Architecture

Architecture is a fine art devoted to the design of the human environment. The architect is concerned with the aesthetic, social, environmental, technological and psychological factors that influence the design of a building and determine its success, quality and appearance within the context of community.

Background Information

To become an architect you must learn to make use of science and technology, and develop sensitivity for beauty in the design of space, form and material. You also must develop a deep understanding of people and their surroundings. Because this work encompasses so many different fields of interest, the architect is best thought of as a professional who bridges different areas of study and blends them into a single significant activity.

Career Opportunities

Architects work in architectural firms or accept positions with government, corporations or institutions. Some architects become highly specialized; others remain generalists in the profession, working on all facets of a project. Whichever path your career may follow, it is necessary to first build a firm background that includes essential architectural knowledge and skills.

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.

The Program

The architecture program at North Dakota State University is a five-year professional course of study leading to a master of architecture degree. This degree is nationally accredited and recognized by all state architectural licensing boards. You may elect to receive a pre-professional degree at the end of four years (B.S. in environmental design). The course work during the freshman year develops your understanding of how designers make decisions and how architecture relates to the determination of our built environment. This is accomplished through lectures, assigned readings and design-related projects. At the sophomore level you begin four concentrated years of architectural design studio work. Additional courses range from the History of Architecture to Mechanical and Structural Systems. It is in the design studio that this knowledge is applied. Projects in architectural design, whether done individually or by groups, are often assigned much as a practicing architect would receive them from a client.

In the design studio the functional and environmental requirements of a project are carefully studied, along with the social and visual conditions that determine the solutions. Analytical diagrams, schematic layouts and design studies are prepared in close cooperation with faculty and classmates. Models, sketches and diagrams are used to investigate aspects of design and to test the integration of all systems that are part of it-such as movement of people, site development, and systems that heat, cool and light spaces. At the same time, and with equal emphasis, students study the social, psychological and aesthetic conditions that result.

In the fourth year of study, students begin graduate course work. The fifth year is dedicated to graduate course work and a design thesis project.

The Activities and Facilities

Activities within the department include:

1. chapters of the American Institute of Architecture Students and Tau Sigma Delta;
   
2. field trips to U.S. and Canadian cities;
   
3. visiting lecturers who speak on architecture or related topics,
   
4. a summer program through which courses are offered that includes travel to parts of North America, Europe Asia and South America,
   
5. an exchange program with the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) with sites around the world and other study abroad options through other institutions.

Our facilities include:

1. A departmental library of about 18,000 books, 70 magazine subscriptions and 36,000 slides,
2. Photographic and graphic reproduction equipment,
3. Computer studio to explore the possibilities of computer-aided design,
4. Well-equipped wood shop.

Selective Admission

Selective admission into the architecture program at NDSU takes place through a three-step process. High school students entering as freshmen are evaluated on the basis of their high school record and test scores, while transfer students are evaluated on the basis of course work taken and grades received. Upon completion of the first year, a selected number of students are admitted to the second year of the program. The basis for selection is grade point average (GPA) with a full course load and performance in the first year architecture courses. Each student is required to purchase a laptop computer in the spring semester of the second year. Students with a minimum 3.0 GPA apply to the graduate school during the third year of the program.

Transfer Students

Applications should include official transcripts from other institutions covering all course work completed prior to enrollment at NDSU. Transfer applicants are required to enter the architecture program at the first-year level. Five years of study are required for completion of the degree.

High School Preparation

The best courses to study in high school are those that would be recommended for any demanding college program-a sound mixture of courses in sciences, humanities and social sciences. Physics, trigonometry, art, freehand drawing and literature are recommended. Courses in mechanical drawing and architectural drawing are not necessary and, in fact, may be less useful than general academic or fine arts subjects.

Sample Curriculum

This sample curriculum is not intended to serve as a curriculum guide for current students, but rather an example of course offerings for prospective students. For the curriculum requirements in effect at the time of entrance into a program, consult with an academic adviser or with the Office of Registration and Records.

Contact Information

Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture

North Dakota State University
Dept. #2465
Architecture and Landscape
Fargo, ND 58108-6050

Tel: (701) 231-6151
Fax: (701) 231-7342
Email:Donna.Theusch@ndsu.edu
Web: http://ala.ndsu.edu

Office of Admission

North Dakota State University
124 Ceres Hall
Fargo, ND 58105

Tel: (701) 231-8643
Fax: (701) 231-8802
Email: NDSU.Admission@ndsu.edu
Web: http://www.ndsu.edu/prospective/students/

(12/08)