Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering

An unprecedented growth in the building industry, already one of the largest industries in the nation, has created a pressing demand for engineers with specialized training to plan and direct the activities of the industry. This need has been further intensified by the introduction of new materials, new structural systems, and new methods and management techniques. The curriculum in architectural engineering is designed to meet this demand. It offers training in the fundamentals of engineering, with specialization in structures, building energy and environments, or building construction and materials.

This curriculum affords the student the opportunity to attain competence in the structural design of buildings from high-rise to long-span structures and from commercial buildings to complex industrial facilities. Courses in environmental control systems permit graduates to integrate modern electrical, mechanical, and utility distribution systems with the structural and architectural elements of buildings. Courses in construction methods and project management offer the student an opportunity to obtain a versatile background suitable for all areas of the building industry.

The extensive technical requirements, coupled with courses in arts and sciences, provide the architectural engineering student with an opportunity to obtain a background that is ideally suited for careers and positions of responsibility with consulting engineers, general contractors, manufacturers, government agencies, and architecture firms. The curriculum also serves as an excellent springboard to graduate study in the areas of structural engineering, building energy and environments, construction engineering and project management, or construction materials.

Program Outcomes

Graduates of the architectural engineering program are expected to have

• An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
• An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
• An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
• An ability to function on multidisciplinary teams
• An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
• An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
• An ability to communicate effectively
• The broad education necessary to understand what impact engineering solutions have in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
• Recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in lifelong learning
• Knowledge of contemporary issues
• An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice

Program Educational Objectives

Graduates of the architectural engineering program should solve architectural engineering problems within a greater societal context. They should:

• Act professionally and ethically
• Apply knowledge, strong reasoning, and quantitative skills to design and implement creative and sustainable solutions
• Engage in lifelong learning in order to meet the challenges facing the profession
• Exhibit strong communication, interpersonal, and resource-management skills as leaders in the architectural engineering profession

Dual Degree program in Architectural Engineering and Architecture

A program that leads to both the Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering degree and the Bachelor of Architecture degree is available to qualified students. The program combines the course requirements of both degrees and requires six years for completion. Students who wish to pursue both degrees must apply for admission to the School of Architecture according to the procedures and deadlines established by the school. The program is described in Bachelor of Architecture/ Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering Dual Degree Program ; additional information is available from the undergraduate adviser for architectural engineering.

Curriculum

Course requirements are divided into three categories: basic sequence courses, major sequence courses, and other required courses. In addition, each student must complete the University’s Core Curriculum . In some cases, a course required for the Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering may also be counted toward the core curriculum; these courses are identified below. To ensure that courses used to fulfill the social and behavioral sciences and visual and performing arts requirements of the core curriculum also meet ABET criteria, students should follow the guidance given in ABET Criteria .

In the process of fulfilling engineering degree requirements, students must also complete coursework to satisfy the following flag requirements: one independent inquiry flag, one quantitative reasoning flag, one ethics and leadership flag, one global cultures flag, one cultural diversity in the United States flag, and two writing flags. The independent inquiry flag, the quantitative reasoning flag, the ethics and leadership flag, and one writing flag are carried by courses specifically required for the degree; these courses are identified below. Students are advised to fulfill the second writing flag requirement with a course that meets another requirement of the core curriculum, such as the first-year signature course. Courses that may be used to fulfill flag requirements are identified in the Course Schedule .

Enrollment in major sequence courses is restricted to students who have received credit for all of the basic sequence courses and have been admitted to the major sequence. Requirements for admission to a major sequence are given in Admission and Registration . Enrollment in other required courses is not restricted by completion of the basic sequence.

Requirements		Hours
Basic Sequence Courses
Architectural Engineering
ARE 102	Introduction to Architectural Engineering	1
ARE 217	Computer-Aided Design and Graphics	2
Chemistry
CH 301	Principles of Chemistry I (part II science and technology)	3
Civil Engineering
C E 311K	Introduction to Computer Methods	3
C E 311S	Probability and Statistics for Civil Engineers	3
C E 319F	Elementary Mechanics of Fluids	3
Engineering Mechanics
E M 306	Statics	3
E M 319	Mechanics of Solids	3
Mathematics
M 408C	Differential and Integral Calculus (mathematics; quantitative reasoning flag)	4
M 408D	Sequences, Series, and Multivariable Calculus	4
Physics
PHY 303K	Engineering Physics I (part I science and technology; quantitative reasoning flag)	3
PHY 303L	Engineering Physics II (part I science and technology; quantitative reasoning flag)	3
PHY 103M	Laboratory for Physics 303K	1
PHY 103N	Laboratory for Physics 303L	1
Rhetoric and Writing
RHE 306	Rhetoric and Writing (English composition)	3
Undergraduate Studies
UGS 302	First-Year Signature Course (some sections carry a writing flag)	3
or UGS 303	First-Year Signature Course
Major Sequence Courses
Architectural Engineering
ARE 320K	Introduction to Design I	3
ARE 320L	Introduction to Design II	3
ARE 323K	Project Management and Economics	3
ARE 335	Materials and Methods of Building Construction	3
ARE 346N	Building Environmental Systems	3
ARE 346P	HVAC Design	3
or ARE 370	Design of Energy Efficient and Healthy Buildings
ARE 465	Integrated Design Project (independent inquiry flag)	4
ARE 366	Contracts, Liability, and Ethics (ethics and leadership flag)	3
Civil Engineering
C E 324P	Properties and Behavior of Engineering Materials	3
C E 329	Structural Analysis	3
C E 331	Reinforced Concrete Design	3
or C E 335	Elements of Steel Design
C E 333T	Engineering Communication (writing flag)	3
C E 357	Geotechnical Engineering	3
Approved technical electives		9
Other Required Courses
M 427K	Advanced Calculus for Applications I (quantitative reasoning flag)	4
GEO 303	Introduction to Geology	3
M E 320	Applied Thermodynamics	3
Approved architectural history elective (visual and performing arts)		3
Approved mathematics or science elective		3
Remaining Core Curriculum Courses
E 316L	British Literature (humanities)	3
or E 316M	American Literature
or E 316N	World Literature
or E 316P	Masterworks of Literature
American and Texas government		6
American history		6
Social and behavorial science		3
Total Hours		126

Technical Electives

Technical electives in architectural engineering are listed in three areas of specialization below. Nine semester hours must be chosen from the following approved technical elective courses or selected with the approval of the department undergraduate adviser. Lower-division courses may not be used as technical electives.