DiscoverCatholic University of AmericaSchool of Architecture and Allied Arts
School of Architecture and Allied Arts
Catholic University of America
The School The School of Architecture and Planning is dedicated to the professional education of architects and planners and others who will design, build and conserve the built environment. Central to the graduate program is the design studio, where students pursue their architectural inquiries individually or in teams. Design studios are directed by faculty members who have extensive experience in both practice and teaching. Visiting critics whose professional experience is relevant to the studio projects are brought into the school to provide richness and diversity to the students’ design education. The studio experience culminates in a design thesis. Supporting the studio experience are advanced courses in architecture, planning and related fields. Lectures, seminars and exhibitions are devised to introduce the student to a multitude of considerations faced by the practicing architect to reveal differing philosophies and attitudes toward architectural design. The school has had relationships with numerous Washington, D.C., cultural and artistic institutions, including the National Building Museum, the Library of Congress and others. In addition, the school's location offers it unparalleled access to many national chapter headquarters of various design-oriented organizations, such as The American Institute of Architects, or AIA; the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture; the National Architectural Accrediting Board; and the American Institute of Architecture Students. Over the last several years, the school has also maintained a relationship with various embassies in the region, sponsoring cooperative lecture and exhibit programs with the embassies of Japan, Finland, Switzerland and others. Mission We face a fundamental question which can be described as both ethical and ecological. How can accelerated development be prevented from turning against man? How can one prevent disasters that destroy the environment and threaten all forms of life, and how can the negative consequences that have already occurred be remediated? -- Pope John Paul II Mission Statement Our school's mission, Building Stewardship, focuses on preparing architects and designers to assume a personal responsibility for the welfare of the world. We stress the interdependence of the words 'building' and 'stewardship.' We focus on how stewardship itself must be designed and constructed, as process and result - how humanity must actively envision and build a collective ethos of stewardship. Experienced in the integrative, creative and holistic process of design, architects and planners are uniquely positioned to help forge a compelling contemporary attitude toward stewardship for society at large. In addition, our school focuses on how we must be capable stewards when we indeed do physically build. We must care deeply for the impact our projects will have upon past and future human efforts and upon the fragile natural wonder of our globe. We interpret stewardship broadly: it encompasses understanding the built and natural environments, protecting and preserving these resources. It promotes social justice and respect for the quality of human life for fellow citizens. It treasures the vitalizing potential of aesthetics. This broad humanistic interpretation of stewardship encompasses a variety of aims, including ethical responsibilities, beauty, community involvement, responsible development, preservation of the urban fabric, appropriate technological innovation, and livability. All of these impact our school's attitude toward our traditional tasks of teaching, research and service. In keeping with The Catholic University of America's mission of service to the Church, to the community and to the nation, our school educates future architects and designers to be engaged and active citizens in their communities and the world at large. To embrace this holistic approach, CUArch emphasizes: Design Excellence: We focus on design methodology as a model for stewardship efforts. We emphasize exemplary design through the exploration of projects at a variety of scales, programs and cultural settings using a balance of theoretical/technical knowledge and hand/digital craft. Our belief is that good design means good stewardship. Interdisciplinary Study: Researchers and practitioners must be good observers and listeners. Our school broadens students' understanding of the world around them and the challenges of stewardship. We engage other campus disciplines in the work of the school, so that students understand architecture's place within a larger, interconnected, and dynamic context. Washington, DC, as a Design Laboratory: Our mission resonates powerfully within our nation's capital. We encourage a hands-on immersion in the reality of stewardship. We embrace our city and its diverse metropolitan area through numerous cooperative projects with governmental agencies, funding organizations, arts and museum groups, and local universities. CUAdc, our design collaborative, provides pro bono design services to nonprofit and community groups. For comparative purposes, we augment the experience of Washington with an outstanding array of foreign travel options. Our belief is that we are all stewards of this earth. Architects and planners have the skills to help forge a true difference in humanity's future. -- approved by the faculty, August 2007 Degree Programs The School of Architecture and Planning offers a variety of degree programs for both undergraduate and graduate students, both professional and academic. Professional Programs The architecture programs listed below meet all or part of the requirements of the National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB). Click here to see the NAAB conditions and criteria. Bachelor of Science (B.S.Arch) This four-year, pre-professional program is offered to those seeking a foundation in the field of architecture, as preparation for continued education in a professional degree program, or for employment options in fields related to architecture. Master of Architecture (M.Arch) There are two options for earning the Master of Architecture professional degree: Two-Year Program (M.Arch2): For students coming from institutions, including CUA, with a four-year undergraduate pre-professional degree in architecture. Exceptional CUA students may be granted some amount of advanced standing, possibly reducing the duration of the program from four semesters to three. Three-Year Program (M.Arch3): For students who have an undergraduate degree in a field other than architecture. Note that for most students, this program takes more than three years to complete. History of the School 1911-1940At the turn of the century the gifted architect Frederick Vernon Murphy returned to Washington from the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and introduced himself to the Rev. Thomas J. Shahan, fourth rector of The Catholic University of America. In 1911, impressed with Fred Murphy's drawings, Rector Shahan found a place in the unused attic space at McMahon Hall for a small but lofty Department of Architecture. Together, these two great friends planned the early campus, building Gibbons and Maloney Halls, the University Center, the John K. Mullen of Denver Memorial Library, and the old gymnasium, an immense structure that would play a pivotal role in the unfolding saga of architecture at CUA. A faculty of one, Professor Murphy taught drawing, design, painting, history and construction to a small but devoted contingent of students. The department remained in the attic of McMahon Hall until after World War I, when returning veterans forced a growing department to move into the Social Center on the top floor of the old gymnasium. High above the basketball games, the lights were never out as inspired faculty and students captured two national Paris prizes, two American Academy in Rome prizes, four Fontainebleau prizes, and 14 Beaux Arts Institute of Design prizes. In 1928, Thomas H. Locraft won the Paris Prize. He subsequently became the second chair of the department in 1949, following Professor Murphy's retirement. 