ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING

The program in architectural engineering consists of a series of courses in mathematics, science, engineering science, engineering design, architectural design, construction materials and building systems.  The student applies principles from these courses to structural, mechanical, electrical and acoustical design of buildings.  The architectural engineer must be sensitive to the practical, functional and aesthetic possibilities of contemporary materials, and the mechanical, electrical and structural systems involved in building design.

As an important member of the building design team, the architectural engineer must be able to create designs that will answer the economic, safety and aesthetic requirements of a project, and must have a feeling of the total design.

The architectural engineering student will graduate with a basic competency in structural, mechanical and electrical design for buildings.  The student may, upon the selection of proper electives, strengthen personal knowledge in any one of these areas.  The primary goal of most students in the program is to practice as a consulting engineer in the structural, mechanical or electrical fields of building design.

Because the curriculum is primarily engineering, the student should have a good background in mathematics and science, particularly physics, and should desire to develop a talent for creative design and art.

ROLES AND SETTINGS

Many students begin professional education with a rather vague idea of what an architectural engineer is and does.  Understanding more fully the range of roles and settings available to engineers may provide a better basis for making academic decisions.  Architectural engineers work in many settings, including:

• private professional consulting offices
• architectural/engineering firms
• sales
• government or private research groups
• government agencies

Within these settings, engineers fulfill a number of roles involving different activities, which may be characterized as:

• administration or management
• analysis
• design
• technical development
• design documentation, description and communication
• construction observation
• evaluation/testing
• research
• programming
• feasibility studies

Many settings require participation in a number of activities during a relatively short period of time, while in other settings, an individual may be expected to begin with certain activities and move from one to another as their professional career advances.

As a principal in a small consulting engineering office, an engineer may engage in many of the activities listed above, whereas an engineer in a large firm may concentrate exclusively on only one of the activities.

Understanding the range of opportunities availabe to architectural engineers may help an individual narrow the area of potential interest.  It is advisable for the student to visit with professionals in the engineering fields, and with many firms or organizations to explore the type of work which architectural engineers undertake.  Through such visitations, the student will have a considerably better understanding of the career activities which may consume the next forty or so years of professional engineering.

Educationally, most architectural engineering fields involve completion of an accredited Bachelor of Science degree curriculum.  Other roles, such as education, normally require an advanced degree and/or professional experience.  The process towared licensure in engineering typically begins during the last semester in an engineering curriculum when the student has the opportunity to take an examination on engineering fundamentals to become an Engineer-in-Training (EIT).  After approximately four years of professional experience, candidates may take an examination to be granted a license as a Professional Engineer (PE).

ACCREDITATION

The architectural engineering program at K-State is one of only thirteen programs accredited nationally by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

CURRICULUM

Students entering as of the Spring 2003 semester are required to successfully complete 158 credit hours of required courses in the curriculum.

Many courses require successful completion of prerequisite courses.  Flowcharts are available in the main office (240 Seaton) to assist students in quickly evaluating their eligibility to take advanced courses requiring such prerequisites.  Care should be taken to verify course requirements in the Undergraduate Catalog, as they may require new prerequisite courses.
 

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Kansas State University
January 7, 2003