Canadian Education Standard

Design is defined as analysis, synthesis, judgment and communication which architects use to understand, bring together, assess and express ideas which lead to a built project.

At least 40 semester hours of credit must be completed in courses related to:

• Basic design theories, methods, and precedents to the conception, configuration, and design of buildings, spaces, building elements, and tectonic components.
• Small buildings (residential, single use)
• A complex building (multi use and advanced program)
• Site design
• Urban design/context
• Details (material components, assemblies and and/or architectural elements)
• Use of a range of techniques for two-dimensional and three-dimensional representation, computational design, modeling, simulation, and fabrication.

At least 10 semester hours of credit must be completed in courses related to: Complex Building  Design based on a concept, a building program, and a site which broadly integrates contextual factors, structural and environmental systems, building envelopes and assemblies, regulatory requirements, and environmental stewardship.

At least 12 semester hours of credit must be completed in courses related to: History of architecture and urban design regarding with consideration of cultural, political, ecological, and technological factors that have influenced their development.

At least 6 semester hours of credit must be completed in courses related to: Diverse needs, values, behavioral norms, and social/spatial patterns that characterize different global cultures and individuals and the implications of diversity on the societal roles and responsibilities of architects.

At least 6 semester hours of credit must be completed in courses related to: The broader ecologies that inform the design of buildings and their systems and of the interactions among these ecologies and design decisions.

At least 4 semester hours of credit must be completed in courses related to: Applicable building codes, regulations, and standards for a given building and site, including universal design standards and the principles that inform the design and selection of life-safety systems.

At least 4 semester hours of credit must be completed in courses related to: Basic principles used in the appropriate selection and application of architectural materials as it relates to fundamental performance, aesthetics, durability, energy, resources, and environmental impact.

At least 6 semester hours of credit must be completed in courses related to: Principles of structural behavior in withstanding gravitational, seismic, and lateral forces, including the selection and application of appropriate structural systems.

At least 4 semester hours of credit must be completed in courses related to: Basic principles used in the design of building envelope systems and associated assemblies relative to fundamental performance, aesthetics, durability, energy, material resources, and environmental impact.

At least 6 semester hours of credit must be completed in courses related to: Basic principles that inform the design of passive and active environmental modification and building service systems, the issues involved in the coordination of these systems in a building, energy use and appropriate tools for performance assessment, and the codes and regulations that govern their application in buildings.

At least 6 semester hours of credit must be completed in courses related to:

• Organization of the profession, the Architects Act(s) and its regulations, the role of regulatory bodies, the paths to licensure including internship, and the reciprocal rights and responsibilities of interns and employers.
• Ethical issues involved in the formation of professional judgment; the architect’s legal responsibility under the laws, codes, regulations, and contracts common to the practice of architecture; intellectual property rights; and the role of advocacy in relation to environmental, social, and cultural issues.
• Basic principles and types of practice organization, including financial management, business planning, entrepreneurship, marketing, negotiation, project management, and risk mitigation, as well as an understanding of trends that affect the practice.
• Various contracts common to the practice of architecture.
• Relationships among key stakeholders in the design process; the methods for selecting consultants and assembling teams; building economics and cost control strategies; the development of work plans and project schedules; and project delivery methods.

A total of at least 32 semester hours of credit must be completed in general education subject areas. Specifically, at least 14 semester hours must be completed in:

• Language Composition (a minimum of 2 semester hours)
• Humanities or Social Sciences (a minimum of 6 semester hours)
• Mathematics or Natural Sciences (a minimum of 6 semester hours)

The remaining 18 semester hours may be taken in any of the general subject areas listed above. These courses may be included either as an admission requirement or as part of the professional degree curriculum.

Definitions of the general education subject areas are as follows:

• Language Composition is defined as written communication that explains, interprets, analyses or presents and supports a point of view, utilizing the principles and conventions of standard language.
• Humanities are defined as the academic disciplines that study the human condition through the recognition, comprehension, analysis and interpretation of various forms of art and literature. (Studio and performing art courses are not acceptable in this subject but may be acceptable as electives.)
• Social Sciences are defined as the study of the social life of human groups and individuals through the analysis of economic, historical, political, psychological and sociological aspects of society.
• Mathematics is defined as the study of the measurement, relationships and properties of quantities and sets, using numbers and symbols. It has numerous branches, including arithmetic, algebra, geometry and calculus.
• Natural Science is defined as the study of the physical universe and is divided into two general areas: biological science and physical science.

At least 24 semester hours of credit must be completed in:

• Architectural subjects (beyond the minimum requirements of each professional studies subject areas)
• Specialized elective subjects outside of the professional program.