1940-1961World War II reduced the department from 50 to six students, but returning veterans in 1947 swamped the one-room studio, forcing a second move to the remodeled Navy Barracks. Faculty and courses were greatly expanded and a new five-year degree program was introduced. Enrollment and programs continued to grow, and the search for larger and improved facilities continued. In 1961 the temporary Navy Barracks building was finally demolished and the department was moved to the third floor of Pangborn Hall. With further increases in enrollment requiring more space, increasingly weary faculty and students shifted back and forth between Pangborn, St. John's Hall, and the Archbishop's Chancery on Rhode Island Avenue, the latter two sites being slated for demolition. 1959-1980During the tenure of the third chair, Dr. Paul A. Goettelmann, from 1959 through the early 1970s, anti-Vietnam War and environmental concerns affected college campuses nationwide. During these critical times, Dr. Goettelmann served as a calming influence in his department. His leadership and talent as an educator convinced architecture alumnus and benefactor Benjamin T. Rome to establish the Patrick Cardinal O'Boyle Foreign Studies Program in 1970, and more recently to endow this important program in perpetuity. Dr. Goettelmann led the department through difficult years with wisdom and charm. Succeeding chairs, professors Forrest Wilson and Peter Blake, developed innovative programs such as the nationally known Summer Institute for Architecture and the four-year Master of Architecture program for students holding non-architectural degrees. Other programs included the four-year preprofessional degree, with subconcentrations in design, history, planning, and construction management. During the terms of the chairs Wilson and Blake, enrollment in architecture continued to increase. 1980s-1996In 1984 Professors John Yanik and Walter Ramberg led their ARCH 200 “Fast Track” Graduate Students (now the M.Arch 3 Program) in a three-and-a-half week interior design exercise for the architecture program's design studios and exhibition in nine bays of the recently abandoned old CUA gymnasium. Professors Yanik and Ramberg used some of the raw material from this design exercise to develop a schematic design with a preliminary cost estimate accommodating the architecture program in the interior of the old gym. It was formally presented to the provost by Chairman Peter Blake and Professors Yanik and Ramberg for his and the president’s consideration. Chairman Blake was later informed that the President was not in favor of recycling the old gym because it had been taken off the Master Plan and would probably be demolished within five to ten years. In the summer of 1986, Professor Yanik organized the construction of a demonstration project in several bays at the front of the gym. With a new chairman, Stanley Hallet, on board, a series of public events were held in the new space that excited students, alumni, and visitors. The success of the project led the university president, the Rev. William J. Byron, S.J., to begin discussions with Mr. Edward M. Crough, general contractor and alumnus of the School of Engineering, to consider the feasibility of providing the funds for converting the entire building for the Department of Architecture. The contract was signed on June 8, 1988, and construction completed in October, 1989. In honor of the newly renovated building’s major donor, the old gym was named the Edward M. Crough Center for Architectural Studies. With the assistance of the university's Office of Development, a major campaign to develop funds to renovate the old gymnasium and other support facilities was initiated. The Clarence Walton Media Center was developed and a Model Shop was installed for the construction of furniture and architectural models. The fully equipped Leo A. Daly, Jr., Computer Aided Design Laboratory was implemented through private support, primarily that of the office of his son, Leo A. Daly III, a CUA alumnus, as was his father. The dedication of the renovated former gymnasium as the Edward M. Crough Center for Architectural Studies on Oct. 19, 1989, brought the history of the architecture program at CUA full circle. The $4 million renovation provided a physical presence and sense of community appropriate to an academic unit that had long served the university. In October, 2009, with members of the Edward M. Crough family, alumni, faculty, students, and friends present, the School celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its spectacular renaissance at CUA. Professor Yanik was among those honored for his tireless efforts over the five-year period that led to the Edward M. Crough Center becoming a reality. On May 19, 1992, the Board of Trustees voted to separate the architecture and planning program from the School of Engineering and establish the School of Architecture and Planning, effective Sept. 1, 1992. Stanley Ira Hallet, FAIA, was appointed dean and James O'Hear III, RA, was made associate dean of the school. Professor Hallet served as dean until 1996, when he was succeeded by Gregory K. Hunt, FAIA. 1997-2020In keeping with the spirit of renovation that had earlier given an impressive new identity to the architecture program, a partial renovation of the lower floor of the Crough Center was initiated to provide new studio, shop, and classroom space for the school. Completed in the spring of 1997, this latest building project demonstrated yet again the university's continued commitment to providing the best facilities for the study of architecture on the CUA campus. Under the leadership of Dean Hunt, the school embarked on several new initiatives, including additional foreign study opportunities, extensive curriculum revisions, innovative design-build programs and explorations in applied digital design technology. In 2003, Randall Ott joined the School of Architecture and Planning as dean. Dean Ott continued to advance the school in many ways, including the revision of the undergraduate curriculum, the creation of five graduate concentrations and the creation of the digital fabrication lab.In 2020, Mark Ferguson was hired as dean. Although COVID-19 has moved lectures and studio online, the School continues to find new ways to explore architecture. Accreditation CUA's professional program in architecture is fully accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in architecture. The school received the maximum term of accreditation during its last review in February 2009. In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a 6-year, 3-year, or 2-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards. Master's degree programs may consist of a preprofessional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.