This is an archived copy of the 2016-17 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://bulletin.ndsu.edu.

Architecture

Program and Application Information
Department Chair:Dr. David Bertolini
Graduate Coordinator:Cindy Urness
Department Location:Renaissance Hall
Department Phone:(701) 231-6151
Department Web Site:ala.ndsu.edu/
Application Deadline:February 1 for fall semester, portfolio required
Degrees Offered:Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
English Proficiency Requirements:TOEFL ibT 80; IELTS 6.5

Program Description

NDSU offers a 5-year NAAB accredited, first-professional Master of Architecture degree program housed primarily in a beautifully-restored historic industrial building in downtown Fargo, which has emerged as an exciting, student-oriented urban district. Most students entering the graduate program in architecture come directly from the NDSU pre-professional Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies program. The curriculum includes field trips to cities across the country and is supported by a professionally-staffed wood shop, digital media labs, and laser cutters and 3D printing for model-making. Both traditional and digital media are emphasized. An optional semester abroad, plus foreign study tours during summers are offered.

In the United States, most 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 professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an eight-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.

Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a pre-professional undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

North Dakota State University’s Architecture program offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program:

  • M.Arch. (pre-professional degree + 32 graduate credits)
  • Next accreditation visit: 2018

Admission Requirements

  • Students currently enrolled in the 4-year pre-professional degree at NDSU may apply to the Master of Architecture program. Transfer students with pre-professional or professional degrees in architecture from another school may be considered for admission to years 4 and 5 in the program, based on test scores, GPA, and portfolio review.
  • Candidates must have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 to be considered for full graduate standing

Curriculum

Click here for the latest information on the Curriculum.

Click here for course descriptions.

Bakr Mourad AlyAhmed, Ph.D.
Virginia Tech, 2002
Creative/Research Interests: Beach Resort Design, Sustainable Design Modeling, Eco-Tourism Development, Building Capacity Measures, Advanced Environmental Planning

Mark Barnhouse, M.Arch.
Pratt Institute, 1988
Creative/Research Interests: Water Resources and the Built Environment, and the Graphic Interpretation of Parametric Data about the Built Environment

David Bertolini, Ph.D., AIA, Chair
Temple University, 2007
Creative/Research Interests: Architecture and Film Theory, Ideology and Aesthetics

Darryl Booker, M.Arch.
University of Colorado, 1980
Creative/Research Interests: Sustainable Design, Ethics & Built Environment, Appropriate Technology

Michael Christenson, M.Arch.
University of Minnesota, 1997
Creative/Research Interests: Commonalities between Architectural Analysis and Design; Iterative Processes; Parametric Modeling.

David Crutchfield, M.Arch.
University of Texas at Austin, 2004
Creative/Research Interests: Sustainable Design, As the Interrelation of Nature, Economics, Equity, and Aesthetics; Critical Evaluation Methods of Green Design; Innovations and Analysis in Passive Design

Don C. Faulkner, M.Arch.
University of Utah, 1975
Creative/Research Interests: Urban Design, Building Community and Public Engagement

Dominic L. Fischer, MLA, PLA
City College of New York, 2011
Creative/Research Interests: Landscape Architecture History, Environmental Planning, Urban Design, Small Urban Spaces, Historic Preservation

Paul H. Gleye, Ph.D.
UCLA, 1983
Creative/Research Interests: Place-making, Historic Preservation, City Centers

Matthew Kirkwood, BLA, MDesS, PLA and AZA
Creative/Research Interests: Landscape Architecture, Environmental Planning, Landscape Ecology, Construction Management and Professional Practice

Ganapathy Mahalingam, Ph.D.
University of Florida, 1995
Creative/Research Interests: Computer-Aided Architectural Design, Architectural Acoustics, Computational Modeling of Design, Interdisciplinary Research, Architectural Philosophy and the Architectural Genome Project

Steve C. Martens, M.Arch. II
University of Minnesota, 1988
Creative/Research Interests: Architectural Problem-Solving, Design Methods, Historic Preservation, Building Materials

Kathleen Pepple, MFA, MCRP
University of North Dakota, 1981;
North Dakota State University, 1991
Creative/Research Interests: Applied research in urban agriculture, its economic influence as a local food source, and its importance as a focal point for community participation; In exploration of the possibilities of functional art within this framework, her north Fargo urban art fence expands the utility of boundaries and perimeters necessary in the context of municipal gardens and farms.

Ronald H.L.M. Ramsay, M.Arch.
University of Texas at Austin, 1992
Creative/Research Interests: Architectural History, Historic Preservation, the Progressive Era, Planning History, Professionalization

Regin Schwaen, M.A.A.
City Building , Arkitektskolen i Aarhus, 1992
Creative/Research Interests: Urban Buildings, Conceptual Models, Minimal Concrete Structures, Visual Communication

Cindy Urness, M.Arch.
Pratt Institute, 1988
Creative/Research Interests:  Building Technology, Urban Design, Utopian Cities, Sustainable Design, Universal Design

Joan Vorderbruggen, M.Arch.
University of Oregon, 2009
Creative/Research Interests: Human / Nature connections, healthy & healing environments, sustainable and low impact design

Stephen Wischer, M.Arch., MFA
University of Calgary, 2004
Creative/Research Interests:  History /Theory, Existential Philosophy, Interdisciplinary Relationships, Art, Embodied Artifacts, Process, Experience and Poetics