Architecture Program Report Master of Architecture - Roger Williams ...

topic of their own choosing. This work is accompanied by readings and analysis of best practices within
the profession. Professional Practice and Comprehensive Design Studio offer an important capstone to
issues introduced in Foundations of Architecture and elaborated upon throughout the curriculum, offering
a smooth transition to internship, licensure and the professional world that awaits them upon graduation.
Graduate coursework includes a minimum course grade of B- and minimum B average overall for
graduation, raising expectations of achievement in the program.
Summary of Curricular Goals sought in the Degree Evolution from the Bachelor of Architecture to the B.S.
in Architecture / Master of Architecture program
The evolution from the Bachelor of Architecture program to the B.S. in Architecture / Master of
Architecture program was one element of an overall institutional advance at Roger Williams University
toward the achievement of higher academic standards and development of graduate programs in
selected fields. The B.S. in Architecture / Master of Architecture improved our ability to offer a
professional degree program balancing professional and liberal studies, as well to raise standards
through higher expectations of student performance at the graduate level, through the following:
• increased options and greater curricular flexibility for our students
• greater breadth of study within the program, including access to increased number of Historic
Preservation courses, and opportunities for concentrations and minors
• greater opportunities upon graduation, due to achievement of graduate degree
• greater opportunity for faculty development through the offering of graduate level coursework and
increased opportunity for research and creative activity.
• improved and more consistent academic standards toward completion of the professional
graduate degree thru the threshold evaluation process and the elevated graduate grading
standard.
• greater relationship with the University’s mission as a comprehensive institution with selected
graduate programs
• ability to pursue student / faculty research, community service or mentor other students thru the
Graduate Assistant program
• ability to achieve a breadth of exposure, while also developing a level of expertise within a
profession that is demanding greater collaboration among teams of increasingly specialized
contributors.
The Architecture professional degree curriculum as it has evolved is a unique expression of the allied
missions of the Architecture Program, the School of Architecture, Art and Historic Preservation, Roger
Williams University and NAAB Conditions of Accreditation. The structure that has evolved has clear
potential for refinement and elaboration, and offers a solid foundation for the program’s future growth and
development.
NAAB Student Performance Criteria and those fulfilling our program mission are addressed in a several
areas of the program, as we seek to both introduce and then develop student achievement between Core
and Advanced/Graduate levels, and between coursework and design studios. Where possible in the
Program Matrix we indicate where student performance criteria are delivered in both classroom/lecture
and studio formats. Elective menus and options studios at the undergraduate and graduate levels as well
as elective Study Abroad and Service opportunities round out the curriculum.