Bachelor of Environmental Design

The curriculum in environmental design at Texas A&M is offered through the department of Architecture. It provides opportunities for study of those disciplines which plan and develop the built environment.

Environmental design professions, of which architecture and many allied disciplines are a part, are committed to improving the way people live: the quality of life as it is affected by the built environment. Traditionally, design professions have been concerned with the design of a specific project for a specific client, but this concern has been expanded to include the impact of that project on its surroundings; the social and ecological implications of buildings and systems, especially large complexes, including cities. This expanded concern has caused design professionals to become active participants as member of design teams. Team members bring both specific expertise and general concern for and understanding of their discipline's relationship to both the design team and their synergistic design affect upon the environment. Concurrent with these recent design developments and the realization that natural, human and financial resources are finite, design professionals have become more pragmatic with respect to practice in the business and legal environments of contemporary society.

Environmental Design Options

The Environmental Design Program provides the latest in problem-solving knowledge based design, building technology, professional practice, creative visual arts and electronic media. The curriculum enables students to pursue the professional filed of architecture and other design disciplines, including the visual arts. The undergraduate Bachelor of Environmental Design (B.E.D.) allows for rigor and specialization within two options, Architectural Studies and Visual Studies.

The program of study provides a foundation in general learning, along with knowledge and skills necessary to understand the built and virtual environments. All Environmental Design degree students follow a common two-year curriculum with lower-level classification (ENDL). Enrollment in junior- and senior-level courses is limited to those who have been admitted to upper-level studies with ENDS classification. The criteria for admittance to upper-level studies are outlined on the Texas A&M catalog and on the application form available in the College of Architecture Undergraduate Advising Office--Room A012, Langford. Students who are admitted to upper-level studies select one of the two options offered in the College of Architecture. Admission within each option maybe limited by enrollment restrictions.

Architectural Studies Option (Curriculum) -- The Architectural Studies Option focuses on designing the built environment while recognizing relationships between people and their environment. Students study the sciences, the humanities and the arts. The design studios offer a means by which students can synthesize and apply this knowledge. The broad range of course work within this option gives students a better understanding of the complexity of problems facing architects today. It allows students to explore new means by which the profession can better people's lives. Graduates can work within a wide range of design and architectural firms. Students interested in professional registration will need to attend a National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) accredited Master of Architecture [program in addition to the four-year undergraduate Bachelor of Environmental Design degree.

Visual Studies Option (Curriculum) -- The Visual Studies Option focuses on the fundamentals of art and design in the context of technologically based image making. Course in the option are structured to provide a blending of artistic, scientific and technical abilities providing the student with a specialized skill set to create visual images through a synthesis of interdisciplinary knowledge. Career opportunities exist as designers or artists in architecture, information technology, education, electronic publication, entertainment and independent practice.

Differences in Option Course Offerings

Coursework within both Options encourages interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives that allow opportunities for communication, team-oriented methods of production and visionary design solutions that respond to a broad range of concerns. Each Option offers a different set of courses that enable students focus on issues related to either architectural studies or visual studies. Students are encouraged to examine the differences between these two Options.

Art and Architecture History Minor

A minor in Art and Architectural History is offered through the Department of Architecture. The minor is an excellent compliment to the Environmental Design Degree and is available to all university students who have an interest in history and historic preservation.

Internships

Internships that enhance education through practical experiences and study away programs that expand knowledge of the globalization of practice are promoted.

 Preparation for Professional Studies in Architecture

In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit US professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes two types of degrees; the Bachelor of Architecture and the Master of Architecture. A program may be granted a five-year, three year or two-year term of accreditation, depending on its degree of conformance with established educational standards.

Masters degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree, which, when earned sequentially, comprise an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
At Texas A&M undergraduate students having professional architectural registration and practice as their ultimate goal are advised to complete the Bachelor of Environmental Design (BED) degree - Architectural Studies Option. The Bachelor of Environmental Design degree is considered the four-year, pre-professional program.

After completing the BED degree-Architectural Studies Option, many students enter a two-year M.Arch program. Qualified students completing the Bachelor of Environmental Design (BED) Degree- Visual Studies Option and students completing substantially different curriculums may be considered for admission to graduate studies in the Department of Architecture with prerequisite requirements in any areas of deficiency. An additional year or more of study for the master's degree in architecture could be required. Students should consult the M. Arch degree coordinator if they have questions. Other universities may have different entrance requirements for Master's programs and students are encouraged to consult with advisors representing other programs.