Mission

Mission
The mission of the Department of Architecture is to create and disseminate knowledge of interiors, buildings, and the built and virtual environment, influencing our society to achieve a built environment that achieves the triple bottom line of sustainability: economic, social, and ecological justice. To achieve this mission, the department engages in teaching, research, and service in keeping with the traditional mandate of a land-grant university.

Philosophy
The faculty is committed to the studio education method that employs project-based learning to model professional behavior and motivate students through meaningful application of the knowledge that they acquire. Students in the pre-professional Bachelor of Environmental Design and the professional Master of Architecture degree programs enroll in design studio courses that tackle architectural projects similar to those faced by professional architects. In the studio projects, an emphasis is shared among the technical and expressive content of design work, the process by which students research, synthesize, and document their design ideas, and the creation of tangible products that achieve high quality of graphic and physical craft.

The studio courses are complemented by courses in technology, history, theory, and practice taught by renowned scholars in those fields to assure that students may design from a foundation of extensive and comprehensive knowledge of the built environment.

Complementing the teaching program is an extensive program of inquiry in keeping with the norms of a research university. Faculty members engage in research, creative, and scholarly activities that enable maintenance of positions on the cutting edge of architectural knowledge. Students in the Master of Science in Architecture, the Master of Science in Visualization Sciences, and the PhD in Architecture investigate open questions in the field and produce a thesis or dissertation that contributes to the body of knowledge of architecture.

The department is also committed to service to the people of Texas, the United States, and the world through engagement in projects of tangible and lasting value to communities. The studio method and the research activities provide students with many opportunities to work with underserved segments of the population, such as the people of the colonias along the U.S. and Mexico border, those affected by hurricanes and other natural disasters, and disadvantaged people throughout our communities.

Former Students and the Public
As the department enters the Second Century of architectural education at Texas A&M, it draws upon an extraordinary family of former students and friends of the department. Graduates of our programs have achieved levels of achievement that place them at the pinnacle of their professions and are recognized through 'The Outstanding Alumni Award'. Through discussions with students and faculty, financial donations, and spreading the word of the Aggie tradition of excellence, their contributions to the department are crucial to our success in achieving our goal of a sustainable built environment.

If these goals and philosophies resonant with your beliefs and you wish to increase your involvement in the department of architecture as a student, faculty, or benefactor, please contact us.

Mark J. Clayton, PhD, Interim Head
architecture@archone.tamu.edu
(979) 845-1015