Joint Master Program With Architecture

THE NEED FOR THE PROGRAM

It is generally accepted that the building industry in this country, with significant domestic and foreign investment, is bound to prosper in the foreseeable future. The large majority of structures that will be built will require the design and supervision of both architects and structural engineers. Architects are tending to more aesthetically pleasing structures that are complicated structurally. Both architects and engineers are aware that the possibility of earthquakes influences modern design considerably. Accordingly, the inter-reliance of the two professions is being forced on the construction industry. However, one cannot help but realize that this forced marriage is not always a happy one. The building industry suffers from a lack of communication between the two professions.

Few structural engineers can think as an architect, and few architects as an engineer. It is agreed by both professions that an individual capable of viewing a possible structure both as an architect and structural engineer would be invaluable to the industry. Many in each profession, with years of working with the other, do achieve this ability, but the number falls short of the demand.

Whereas years of experience may produce the interdisciplinary professional, an attractive and perhaps a more effective way of producing this dual-personality professional is through formal education. It is need for such professionals that the Department of Architecture and the group in Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offer the program described here.

The program is attractive, apart from producing a product valuable in the marketplace, because it enables a student to obtain both a Master of Architecture and a Master of Science in Structural Engineering by RECEIVING CREDIT FOR TWENTY FOUR FEWER UNITS THAN IF THE STUDENT WERE TO TAKE THE TWO DEGREES SEPARATELY.

In what follows, we explain why a commitment to a joint program early in the career of an undergraduate is essential to the economy of units described and the ways of exploiting this commitment. Next, we describe the program for a graduate student enrolled in both departments.

For those unable to make the commitment as an undergraduate, the additional work required for the two degrees is described in a third section.

Finally, an array of possible graduate programs is presented as a guide to a student and his or her advisor.

The formal requirements for the degree of master of Architecture are described in Appendix A, and the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Structural Engineering are described in Appendix B.

THE DESIRABILITY OF AN EARLY COMMITMENT

The joint program will be most effective if the student as an undergraduate in one department takes courses in the other department that are necessary for admittance to the second department. For example, if an undergraduate student in Architecture were to take a minor in Structural Engineering as an undergraduate, he or she would be eligible for admittance to the graduate program in Structural Engineering upon graduation. Likewise, an undergraduate student in Civil and Environmental Engineering would benefit from taking a minor in Architecture. Credit for this minor would mean that the student could be admitted to the two year Master of Architecture program rather than the three year program.

(a) The undergraduate minor in Structural Engineering is:

Prerequisites:

	Math and Physics-requirements of the Department of Architecture with strong performance.
	E 36 (Arch 150 may be substituted). However, E36 is much better preparation for CE 130.

Required Courses:

(b) Undergraduates in Civil and Environmental Engineering wishing to pursue a minor in the College of Environmental Design should consult the minor requirements.

THE JOINT GRADUATE PROGRAM

The considerable economy that is realized by the joint graduate program, as opposed to two separate programs, is possible because courses that are required for one graduate program are acceptable as elective courses for the other.

This degree requires 24 units. Fourteen of these must be graduate course units offered by the Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials (SEMM) group.

The remaining 10 units are electives. Courses required for M. Arch. degrees such as Arch 200 A-B or Arch 201 can be used to fulfill this requirement.

The two-year program for the Master of Architecture degree requires 48 units, 24 of which are electives. In the first year two Arch 201 courses (10 units) and in the second year Arch 201 (5 units) and Arch 202 (5 units) are required.

The 14 units taken in SEMM are acceptable as electives.

VARIATIONS ON THE MOST EFFICIENT PROGRAM

We have outlined an efficient program for achieving the two masters degrees, but the program is flexible and allows for variations. For example, a student who received his/her bachelor's degree at a campus other than Berkeley would not have been able to take the out-of-department courses recommended for Berkeley undergraduates. This lack introduces a certain risk.

If, for example, a student has a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture degree from a school other than Berkeley, he or she will probably not have taken the structural minor available to the Berkeley Architecture undergraduate.

The student would enroll in the Master of Architecture program and while in this program take the undergraduate minor in Structural Engineering. Being subsequently admitted to the graduate program in Structural Engineering would depend on the student's record in the undergraduate minor. Thus the risk.

