UB Programs At-A-Glance

Architecture

Department of Architecture
School of Architecture and Planning
112 Hayes Hall
South Campus
Buffalo, NY 14214-3087

Phone: 716.829.3483
Fax: 716.829.3256
Web: www.ap.buffalo.edu/architecture/

Mehrdad Hadighi
Chair

R. J. Multari
Director of Undergraduate Advisement

Debi Smith
Assistant to the Chair

Susan McDonald
Undergraduate Advisement Secretary

About the Department

The UB Department of Architecture offers the only professionally accredited Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) degree in the SUNY system along with an undergraduate pre-professional Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Architecture and an undergraduate minor in Architecture. Founded in 1969, the department offers introductory courses for non-majors, as well as undergraduate preprofessional, graduate professional, and advanced postprofessional training in the field of architecture.

Architecture is the study of designing and building structures, and architects are professionals with specialized knowledge about built and natural environments. The educational mission of the Department of Architecture is fourfold:

  1. To educate and train individuals in the art and science of architecture in preparation for creative leadership within the profession and the discipline of architecture;
  2. To encourage a critical understanding of the historical, societal, material and cultural forces that inform the built environment;
  3. To prepare students to explore emerging ideas and technologies that can and will have profound effects on the built environment; and,
  4. To provide a comprehensive education through exposure to related disciplines throughout the university and to encourage rigorous interaction across disciplinary boundaries.


The Department of Architecture is affiliated with the following centers that afford students opportunities for applied research activities:


Aulitional School of Architecture and Planning resources include:

Degrees Offered

Undergraduate: B.S., Minor
Graduate: M.Arch.

About Our Degrees

Acceptance Criteria - B.S.

Minimum GPA of 2.5 overall.
Minimum GPA of 2.5 in architecture and architecture-related courses.

Acceptance Criteria - Minor

Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall.
Minimum GPA of 2.5 in two 100/200-level architecture courses.

Acceptance Information

Deadlines: February 15
Number of applicants (2004-2005): 778
Number of accepted majors (2004-2005): 160
Total number of majors currently enrolled (2003-2004): 350
Total number of minors currently enrolled (2003-2004): 98

Recommended high school preparation:
Studio art (drawing, painting, sculpture, figure drawing), computing skills, physics, Earth science, calculus or pre-calculus, analytical geometry, descriptive geometry, trigonometry, algebra, world civilization, public speaking, and technical drawing.

Admissions Statement

The School of Architecture and Planning has an open admission policy that actively encourages applicants from protected groups and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or veteran status. Admission is competitive; applicants are reviewed according to the admission criteria. Acceptance of students in the preprofessional, professional, and postprofessional programs is determined on the basis of the applicants' qualifications and experience. However, since the school's size is limited, the programs may exercise discretionary powers of selection. Courses and programs offered by the School of Architecture and Planning may include an instructional technology fee.

Degree Requirements

See the Undergraduate Catalog.

Transfer Policy

Courses completed at other colleges and universities are not automatically accepted by the Department of Architecture as fulfilling departmental requirements. While select architecture courses taken elsewhere may be accepted, determination is made by an evaluation of the student's transcripts, course content, contact hours, and grades earned. A minimum course grade of B- (2.67 on a 4.0 scale) is required for articulation to courses offered by the School of Architecture and Planning. Student transcript evaluations are conducted by the School of Architecture and Planning's Office of Undergraduate Advisement. Placement in the undergraduate architecture program is made by the department following this evaluation, in tandem with portfolio review, when applicable. A minimum GPA of 2.5 in architecture and architecture-related courses and a minimum overall GPA of 2.5 is required for admission consideration.

About Our Courses

The Typical Class Size

Modes of instruction and class size vary according to course content and intended course objectives. Studio work is offered in extended class periods totaling up to 12 hours per week. Courses such as Introductory Structures, Intermediate Structures, Introductory CAAD, Construction Technology, and Architectural Communications have strong hands-on components and are taught in classes containing 25 to 65 students.

In the Department of Architecture, what do graduate teaching assistants do?

They supplement instruction by professors in many courses in the undergraduate program. Often, graduate teaching assistants co-teach with professors in studios and conduct recitation or workshop sessions that offer students aulitional help with their coursework.

For course descriptions, please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

About Our Faculty

The architecture faculty, diverse in their interests and international in their background, are well known and respected in the profession. Both full and part-time faculty are involved in a variety of activities related to research, design, and scholarship. Many part-time professors are also practicing architects in the Western New York community.

Visit our Web site to learn more about the department’s faculty.

Special Academic Opportunities

Independent Study
Community Design Service
Habitat for Humanity

Study Abroad Programs:

Extracurricular Activities

The Department of Architecture sponsors a student chapter of the American Institute of Architects, as well as the Graduate Student Association (GSA/Architecture), and the Architecture and Planning Student Association (APSA). These student groups sponsor a variety of events, such as field trips to cities of architectural interest, films and lectures, an annual Beaux-Arts Ball, Lunchtime Lecture Series, GSA Architecture Student Exhibit, Graduate Student Reception, Graduation Brunch, exhibits at local galleries, and annual design and building competitions. GSA also supports funding for scholarly publications, grants for thesis work and conference attendance.

