MISSION
"The University of Oregon architecture school, founded in 1914, was the first school to adopt completely two basic elements of the ‘modern’ movement in architecture education. These are affiliated with all the allied arts (painting, crafts, sculpture, etc.), rather than with engineering, and a non-competitive individual approach to learning."
The school, as founded by its first Dean Ellis Lawrence, adopted many tenets of the ‘Beaux Arts System.’ But, structural alliance with the arts and Lawrence’s personal involvement in the arts and crafts movement, set the stage for a more complete break with this hierarchically structured, competitive and conservative system. The final break was initiated when W. R. B. Willcox became the architecture curriculum head in 1922.
“W. R. B. Willcox had three great interests: architecture, economics and education. His architecture was sound. His ideas about economics were radical. His philosophy of education was both sound and radical. Although his architectural output was prodigious - nearly 400 buildings in 30 years of practice - and his papers and books on economics were published widely - the most significant achievement of Willcox, was the transformation of architectural education that he brought to the University of Oregon while Head of the Department of Architecture from 1922 to 1947. The program that he developed became a prototype and eventually led a reformation in American architectural training.”
“There are two premises, or understandings, that underlie Willcox’s theory of education. The first was his concept of human nature. He believed that each person was a unique individual, that within that individual there exists an inherent urge to create and latent powers of expression.
These energies simply needed to be nurtured and given refinement by acquiring a sense of ‘style.’ The second underlying premise was his conception of the role of architecture in society. He believed, as Sullivan did, that architecture is, along with other arts, an expression of the values, aspirations and character of the society that produces it. Therefore it is incumbent upon the architect that s/he have a broad understanding of the culture and times in which s/he works, and, beyond this, to be an influence in forging those values, aspirations and character.
The educational objectives follow logically from these premises...the focus of [his] approach was on the problem and the problem-solving rather than on the solution. It is this orientation that sets it in sharp contrast to the Beaux Arts System.”
Oregon’s long tradition of non-competitive, individualized education places great emphasis on student self-direction and motivation. Willcox stated these goals in writing an article for the AIA Journal in 1923: “In education, the aim, it would seem, should be the development of one’s own endowments, and not to surpass another, merely, who strives for the same goal. What higher motive than the first can there be, and why should a lower one be accepted as a necessary stimulus? With such an aim, the goal is open to all at the same time; it is not an arbitrary fixed standard of excellence, but a relative one. Its attainment can be measured only with respect to growth, not with respect to another’s attainments.”
The department still sees its educational mission as rooted in Willcox’s visionary realm of ‘freedom and responsibility.’ The curriculum is design-centered. Comprehensiveness is available through introductory coursework in the subject areas and substantial breadth and depth in the advanced courses. The integration of subjects is aided by the design process skills’ courses and practiced in studio. The faculty has substantial freedom with respect to curricular innovation and research. Faculty is expected to maintain their area of expertise and share in the collective responsibility toward maintaining an integrative and comprehensive design program. This duality, perhaps only a contemporary version of the Willcox legacy, is often cited as the department’s greatest strength and key to excellence.
As part of Oregon’s principal university dedicated to the liberal arts and professional education, the department has a special obligation to make the best possible architectural education available to residents of the state and region. We strive to attract a varied student body - one that reflects the diversity of contexts in which architects and interior architects design. Peer-based learning is a valuable complement to the formal instruction and is enhanced by a heterogeneous student body.
Students are selected for their academic capability, creative spirit and desire to study issues related to the built environment. The department looks for students whose contributions and presence will contribute a rich, diverse and supportive context for the study of architectural issues at all scales.
The Department of Architecture faculty embodies the pluralistic intent of the School’s founders. No one background or philosophy predominates. Faculty is encouraged to maintain a professional practice and/or make regular scholarly or research contributions to knowledge in the field. Of the regular faculty members, most architecture faculty members are registered architects or engineers; many are members of AIA and are NCARB certified. The interior architecture faculty is, likewise, members of ASID, IIDA and/or IDEC.
DEGREES OFFERED
Bachelor of Architecture (B. Arch)
Level: Undergraduate, professional study
Location: Eugene (advanced study opportunities available in the Portland Urban Architecture program)
Description: This undergraduate program is a five-year professional degree program leading to a bachelor of architecture (B. Arch.) degree.
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Master of Architecture (M. Arch.), Option III program
Level: Graduate, first professional study
Location: Eugene (advanced study opportunities available in the Portland Urban Architecture program)
Description: The Option III program is a three and one-third-year first-professional degree program in architecture leading to a master of architecture (M. Arch.) degree. Persons with an undergraduate degree not related to architecture may apply to this program. Students begin this program in the summer.
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Master of Architecture (M. Arch.), Option II program
Level: Graduate, first professional study
Location: Eugene and Portland
Description: The Option II program is a two-year first-professional degree program in architecture leading to a master of architecture (M. Arch.). Persons with a four-year pre-professional degree in architecture may apply. Students may complete their entire two years of study in Portland or Eugene or combine study at both sites. Option II students are admitted with advanced standing but must fulfill the professional curriculum requirements of the Option III program.
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Master of Architecture (M. Arch.), Option I program
Level: Graduate, post-professional study
Location: Eugene and Portland
Description: The Option I program leads to master of architecture (M. Arch.) as a post-professional degree. Students with a prior professional NAAB accredited architecture degree (or its foreign equivalent) are eligible to apply to the Option I program. The Option I program requires a minimum of four academic quarters of study and a comprehensive design or research project. All students in this post-professional degree program engage in self–directed research in an area of individual interest.
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Certificate in Technical Teaching in Architecture
Level: Open to graduate students in the postprofessional (Option I) and first professional (Option II and III) master of architecture programs.
Certificate: A minimum of 24 credits is required. Twelve of the 24 credits may be used to fulfill master of Architecture requirements. Two years in residence is typical.
Description: The certificate program is designed for those students interested in
the integration of technical building and engineering information with the design education process for teaching positions in schools of architecture. Students who pursue this certificate typically focus their research on curriculum, tools, and strategies for teaching and concentrate on improving their comprehensive knowledge of the technical subjects. Technical subjects include structural design, construction materials and processes, and environmental control systems
NAAB accreditation of professional degree programs: In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. 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.
Master’s degree programs may consist of preprofessional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree which, when earned sequentially comprise an accredited professional education. However, the preprofessional degree is not by itself, a recognized as an accredited degree.
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