On the other hand, a student who has graduated as a structural engineer elsewhere, without exposure to any Architecture courses, would have to enroll in three-year Master of Architecture programs as he or she enrolls as a graduate student in Structural Engineering.

These two cases represent the two extremes of inefficiency, and there are many other variations within these bounds, each of which would have to be treated separately.

APPENDIX A: SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS FOR M. ARCH DEGREE

The basic curriculum leading to the M Arch degree is three academic years in length and requires the completion of at least 72 units of coursework during that period of residency. Persons holding a BA or BS degree with a major in Architecture may receive up to one year of advanced standing. The specific amount of advanced standing for each student is determined by the Graduate Studies Committee at the time s/he first registers for graduate study in Architecture. Persons holding the five-year professional undergraduate Bachelor of Architecture degree from an accredited school, or comparable five year degree from a foreign university or technical institute, may receive the M Arch degree after one academic year in residence and completion of a minimum of 24 units of coursework. The following table recapitulates these requirements:

**This is a minimum: additional residence, unit, and course requirements may be established individually for each person depending upon specific undergraduate preparation in architecture.

For purposes of assessing the undergraduate architecture major, the following list gives the minimum work that must be completed to receive the full one year advanced standing and commensurate reduction in required course units:

	Three 1-one semester courses in upper division design studio problems;
	Four 1-semester courses, one each in design theory, environmental control factors, human factors in architecture, and history of architecture;
	Two 1-semester courses in college mathematics, normally analytical geometry and beginning calculus;
	One 1-semester course in natural science;
	Two 1-semester courses in civil or structural engineering including the basic introduction to statics and strength of materials.

The list is kept general in order to provide reasonable flexibility in interpretation.

The graduate program and the catalog of courses are centered around eight areas of study:

	Architecture and Urban Design Studio Problems;
	Social Basis of Design;
	Design Theories and Methods;
	Practice of Design;
	Building Environments;
	Structures and Construction;
	History of Architecture; and
	The Building Process.

The curriculum for the Master of Architecture degree is relatively flexible with a minimum of fixed requirements. The following provides a summary:

DESIGN STUDIOS	Arch 200 A B * Arch 201 (3 one-semester courses)	14 units 15 units
ARCHITECTURE BREADTH REQUIREMENTS**	Architecture History (2 courses) Building Energy (Arch 140) Structures (2 courses: Arch 150, plus one additional Social & Cultural factors in design (1 course) One course selected from any of the following areas: Professional Practice, Construction, The Building Process	7-8 units 4 units 7 units 2-3 units 2-3 units
THESIS	Arch 209 D (thesis prep seminar) Arch 202 A or B (thesis studio)	3 units 5 units

This course sequence is waived for those with degrees in architecture

**specific courses may be waived if their equivalents have been completed in undergraduate curriculum

APPENDIX B: SUMMARY OF REQUIREMENTS FOR M.S. DEGREE
IN THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, MECHANICS AND MATERIALS PROGRAM

Detailed information regarding M.S. degree requirements, courses and so on may be found under Information on Graduate Studies.

The M.S. degree is normally awarded (Plan II) upon completion of a program of study containing 24 units and passing a comprehensive examination. Specific requirements are summarized below. In exceptional circumstances an M.S. degree can be completed with reduced units and a thesis (Plan I).

A minimum of 24 units including at least 14 units of strictly graduate courses in SEMM. The remaining 10 are to be selected from approved upper division and graduate courses. Up to 2 units of the 14 required graduate units in SEMM and up to 2 units of the remaining 10 (for a total of 4 units) may be taken in the form of Individual Studies or research (CE 299). CE 298 courses may not be counted toward minimum unit requirements.

Completion of a Master's Comprehensive Examination is also required (Plan II). This requirement can be satisfied in one of two ways: (1) by presenting a written report based on at least two units of CE 299 which has been approved by at least two faculty members, or (2) by passing a written examination in two areas chosen from the following: Mechanics of Solids, Properties of Materials, Structural Design, Structural Dynamics, and Theory of Structures.

Questions about the joint degree program should be directed to:

Professor F.C. Filippou
731 Davis Hall
filippou@ce.berkeley.edu