+ Architectural/Environmental Design Studies

260 Technology, 419-372-2437
www.bgsu.edu/colleges/technology/arch

The architectural/environmental design studies major is a pre-professional degree program that prepares students for continued education in a professional degree program in architecture or a related field, or for employment opportunities in architecturally related occupations. The focus of the major is to enhance the student's problem-solving ability and produce critical thinkers.

Most states require that an individual intending to become an architect hold an accredited degree. There are two types of degrees that are accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB): the bachelor of architecture (B.Arch.), which requires a minimum of five years of study, and master of architecture (M.Arch.), which requires a minimum of three years of study following an unrelated bachelor's degree or two years following a related preprofessional degree. These professional degrees are structured to educate those who aspire to registration/licensure as architects.

An important component of this major is three cooperative education experiences in an architecture or design-related position that is supervised by the faculty.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the baccalaureate degree, students in the architectural/environmental
design studies major are expected to:

• Analyze architectural and urban design problems and synthesize solutions at different levels of complexity, scope, and building types;
• Employ the oral, written, and graphic modes of communication for expressing research work and design efforts at different stages of the design process;
• Apply the concepts of architectural history and theory in shaping buildings, cities, and other spatial environments—encompassing international traditions as related to aesthetics, environment, society, and human behavior;
• Understand the basic principles that inform the design of the structural, material, and mechanical/electrical systems and to assess, select, and integrate such systems into a comprehensive building design.

Click for 2008-2009 course requirements