. This degree program is tailored to applicants who wish to pursue research and advanced academic study for a nonprofessional degree in architecture. It is available both to students with and to students without a professional degree in architecture.
The degree program consists of at least thirty semester hours (including a six-hour thesis) as specified in chapter 3 of this catalog. Prerequisites for students without architecture degrees vary according to individual experience and area of interest. Specific course requirements are established for each student by the director of the program and the graduate adviser.
This degree does not fulfill the professional degree requirements for registration as an architect.
Doctor of Philosophy
The doctoral degree program is administered by a subcommittee of the Graduate Studies Committee that includes faculty members from the Department of Art and Art History as well as from the School of Architecture. The doctoral subcommittee determines course requirements, prescribes qualifying examinations, and approves dissertation topics. The program requires experience in design, which may be gained through coursework or in a variety of professional contexts. Reading proficiency is required in two languages, normally French and German; however, other languages may be approved.
Campus address: Sutton Hall (SUT) 2.124, Phone (512) 471-0134, Fax
(512) 471-0716
Mailing address: Graduate Program in Architecture, School of Architecture, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-1160
E-mail: gopaul@mail.utexas.edu
URL: http://www.ar.utexas.edu/
Chapter Four
Graduate Catalog
Contents
Chapter 1: Graduate Study
Chapter 2: Admission and Registration
Chapter 3: Degree Requirements
Chapter 4: Fields of Study
Chapter 5: Members of Graduate Studies Committees
Appendix: Course Abbreviations
Other UT Pages
Catalogs
Registrar's Home Page
Course Schedules
Academic
Calendars
Admissions Home Page