Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design

Design reconciles conflicting visions and exploits all available technologies to shape and sustain a better world. Houston’s hot-humid environment, low-lying Gulf-Coast geography, and dispersed pattern of un-zoned metropolitan development presents designers with an extraordinary laboratory, full of challenges and opportunities. The proposals seeded in the vast urban sprawl of Houston are transmutable to cities around the globe.

The Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design offers its students a platform of integrated disciplines - architecture, space architecture, interior architecture, and industrial design - from which to negotiate the complexities of contemporary practice in a world that is grappling with diminishing economic and natural resources, the realities of post-disaster re-construction, and, at the same time, continued, rapid urbanization. Faculty and students work together in a studio-centric curriculum, supported by a premier digital fabrication facility. Open studios seamlessly incorporate coursework into project-based learning through material investigations and applied research. At the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design, making is not simply an action or a craft, but a form of critical thinking, calling forth innovative solutions for contemporary conditions. Our programs foster an environment where ideas find form, where practices that are socially equitable and fundamentally ecological establish a model from which to develop Houston’s future and to inform and shape design strategies globally.

We seek applicants to our programs that possess curiosity, commitment, initiative, creativity, and a solid work ethic. We strive to graduate students who become reflective practitioners and leaders in their fields. The curriculum is designed to prepare our graduates for professional practice in architecture, industrial design, interior architecture, or environmental design, by equipping them with a depth of understanding of human needs and a command of a range of technologies that will enable them to shape their environments and the objects in them. We are keenly aware of our responsibilities toward our environment and our concentration on sustainable design has forged collaborative projects across the disciplines.

About the College

Contact Information

Who’s Who in the College of Architecture and Design

Dean: Patricia Belton Oliver, Master of Architecture, University of California, Los Angeles

Associate Deans: 

Dietmar Froehlich, Ph.D., University of Applied Arts Vienna

Trang A. Phan, Ph.D., University of Houston

Director of Undergraduate Architecture: Rafael Beneytez-Durán, Ph.D., Escuela Superior de Arquitectura de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ETSA-UPM)

Director of Interior Architecture: Sheryl Tucker de Vazquez, M.Arch., University of Texas at Austin

Co-Director of Industrial Design: Mark Kimbrough, Master of Industrial Design, North Carolina State University

Co-Director of Industrial Design: Jeff Feng, Master of Fine Arts Industrial Design, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Interim Director of Environmental Design: Roya Plauché, Master of Science Advanced Architectural Design, Columbia University

Director of Graduate Studies: Gail Peter Borden, Master of Architecture, Harvard University

Overview

Design reconciles conflicting visions and exploits all available technologies to shape and sustain a better world. Houston’s hot-humid environment, low-lying Gulf-Coast geography, and dispersed pattern of un-zoned metropolitan development presents designers with an extraordinary laboratory, full of challenges and opportunities. The proposals seeded in the vast urban sprawl of Houston are transmutable to cities around the globe.

The Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design offers its students a platform of integrated disciplines - architecture, space architecture, interior architecture, and industrial design - from which to negotiate the complexities of contemporary practice in a world that is grappling with diminishing economic and natural resources, the realities of post disaster re-construction, and, at the same time, continued, rapid urbanization. Faculty and students work together in a studio-centric curriculum, supported by a premier digital fabrication facility. Open studios seamlessly incorporate coursework into project-based learning through material investigations and applied research. At the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design, making is not simply an action or a craft, but a form of critical thinking, calling forth innovative solutions for contemporary conditions. Our programs foster an environment where ideas find form, where practices that are socially equitable and fundamentally ecological establish a model from which to develop Houston’s future and to inform and shape design strategies globally.

We seek applicants to our programs that possess curiosity, commitment, initiative, creativity and a solid work ethic. We strive to graduate students who become reflective practitioners and leaders in their fields. The curriculum is designed to prepare our graduates for professional practice in architecture, industrial design or interior architecture, by equipping them with a depth of understanding of human needs and a command of a range of technologies that will enable them to shape their environments and the objects in them. We are keenly aware of our responsibilities toward our environment and our concentration on sustainable design has forged collaborative projects across the disciplines.

