The faculty at SCI-Arc has identified skill areas and intellectual qualities they believe are essential to a successful education in architecture and design. The following educational goals for the professional Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) and Master of Architecture (M.Arch) degrees reflect these skill areas and intellectual qualities as defined by SCI-Arc. The Student Performance Criteria (SPC) required of the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) are another component of these learning objectives.
Educational Goals
1. Students will demonstrate a high level of architectural and design thinking, development, and representation skills as well as a breadth of relevant disciplinary knowledge. Students will demonstrate competency in critical thinking and become active participants in architecture, design discourse, and related fields.
Mechanisms for Delivery
- Design Studio Projects
- Thesis Project Research and Thesis Studio Projects (undergraduate and graduate students)
- Coursework: exams, papers, and assignments in Liberal Arts seminars and History + Theory courses, across programs
- SCI-Arc public programs, lecture series, and student participation in gallery exhibitions
- Research assistantships to faculty and academic staff, facilitated through the Research department
- Teaching assistantships (graduate students only)
Assessment Tools
- Interim and Final Studio Reviews
- Interim and Final Thesis Reviews
- Gateway Portfolio Reviews (undergraduate and graduate)
- Seminar roundtables and other formats for interim and final review of student work in seminars
- Annual Faculty Retreats (undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate)
2. Students will engage in a forward-thinking approach to technology and design innovation aimed at developing a well-rounded future generation of architects and designers.
Mechanisms for Delivery
- Core and advanced (elective) Seminars in Applied Studies and Visual Studies, across programs
- Core and advanced/vertical Design Studio Projects
- Thesis Project Research and Thesis Studio Projects (undergraduate and graduate students)
- Thesis requirement.
- Co-curricular Research Projects with faculty as principal investigators
- SCI-Arc public programs, lecture series, and gallery exhibitions
Assessment Tools
- Final presentations and other formats for interim and final review of student work in Applied Studies and Visual Studies seminars
- Interim and Final Studio Reviews
- Interim and Final Thesis Reviews
- Gateway Portfolio Reviews (undergraduate and graduate)
- Annual Faculty Retreats (undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate)
3. Students will demonstrate well-developed written, oral, and design communication skills that qualify them for active, advanced, and efficient participation in both the disciplinary and the public discourse.
Mechanisms for Delivery
- Core and advanced (elective) seminars in Liberal Arts and History + Theory, across programs
- Core and advanced/vertical Design Studio Projects
- Thesis Project Research and Thesis Studio Projects (undergraduate and graduate students)
- SCI-Arc public programs, lecture series, and gallery exhibitions
Assessment Tools
- Final presentations and other formats for interim and final review of student work in Liberal Arts and History + Theory courses
- Interim and Final Studio Reviews
- Interim and Final Thesis Reviews
- Gateway Portfolio Reviews (undergraduate and graduate)
- Annual Faculty Retreats (undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate)
4. Students will demonstrate an awareness of the public, social, and professional impacts and responsibilities for architecture and design and show an understanding of how to act ethically and commit to environmental stewardship.
Mechanisms for Delivery
- Increased curricular focus and assignments on topics of environmental, spatial, and social justice, including both local and global perspectives, across all curricular areas and programs
- Dedicated seminars in Applied Studies addressing design innovations in the field of sustainable material sourcing, application, and fabrication
- Increased engagement within Design Studios' with issues pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Increased focus in Thesis Project Research and Thesis Studio Projects (undergraduate and graduate) on topics of ecology and community engagement
- Co-curricular Research Projects in the field of sustainable manufacturing in construction, with faculty as principal investigators
Assessment Tools
- Interim and final presentations in seminars and studios, across programs
- Final presentations and other formats for interim and final review of student work in Applied Studies and Visual Studies seminars
- Interim and final Studio Reviews, featuring SCI-Arc guest critics
- Interim and final Thesis Reviews, featuring SCI-Arc guest critics
- Gateway Portfolio Reviews (undergraduate and graduate)
- Annual Faculty Retreats (undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate)