School of Architecture

Return to: College of Architecture and Design

Professors
Davis, M.K., M Arch - Harvard
Dodds, G., (Chair, Graduate Architecture), PhD - Pennsylvania
Goeritz, H., Dipl-Ing (FH) - HAWK Hildesheim
McRae, J.M., M Arch - Rice
Poole, S. (Dean), M Arch - Texas
Rabun, J.S., PhD - York
Schimmenti, M., M Arch - Florida
Wall, S.W. (Director), M Arch - Rice

Associate Professors
Ambroziak, B., M Arch - Princeton
Davis, T.K., M Arch - Cornell
DeKay, M., M Arch - Oregon
Fox, D., M Arch - Cranbrook Academy of Art
Martella, W.E., B Arch - California (Berkeley)
Moir-McClean, T., M Arch - Michigan
Shelton, T., M Phil - Cambridge
Stuth, T., M Arch - Wisconsin

Assistant Professors
Ambroziak, K., M Arch - Princeton
Kalas, G., PhD - Bryn Mawr
Sachs, A., PhD - California (Berkeley)

Senior Lecturers
Fox, D., MFA - Tennessee
Rose, J., B Arch - Tennessee

Architecture involves the study and transformation of the built environment, from the scale of furniture to the scale of the city. The goal of an architectural education is to develop a synthetic thought process of critical thinking and creative problem solving. Creative thinkers must address all aspects of the built environment, in its cultural, social, and ethical context.

As a professional discipline, architecture spans both the arts and the sciences. Students must have an understanding of the arts and humanities, as well as a technical understanding of structures and construction. Skills in communication, both visual and verbal, are essential. While knowledge and skills must be developed, the school strongly emphasizes a process of critical thinking and creative activity.

uTrack Requirements (for first-year students)

Universal Tracking (uTrack) is an academic monitoring system designed to help students stay on track for timely graduation. In order to remain on track, students must complete the minimum requirements for each tracking semester known as milestones. Milestones may include successful completion of specified courses and/or attainment of a minimum GPA. uTrack requirements only affect first-time, first-year, full-time, degree-seeking students entering Fall 2013.

Progression

Students must maintain an overall 2.5 grade point average by the end of 32 hours in order to maintain good academic standing in the program. Students whose GPA drops below 2.5 will have one semester to raise the overall GPA to that level. If the GPA is not brought up to a 2.5, the student will be dropped from the architecture program.

In order to graduate, students must receive a grade of C (2.0) or better in each required professional course from the School of Architecture.

After the first year, in order to progress through the curriculum, students must:

• receive a grade of C (2.0) or better in each professional prerequisite course
• maintain a 2.5 overall GPA
• maintain a design grade point average of 2.5
• complete required mathematics (in first year) and physics (in second year) with passing grades

Students must repeat courses until the necessary standards are met (there is a limit of 3 times a student may repeat a course).

Electives on the 400 and 500 level are open to all students who have the necessary prerequisites/permissions at any time.

Exceptions to academic policies may be made through petition, reviewed by the School’s Admissions and Academic Standards Committee. Students must meet required deadlines for appeal or petition as outlined in the undergraduate catalog in order to be considered for progression or prerequisite exceptions.

Special Programs in Architecture

The School of Architecture is committed to providing a variety of meaningful learning opportunities beyond the classroom itself. Lectures, panel discussions, films, symposia, and exhibits are all important components of a lively academic environment. Within the regular course of study, students have an opportunity to explore diverse aspects of architecture related to urbanism, historic preservation, and community service. Since its founding, the school has always sponsored a foreign studies opportunity.

Exhibits

The Ewing Gallery in the Art and Architecture Building hosts numerous exhibits related to art and architecture. Adjacent to the Commons Space is an Exhibition Wall for more informal exhibits of students, faculty, and visiting artists and architects. In the Commons itself are more spontaneous exhibits of current student work.

Field Trips

Throughout the year, various field trips are organized by the school. The purpose of the field trips is to expose students to major cities with important architecture and to works of architecture that may not normally be open to the general public.

Lectures, Films, and Videos

The Robert B. Church III Memorial Lecture Series is an annual endowed gift in memory of a former dean of the school. Over the years, the Church Lecture Series has allowed the school to bring prominent architects to Tennessee. The regular lecture series features architects, artists, theorists, planners, and historians who discuss their work and ideas. Films and videos also introduce students to a wide range of issues related to architecture, art, urbanism, and culture. Every spring, General Shale Corporation hosts a lecture as part of The Annual All College Spring Thing (TAAST), a traditional series of events organized by students.

Special Topic Design Studios

For many years, the school has provided opportunities for students to participate in off-campus design studios located in urban areas of the state. These studios combine creative work with community service to make an exceptional learning experience for advanced students.

During the summer, students may elect to participate in different programs sponsored by the University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design. Furthermore, students may also participate in summer programs sponsored by other accredited architecture schools. Students will receive appropriate college credit, which may lead to advance standing within the program.

Requirements for Study Abroad/Off-Campus Study

Undergraduate students in the School of Architecture are required to participate in a school-approved study abroad or off-campus semester of study, minimum 12 credit hours including a 6 credit hour design studio. Study will typically occur in the spring of fourth-year, the fall of fifth-year, or the summers after the third or fourth years of study. As a required component of the curriculum, such study is eligible for financial aid, including the HOPE Scholarship for in-state students. Petition for exceptions will be considered.

The School of Architecture supports study abroad and off-campus experiences and believes them to be critically important in the design education process. Direct cultural exposure and experience of the spatial and materially tangible qualities of built environments are fundamental to a more complete understanding of the various roles architecture plays in both local and global contexts.

A range of program options are available for study abroad and off-campus study offered through the College, as well as study abroad opportunities with approved programs offered by other institutions. Such programs have included the UTK programs in Krakow, Poland, Bauhaus University Weimar, Germany, the Finland Summer Architecture Institute in Helsinki, Finland, and the Nashville Civic Design Center in Tennessee. Consult the college website for current offerings.

The Profession’s Participation in the School

As the only accredited architecture program in the state, the School of Architecture tries to maintain a close relationship with the architectural community of the city, state, and region. Professionals regularly come to the school to attend and respond to student presentations, to conduct workshops, to participate in School events, and to interview graduating students. Every spring, the architecture community of Knoxville attends an exhibit of graduating students’ work, where students have the opportunity to discuss their designs with practicing architects.

Architecture is a broad field of study with many diverse ways for individuals to become involved in the profession. The profession itself is diversifying and changing rapidly due to changing financial structures, increasing specialization, expanding liability, and evolving electronic technology. Students are strongly urged to visit and work in different architectural offices in order to acquire a better sense of the profession and career commitment.

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