Architecture Program Report Tulane University New Orleans ...

and abet the thesis year in these terms are slated to be woven
into the curriculum within the next year, particularly in the second
and third years.
As above, Comprehensive Design and Representation are
together the touchstones for the School's contemporary curricular
revision. They are seen not only as means, but representative of
the perceived goals and outcomes of a successful educational
model for the School of Architecture.
The professional concerns components of the curriculum—
particularly as it concerns architect's leadership roles—have also
been redoubled. The number of required courses in professional
practice has now been doubled. Of additional note are the recent
planning approvals for a School partnership with the School of
Business, whereby a Joint M.B.A./M.Arch. Program has been
approved by the University. In addition, an M.S. in Real Estate
(also in partnership with the Tulane School of Business) is under
development. The first class of both will matriculate in the
2008-09 academic year.
University Structure
As part of its response to Hurricane Katrina, Tulane University has
reorganized itself internally, replacing a system of coordinate
undergraduate colleges and schools with a unified undergraduate
College to which all students belong. So, going forward, a
freshman will not be a freshman in the School of Architecture, but
instead a freshman in Newcomb-Tulane College majoring in
Architecture. President Scott Cowen believes the new system will
enhance the undergraduate experience through shared selfidentity.
He also believes it will break down divisions that had
begun to arise between the previous Schools and Colleges
around issues of decentralized financial planning that discouraged
cooperation. For the School of Architecture, the new plan will
mean immediately that our undergraduate advising will be
centralized with other undergraduate advising in a new university
advising center. This should facilitate easier interdisciplinarity,
though there may be some initial loss in the intimacy we have
enjoyed with in-house advising. The School will compensate
through stronger undergraduate advising on the part of the
faculty, coordinated with the new advising center. Further, we will
have a dedicated advising director in that center whose focus will
be the School.