See the UB Student Association.

Complementary Programs and Courses

Minors that Complement Architecture

  • Art History
  • Classics
  • Comparative Literature
  • Economics
  • Environmental Design
  • General Management
  • Geography
  • History
  • Management Science and Systems
  • Marketing
  • Mathematics
  • Media Study
  • Music
  • Philosophy
  • Photography
  • Physics
  • Sociology
  • Theater


Courses Outside Architecture that Could Improve Employment Opportunities

Courses in computer-aided design, business administration, facilities management, community planning, photography, and construction management are particularly useful to architecture students who want to enhance their employment opportunities.

Career Information

Opportunities open to students graduating with a B.S. degree (not requiring state architecture licensure) include facilities management, building design, construction and computer-aided design. Students have also obtained positions with public agencies and development firms, and have worked as paraprofessionals with both small and large architectural offices. Many of these alternatives do not require architectural licensure, but may require aulitional training or certification.

Most students completing the first professional Master of Architecture degree become licensed architects who practice in architectural firms, pubic/governmental agencies or corporations. Common practice roles within an architectural team include design, project management, facilities planning, site planning and design, structural design, technical research and specifications, document production, contract administration, urban design and planning, interior design, marketing, and practice management.

Architecture offers the flexibility to practice in either a broad or narrow range of expertise. For example, some architects focus on residential work, designing new houses or planning the renovation of older ones. Others focus on design and construction of factories and laboratories, retail stores or schools. Still others pursue careers as project managers or structural designers. Architects often design products other than buildings; many design commercial and/or consumer products.

Skills gained in this program include:

  • Researching, analyzing, and interpreting information (which is often highly technical) during project work
  • Verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to give presentations to clients
  • Ability to conceptualize and understand spatial relationships
  • Project management, focusing on knowledge of materials, resources, personnel and logistics
  • The ability to define and aulress complex problems
  • An awareness of the multifaceted circumstances surrounding a project, including cultural influences, environmental, social and political concerns
  • Understanding the importance of combining aesthetics with utility
  • Assessment of a wide variety of facilities
  • Knowledge and awareness of the construction industry
  • Negotiation with vendors and clients
  • Design skills, including the ability to visually communicate ideas to others
  • Creativity when aulressing complex problems
  • Computer skills, most specifically computer-aided design (CAD), word processing, spreadsheets and project management software


Career Choices

  • Acoustical designer
  • Architect
  • CAD operator
  • Construction manager
  • Construction sales
  • Consultant
  • Contract administrator
  • Curator
  • Designer
  • Drafter
  • Engineering technology
  • Environmental design
  • Environmental researcher
  • Facility manager
  • Historian
  • Interior designer
  • Landscape architect
  • Lighting designer
  • Lobbyist
  • Materials manager
  • Museum technician
  • Preservationist
  • Professor
  • Project designer
  • Project or site manager
  • Real estate developer
  • Set designer
  • Site planner/designer
  • Urban/regional planner
  • Writer/critic


Work settings include:

  • Public and private architecture practice
  • Design firms
  • Corporations
  • Real estate companies
  • Facility management
  • Contractors
  • Property management firms
  • Colleges and universities
  • Engineering firms
  • Research institutions
  • Stadiums/performance halls
  • Building material manufacturers
  • Housing inspection agencies
  • Urban/community planning agencies
  • Historical/preservation associations
  • Law firms
  • Museums and art galleries
  • Computer representation/modeling firms


Architectural Licensing

To become a Registered Architect, an individual is required to sit for a state-licensing exam. The current licensure policy in the State of New York is based, in combination, on the accumulation of credits earned from:

1) academic education; and,
2) practice/intern experience.

Licensing evaluations are conducted in New York by the State Education Department’s Office of the Professions.

At present, a student can sit for the New York State licensing exam with:

The first professional degree in architecture (UB’s Master of Architecture) and a minimum of three years of professional practice; or,
A pre-professional architecture degree (UB’s Bachelor of Science in Architecture) and a minimum of five years of professional experience.

For information on the full-time internship requirements, visit the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.

Licensing information related to architecture is also available on the New York State Education Department Web site.

Salary Information

Salaries range greatly from one occupation, position, and work setting to another. Students completing the Master of Architecture professional degree are required to work full time in an intern capacity for three years in New York State before becoming eligible to take the licensing exam. A recent study by the American Institute of Architects found the median compensation, including bonuses, for intern architects in architectural firms was $35,200 in 1999. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2004-2005 Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median annual salary for architects was $56,620 in 2002.

Post-undergraduate Opportunities

While the Department of Architecture does not formally track students, over 60% of students at the undergraduate level continue to pursue architecture at the graduate level. Of those students attending professional master’s programs, over 80% pursue a career in architecture or an architecturally-related profession.

Postbaccalaureate educational options at UB include the opportunity for application to the professionally accredited Master of Architecture or the Master of Urban Planning degrees. Aulitional postbaccalaureate programs include a dual Master of Architecture/Master of Urban Planning degree, a dual Master of Architecture/Master of Business Administration degree, and a dual Master of Architecture/Master of Fine Arts in Media Arts Production.

Aulitional Resources

Links to Further Information About This Program