TITLE OF THE PROPOSAL:   
Revised Core Curriculum for the Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) degree

SPONSOR:   
Abbas Aminmansour, Chair, Architecture Council, School of Architecture (333-2834, AAmin@uiuc.edu)

BRIEF DESCRIPTION:   
The Master of Architecture curriculum covers a number of areas of specialization including Design, Structures, Practice and Technology, History & Preservation as well as newly developing areas of research.  This proposal will update the existing core curriculum in the M.Arch. degree program to include more core courses across all areas as follows.
	
All M.Arch. degree candidates must fulfill the eight requirements of the Graduate Core Curriculum as outlined below.
	
1.	Arch 501 – Architectural Practice
2.	Arch 502 – Structural Planning
3.	Arch 571 – Architectural Design Studio
4.	Arch 572 – Architectural Design Studio
5.	Arch 573 – Architectural Design Studio
6.	Arch 574 – Architectural Design Studio

Core Electives
7.	One course in Professional Issues from an approved list*
8.	One course in Architectural Thought from an approved list *

* The School’s Architecture Council will develop guidelines for the approval of courses that meet these requirements.  A draft of such guidelines is provided in Appendix I.

Arch 573 and 574 are advanced architectural project-based courses in a specialized area of study based on the published option curricula or individually developed with the guidance of a faculty advisor.

The current Core Curriculum only includes items 1-4.

JUSTIFICATION: 
The proposed changes will enhance the rigor of the M.Arch. degree across all areas of study within the program.  Further, it addresses an enhancement of the curriculum recommended by the National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) following the accreditation visit by the organization in spring 2003.

BUDGETARY AND STAFF IMPLICATIONS: 
Requirements 1-4 have been offered for many years as required courses.  In addition, different areas of specialization within the program have offered different versions of Arch 573 and 574 for many years and under different course numbers.  Therefore, including these courses in the graduate Core Curriculum will not have budgetary implications but will offer clarity and consistency to our Core.
The School currently offers a number of courses that will meet the criteria for the Core Electives (items 7 and 8).  It is understood that making those courses required will increase enrollment in them.  However, considering the number of choices that will be available to students, the enrollment increase will not necessarily be significant.  In developing the approved list of courses referenced above, the School’s Architecture Council will only list courses that can accommodate increased enrollments with the available resources or will do so after the necessary resources have been secured by the School for offering those courses to more students.  No new demands on library or other resources are anticipated in order to implement this proposal.

CLEARANCE SIGNATURES: 

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Director, School of Architecture                                              Date

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Chair, FAA College Course and Curricula Committee           Date

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Dean, Graduate College                                                           Date

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Office of the Provost                                                                Date

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Senate Educational Policy Committee                                    Date

STATEMENT FOR PROGRAMS OF STUDY CATALOG: 
Master of Architecture (Track 2)
The two-year professional degree program, intended for students entering with a four-year baccalaureate in architectural studies, emphasizes further study in architectural disciplines, study in depth in one optional area of specialization, and/or participation in research.
The two-year graduate program is comprised of advanced study in architectural disciplines, building upon the fundamentals established in a four-year undergraduate study program.  All students in the M.Arch. program must complete the following core course requirements: one course in architectural practice, one course in structural planning, four studios including two semesters of comprehensive design, and one core elective each from a select list of courses in professional issues as well as in architectural thought.
Students may elect to concentrate in any one of the areas of specialization including Design, Structures, Practice and Technology, History & Preservation as well as newly developing areas of research by taking additional courses in those areas.
Candidates admitted with full or limited status to the two-year professional degree program must complete at least 62 hours of graduate work. Candidates must spend at least four semesters and earn at least half of the required graduate hours in residence. Candidates admitted with full status may complete the program in two years of full-time academic study.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
It is desired to put in place the new core curriculum soon after the final approval of the proposal has been secured and the expiration of any necessary waiting periods.

APPENDIX I

Draft Guidelines for Required Elective Areas
for the M.Arch. Degree
School of Architecture
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The following guidelines shall be used by the Architecture Council to evaluate courses to be listed as meeting the Required Elective Areas.*

A. Professional Issues
Courses fulfilling the requirement in Professional Issues may: (a) explore a specific aspect of the current nature of the profession; (b) investigate a particular aspect of professional practice (preservation, office management, real estate) in depth; or (c) further understanding of architects’ leadership roles and the collaborative nature of contemporary practice.

B. Architectural Thought
Courses fulfilling the requirement in Architectural Thought may: (a) attend to questions of continuity and change in practices of human building and design and elucidate how architectural institutions and ideas have developed; (b) facilitate an understanding of current conditions by promoting a fuller cognizance of historical or foreign traditions; (c) foster a “sense of the past” that allows individuals to learn from the successes and failures of their predecessors; or (d) explore, in depth, a particular contemporary or historical movement, moment, or figure in architecture.

Approved courses must be equally available to all M.Arch. candidates and offered with sufficient enrollment and frequency to support the plan.  Further, approved courses shall promote students’ ability to communicate effectively and professionally.

* See Appendix II for a tentative list of approved core electives.  The list may change in the future by the Architecture Council.

APPENDIX II

List of Core Electives
for the M.Arch. Degree
School of Architecture
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The following courses have been tentatively approved by the Architecture Council Graduate Committee as accepted core electives in the two areas below. 

A. Professional Issues
ARCH 480 	Sustainable Design Principles
ARCH 534 	Building Economics
ARCH 544 	Building Systems & Design Integration
ARCH 545 	Design & Constructability
ARCH 558 	Structural Wood Design
ARCH 595IN	Special Problems Structural Theory & Design (new course - - temporarily offered under this course number)

B. Architectural Thought
ARCH 423	Social Behavior Factors for Design
ARCH 424	Gender & Race in Contemporary Arch
ARCH 510	History of World Landscapes
ARCH 511	Seminar in Ancient & Medieval Architecture
ARCH 513 	Seminar in Renaissance & Baroque Architecture
ARCH 515	Architecture History of American Communities
ARCH 517	Development of Contemporary Architecture Thought
ARCH 563	Soc/Beh Research Designed Env
ARCH 576	Architectural Design Seminar
ARCH 577	Theory of Architecture
ARCH 580	Advance Sustainability Principles
ARCH 588	Urban Design Seminar