School of Architecture & Design

Introduction

The University of Kansas

Graduation requirements and regulations for every academic program are provided in this catalog; however, this catalog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract. Degree and program requirements and course descriptions are subject to change.

The University of Kansas School of Architecture and Design (ArcD) has been using interdisciplinary learning to produce pioneering leaders in different areas of Architecture and Design for more than 100 years. Our experienced, diverse faculty and innovative degree paths promote the development of creative talent that fits each student’s personal interests and abilities. Our students learn through design-thinking that uses various methods of designing, drawing and making to find architectural and design solutions for human problems, taking advantage of a wide array of global study opportunities, community engagement, and collaborative research. 

Our courses are significantly influenced by the practical input of architects and designers from major firms the world over. These employers consistently say that those who receive degrees from KU are not only able to contribute as soon as they begin work, but also quickly ascend to leadership positions. Prepared as designers, critical thinkers, and problem solvers, our graduates enjoy personal career fulfillment and serve, enrich, and sustain their professions and communities.



Professional tools. Inspiring Spaces. 

The School of Architecture and Design (ArcD) at the University of Kansas is committed to providing students with all the facilities and resources needed to prepare for careers and make impacts as designers, architects, and creative leaders. 

Marvin Hall, located on historic Jayhawk Boulevard, offers connections to most ArcD campus facilities, resources, and people. Built in 1908, the four-level building houses ArcD academic services and administration offices, Department of Architecture studios and faculty offices, and multiple facilities that support students in all academic programs. 

The Forum, designed and built in 2014 by ArcD students in the Studio 804 program, sits directly centered between the two campus buildings that have long been home to our academic departments. This light-filled LEED Platinum-certified glass, steel, and timber structure is a gathering place for our school community and a venue to welcome visitors. The Forum includes a 121-seat lecture hall and a multipurpose space with moveable exhibition walls, flexible furniture systems, and digital displays. The Forum Commons, a student lounge and exhibition gallery, connects The Forum to Marvin Hall.  

Chalmers Hall, connected to Marvin Hall by an elevated walkway known as “The Bridge," is a large and bustling building where creative practice and output is in full view. This longtime home to Department of Design academic programs, studios, and faculty offices, also holds multidisciplinary labs, common areas, galleries, and amenities that support the whole ArcD student experience.

East Hills Designbuild Center, with approximately 66,500 square feet of floor area, is probably the largest academic makerspace in the world. Home to multiple Architecture and Industrial Design design-build studios, this steel and concrete building contains fabrication labs, collaborative research spaces, a computer lab, and multiple cavernous assembly areas for ArcD students and researchers.

Center for Design Research (CDR) is a working laboratory and incubator that brings together KU students, faculty, and industry representatives. Located on KU’s West Campus on the site of a former dairy farm, CDR facilities are housed within a repurposed historic stone barn and farmhouse, and a LEED Platinum-certified building completed in 2011 by ArcD students in the Studio 804 program.

Marvin Studios (more commonly referred to as “The Mud Hut”) is home to studios, presentation space, and advanced digital fabrication labs. Students in both departments have opportunities to gain experience using advanced computer systems and automated tools to create 3D prototypes, manufacture products, and research innovative material applications.

Snow Hall, directly across Jayhawk Boulevard from Marvin Hall, houses architecture and interior architecture studio and presentation spaces, offices, and a computer lab. Located in a unified space overlooking Potter Lake and Memorial Stadium on the first floor of Snow Hall, facilities include large studio spaces, a flexible presentation gallery, and is home to PhD in Architecture student offices.

The Helen Foresman Spencer Museum of Art houses the only comprehensive art collection in Kansas. Collections are particularly noteworthy in medieval art, 17th- and 18th-century German and Austrian painting, sculpture, American painting, prints, American photography, Japanese art of the Edo period, textiles, and decorative arts. Spencer Museum sponsors exhibitions, lectures, films, workshops, and activities that support curricular instruction in the arts.

The KU Libraries have over 5.7 million volumes in seven library locations. In addition to the physical collections, students and faculty have access to more than 1.5 million electronic books, 168,000 electronic journals, and 1,733 subscription databases. An important resource for the School of Architecture and Design is the Murphy Art and Architecture Library, which has a collection of approximately 182,000 volumes.