The University of Hawai'i School of Architecture is replacing the bachelor's and master's degrees with a unique new architecture doctorate (ArchD) designed to be a professional credential equivalent to the MD in medicine or JD in law.
Integrating professional practice and international experience with an improved classroom curriculum, the seven-year, 212-credit-hour program is the first of its kind among the country's 105 accredited architectural schools. Existing doctoral programs focus on research rather than architectural practice.
"The ArchD incorporates supervised internships at architectural offices in Honolulu and throughout the Asia Pacific area and expands international student exchange programs with top-ranked universities in the Asia Pacific region," comments W. H. Raymond Yeh, dean of the UH Manoa School of Architecture. "Emphasizing this global perspective, the new degree offers greater professional opportunities with actual learning experiences in these locales."
Graduates of the new program will qualify to take the national exam used for licensing in Hawai'i within one year of graduation because professional practice is incorporated into the academic program, Yeh said. Students in existing baccalaureate and master's programs must obtain two to five years of qualifying work experience on their own before they can take the exam. Nationally, less than 20 percent of those taking the exam pass on their first try and fewer than half pass after multiple attempts. Yeh hopes that the integration of professional practice with classroom training will improve passage rates for UH graduates. It has already gained the approval of the local professional community.
Established in 1980, the UHM School of Architecture enrolls 280 students in an architectural program that focuses on Asia-Pacific architecture and the needs of communities in Hawai'i and the Pacific Basin. The school offers expertise in Asian architecture, historic preservation and community development in developing countries in its professional curriculum.