ARCHITECTURE (ARC) COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
5113 Design and Leadership
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An in-depth study of design as a form of leadership in the emerging global environment. Includes consideration of leadership qualities to affect change through design and practice.
5123 Emerging Design and Practice in the Global Context
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An advanced study of architectural design and practice in the global context with a focus on Asia and India. Includes consideration of the similarities and differences between the cultural, economic, and regulatory frameworks.
5133 Professional Practice and Construction in a Global Setting
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An advanced study of national and international business and legal environments in the construction industry. Topics include agreement and delivery options, forms of construction, project procedures and administration, liability, contract documents, and ethics. (Formerly titled “Advanced and International Professional Practice and Ethics.”)
5163 Current Issues and Topics in Contemporary Architecture
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
A critical survey of the leading issues, theories, writings, projects, and built works of architecture over the past 20 years.
5173 Architectural Theory and Criticism
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
A survey of contemporary architectural theory and criticism from 1950 to the present. May be repeated for credit once when topics vary.
5183 Fundamentals of Architectural Design: Principles & Representation
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: Graduate standing and permission of the architecture Graduate Advisor of Record.
An introduction to the basic principles and skills associated with architectural design for graduate students enrolled in the M.Arch. 3 program.
5196 Fundamentals of Architectural Design: Studio
(1-10) 6 hours credit. Prerequisites: Graduate standing and permission of the architecture Graduate Advisor of Record.
An introductory design studio for graduate students enrolled in the M.Arch. 3 program. Considers design as an exploration of theoretical ideas and translation into architectural and urban spaces.
5203 History and Theory of Preservation
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An introduction to the history, philosophy, and methodology of historic preservation and restoration.
5233 Architectural Surveys and Measured Drawings
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: Graduate standing and ARC 5203, or consent of instructor.
A survey of documentation and interpretation of sites and buildings and graphic recording techniques.
5303 International Practice
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An in-depth study of the professional, legal, social, and cultural issues that affect international architecture, construction, and urban development.
5403 Historic Preservation Seminar
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An advanced study of selected topics in architecture, design, preservation, and planning. May be repeated once for credit, when topics vary.
5423 Legal and Economic Aspects of Preservation
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
A survey of the laws and regulations that affect preservation of the built environment, nationally, regionally, and locally. Includes considerations of fundamentals of legal protection for and regulation of historic cultural resources in light of contemporary attitudes toward the historic environment, and the economic bases of the use of historic buildings and sites examined in terms of contemporary social and cultural attitudes that determine effective strategies of preservation action.
5513 Advanced Building Technology & Structures
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An advanced study of building technology and structures. Includes consideration of sustainable techniques, technologies, building enclosure, structural behavior and systems, the integration of heating, cooling and ventilating systems, lighting, acoustics, electrical, plumbing and water, security, vertical circulation, and site and transportation for new and existing buildings.
5533 Contemporary Materials in Architecture and Design
(1-4) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
A survey and examination of contemporary materials from multiple perspectives. Includes consideration of the characteristics and applications of existing, new, and emerging materials. Includes design project.
5543 Advanced Digital Design and Fabrication Technologies in Architecture
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An in-depth examination of contemporary digital design and fabrication technologies in architecture and other design disciplines.
5563 Fabric Structures and Smart Textiles for Designers
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
A hands-on introduction to lightweight fabric structures and smart textiles. Includes consideration of innovative means to integrate structural smart fabrics within architectural design environments.
5603 Advanced Seminar in Architectural History
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An in-depth study or survey investigating selected topics in architectural history. May be repeated once for credit, when topics vary.
5613 American Architecture
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
A survey of the development of the architecture of the United States from the earliest human settlements to the present.
5643 Modern Architecture of Mexico
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
A survey of the architecture and urbanism of Mexico from Independence in 1821 to the present.
5653 Pre-Columbian and Colonial Architecture of Mexico
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
A survey of the architecture and urbanism of Mexico during the pre-Columbian and Colonial eras.
5663 The Architecture and Cities of Northern Mexico
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
A detailed survey of the architecture and urbanism of the border states of Northern Mexico, primarily focusing on the modern era from 1821 to the present.
5673 Advanced Topics in the Architecture and Urbanism of Mexico
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An in-depth study of the major currents of thought and critical ideas regarding the architecture and urbanism of Mexico. Topics include the impacts of nationalism, modernity, tectonic culture, globalization, post-colonialism, automobile suburbia, and hybrid border architecture and urbanism.
5713 Environmental Architecture and Sustainability
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
A study of history and theory of environmentally sustainable design. Includes the review of the general discourse of sustainability and consideration of the tools and techniques employed to produce sustainable architectural environments. (Formerly ARC 5153. Credit cannot be earned for both ARC 5713 and ARC 5153.)
5723 Applications in Sustainable Design
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An introduction to the integration of environmental performance criteria in architectural design. Includes the application of simulation methods, design decision support tools, rating systems (e.g., LEED), and consideration of building energy consumption patterns, conservation strategies, solar shading, solar access, integration of electric and daylight, and the life cycle analysis of materials and systems.
6003 Morphology of the Architecture and Landscape of South Texas and Borderlands
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An examination of environmental conditions, cultural traditions, social patterns, building conventions, and aesthetic intentions that have influenced the architecture and planning of communities of South Texas, the Southwest, and the North Mexican borderlands. (Formerly ARC 6123. Credit cannot be earned for both ARC 6003 and ARC 6123.)
