Buildings are the domain of architectural engineers and endpoints of this important engineering discipline. Americans spend over 70 total years of an average lifetime inside of buildings. As such, an important role of architectural engineers is to design buildings that are structurally resilient and able to withstand the loads that act on their exterior and interior surfaces. Because of the amount of time people spend in them, it is also important that buildings be designed, constructed, operated, and maintained to be healthy environments, free of airborne or surface contamination that can adversely affect occupants. Furthermore, buildings should also be comfortable environments that facilitate worker productivity and learning. In the United States, buildings account for nearly 40% of all energy use, over 70% of electricity use, and are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. As such, architectural engineers strive to design, construct, and operate both energy efficient and healthy buildings, with an increasing focus on the use of appropriate green building materials and products.

The building sector represents a major fraction of the United States economy, and buildings are by far the number one asset amongst all assets in the United States. Their appropriate design is critical for the people they serve, national and global economies, and for reasons of environmental sustainability. The curriculum in architectural engineering is designed to meet these needs. It offers training in the fundamentals of engineering, with specialization in structural analysis and design, building energy and environments, building construction, and materials. This curriculum affords the student the opportunity to attain competence in the structural design of resilient buildings, from high-rise office buildings to single-family homes, and from hospitals to schools. Courses in building energy and environments provide graduates with knowledge relevant to the design and operation of both energy efficient and healthy buildings. Students will also gain important knowledge related to sustainable construction practices, construction management, and modern building materials.

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 engineering firms, 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 infrastructure materials engineering.

Objectives

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

• Exhibit character and decision-making skills embodying professionalism and ethical behavior
• Apply knowledge, strong reasoning, and quantitative skills to design and implement creative and sustainable solutions
• Engage in lifelong learning to meet evolving engineering challenges facing society
• Exhibit strong communication, critical thinking, interpersonal, and management skills as leaders and contributors in the architectural engineering profession

Graduates of the architectural engineering program are expected to have

• An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
• An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
• An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
• An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
• An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
• An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
• An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies

Total Hours Required: 126

Plan of Study

The Plan of Study is a suggested four-year course sequence to support academic planning and serves as a helpful guide. Currently enrolled students should meet with their academic advisor to tailor their course selections and timelines to their individual goals and circumstances.

Requirements

All requirements are listed below, starting with the most specialized moving to the most general. Additional requirements may follow the table, so be sure to read the entire page. Some required courses listed below may also satisfy General Education requirements, including Core Curriculum.

Additional Requirements and Policy

Portable Computing Devices

Student entering Architectural Engineering are required to have a laptop at their disposal. Laptops do not need to be brought to campus daily, but individual courses may require that a laptop be brought to class or lab sessions. For more information, see the list of minimum system requirements.

Technical Electives

The course lists tab reflects current course offerings and are subject to change by the faculty. Current lists are available in the departmental undergraduate office.

Course List

Building Energy and Environments 

Construction and Infrastructure Materials Engineering

Structural Engineering