6013 Theories and Philosophies of Regionalism
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
A survey of the discourse of architectural regionalism. Includes consideration of regionalist theory and practice in the twentieth century, regional planning, critical regionalism, bioregionalism, sustainability, and issues such as modernity, globalization, cultural identity, authenticity, place, and tradition. (Formerly ARC 5213. Credit cannot be earned for both ARC 6013 and ARC 5213.)
6023 Vernacular Architecture
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An introduction to contemporary and past vernacular architecture. Includes specific consideration of global architecture developed by nonprofessionals and builders in response to climate, material availability, sociocultural patterns, and economic constraints that condition the adaptation of housing, farm, and industrial structures. (Formerly ARC 5623. Credit cannot be earned for both ARC 6023 and ARC 5623.)
6103 Design Process and Human Perception
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An examination of design processes as they relate to spatial, experiential, and perceptual considerations in architectural design. Includes exploration of architectural environments through philosophy, psychology, history, and literature.
6126 Advanced Design Studio I
(1-10) 6 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
An introduction to advanced architectural design, including the role of research, program preparation, and technological integration in architectural design.
6136 Advanced Design Studio II
(1-10) 6 hours credit. Prerequisite: ARC 6126.
An advanced architectural design studio, which allows faculty and students to explore a range of architecture-related topics in a studio setting. Content varies.
6146 Advanced Design Studio III
(1-10) 6 hours credit. Prerequisites: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.
An advanced architectural design studio, which includes the integration of building materials, services, and systems, technical documentation and comprehensive design.
6213 Biomimicry and Physical Computing in Design
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
A hands-on course using biomimicry to learn from biological processes. Includes physical computing, robotic technologies, and kinetic structures to develop working models of design solutions using biomimicry.
6313 Health and the Built Environment
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
A survey course examining the relationships between the design of the built environment and human health from physiological, psychological, organizational, sociological and ecological perspectives.
6323 Architecture, Health and Wellness
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An examination of the evidence-based approach to the design of healthy work, educational, residential, and recreational environments.
6333 Healthcare Design
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An examination of planning and design considerations for clinical and therapeutic healthcare facilities.
6413 Preservation Technology
(1-4) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
A survey of techniques of preservation: methods of analysis, history of materials, and technology used in old buildings. Includes emphasis on buildings as integrated sets of subsystems and how these are affected by the processes of material deterioration, conservation, and techniques of intervention. May be repeated for credit once, when topics vary.
6423 Architectural Conservation Theory
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An advanced study and critical analysis of current design theory and techniques for conservation of historic sites.
6433 Research Methods in Architecture
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An examination of theories and methods in architectural research. Includes a critical review of theoretical perspectives and considers a range of research methods and techniques used in architectural research.
6816 Study Abroad: Advanced Design Studio III
(0-12) 6 hours credit. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
An advanced architecture design studio associated with a study abroad program.
6823 Study Abroad: Advanced Architectural History/Theory
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
An advanced study in architectural history/theory associated with a study abroad program; involves field trips.
6833 Study Abroad: Advanced Architectural Representation
(0-6) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
A graduate-level drawing and other media course associated with a study abroad program; involves field trips.
6931 Master’s Project Preparation
1 hour credit. Prerequisites: ARC 6126, ARC 6136, graduate standing and permission of the architecture Graduate Advisor of Record.
The course involves the research and preparation of a proposal for an independent design project. The grade report for the course is either “CR” (satisfactory performance) or “NC” (unsatisfactory performance). (Formerly ARC 6933. Credit cannot be earned for both ARC 6931 and ARC 6933.)
6943 Professional Internship
3 hours credit. Prerequisites: Graduate standing, 18 semester credit hours of graduate work, and consent of instructor.
Supervised professional practice experience with public agencies or private firms. Individual conferences and written reports required. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 hours will apply to the Master of Architecture degree or the Master of Science degree.
6951-3 Independent Study
1 to 3 hours credit. Prerequisites: Graduate standing and permission in writing (form available) of the instructor and the Graduate Advisor of Record.
Independent reading, research, discussion, and/or writing under the direction of a faculty member. For students needing specialized work not normally or not often available as part of the regular course offerings. May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 hours, regardless of discipline, will apply to the Master of Architecture degree or the Master of Science degree.
6961 Comprehensive Examination
1 hour credit. Prerequisites: Graduate standing and permission of the architecture Graduate Advisor of Record to take the comprehensive examination.
Independent study course for the purpose of taking the Comprehensive Examination. The grade report for the course is either “CR” (satisfactory performance on the Comprehensive Examination) or “NC” (unsatisfactory performance on the Comprehensive Examination). Credit earned in ARC 6961 may not be counted toward the Master of Science degree. May be repeated once.
6973,6 Special Topics
(3-0, 6-0) 3 or 6 hours credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
An organized course offering the opportunity for specialized study not normally or not often available as part of the regular course offerings. Special Topics courses may be repeated for credit when topics vary, but not more than 6 semester credit hours of ARC 6973 or 12 hours of ARC 6976 will apply to the Master of Architecture degree or the Master of Science degree.
6983 Master’s Thesis
3 hours credit. Prerequisites: Graduate standing and permission of the architecture Graduate Advisor of Record.
May be repeated for credit, but not more than 6 hours will apply to the Master of Science degree. Credit will be awarded upon completion of the thesis. Enrollment is required each term in which the thesis is in progress.
6996 Master’s Project
(0-12) 6 hours credit. Prerequisites: ARC 6931, graduate standing, and permission of the architecture Graduate Advisor of Record.
A comprehensive study focusing on an independent design proposal and the complete representation of the project. Students who earn a grade of “B” or better in this course will satisfy the comprehensive examination requirement.