Architectural Accreditation

In the United States, most state 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 U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an 8-year, 3-year, or 2-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 consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

The University of Houston, Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:

• Bachelor of Architecture (160 undergraduate credits)
• Master of Architecture (60 graduate credits for applicants with a pre-professional degree in Architecture of Environmental Design)
• Master of Architecture (99 graduate credits for applicants without a pre-professional degree in Architecture)

Next accreditation visit for all programs: 2030

William R. Jenkins Architecture and Art Library

The Architecture and Art Library, located within the college, affords easy access to a collection of more than 89,000 books and periodical volumes in the fields of architecture, industrial design, and art. The library’s online catalog provides access to the collection of the Architecture and Art Library as well as the holdings of the campus and system libraries. The Architecture and Art Library Special Collections include the personal libraries of architects John F. Staub and Kenneth Franzheim, Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

Resource Areas

The College of Architecture and Design offers many opportunities for students to be involved in classes and research programs which are of special significance to the community and the design professions. These activities are found within the resource areas of the college and include:

• The Burdette Keeland, Jr. Design Exploration Lab: A fabrication space for students at the University of Houston College of Architecture and Design. With over 50 total machines, the lab spaces are well equipped with the latest in woodworking, metalworking, and digital fabrication tools. Students who have attended safety orientations and instructional demonstrations have convenient access to important tools of their professions, providing them valuable experience in prototyping, fabrication, and model building as they compete in their discipline.
• The Architecture and Design Computer Lab offers a variety of programs on the windows platform allowing students to create drawings, BIM models, parametric models, and solid models. There are over 40 computers, an 11x17 scanner, a large format scanner, 2 printers, and 6 plotters to allow students to conceptualize and realize their creative designs.
• The William R. Jenkins Architecture, Design, and Art Library, located on the first floor of the College of Architecture building, houses a collection of approximately 125,000 books, journals, DVDs, and other research material.  Our collection also includes the Kenneth Franzheim II Rare Books Room, which contains treasures published in the 17th through 21st centuries.  Computing, scanning, copying, and printing services are also available.  Our staff at the Jenkins Library are experts in architectural and design research and enjoy assisting students, so please come in for materials, consultation, and study space. 

Learning Abroad Opportunities

The Hines College offers students with a wide range of global studies and learning abroad opportunities, including UH faculty-led programs, bilateral exchange agreements that support faculty and student travel and study, and competitive travel fellowships.

Advising

The College of Architecture and Design’s Student Services Office is committed to student success. Through the utilization and integration of college and university-wide resources, the college’s academic advisors partner with students, faculty, and university representatives across campus to challenge, empower, and support students to make informed and proactive decisions that will advance their academic, personal, and professional goals. The Hines College’s advisors recognize that students are multi-faceted and multi-dimensional. Therefore, the advising team employs best practices and initiatives designed to identify and address challenges and trends that can impact students’ academic and personal goals as well as their unique educational needs toward a common goal of timely degree completion and professional preparation.

Admission Requirements

Introduction to the Degree

Design reconciles conflicting visions and exploits all available technologies to shape and sustain a better world. Houston’s hot-humid environment, low-lying Gulf-Coast geography, and dispersed pattern of un-zoned metropolitan development presents designers with an extraordinary laboratory, full of challenges and opportunities. The proposals seeded in the vast urban sprawl of Houston are transmutable to cities around the globe.

The Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design offers its students a platform of integrated disciplines - architecture, space architecture, interior architecture, and industrial design - from which to negotiate the complexities of contemporary practice in a world that is grappling with diminishing economic and natural resources, the realities of post disaster re-construction, and, at the same time, continued, rapid urbanization. Faculty and students work together in a studio-centric curriculum, supported by a premier digital fabrication facility. Open studios seamlessly incorporate coursework into project-based learning through material investigations and applied research. At the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design, making is not simply an action or a craft, but a form of critical thinking, calling forth innovative solutions for contemporary conditions. Our programs foster an environment where ideas find form, where practices that are socially equitable and fundamentally ecological establish a model from which to develop Houston’s future and to inform and shape design strategies globally.

We seek applicants to our programs that possess curiosity, commitment, initiative, creativity and a solid work ethic. We strive to graduate students who become reflective practitioners and leaders in their fields. The curriculum is designed to prepare our graduates for professional practice in architecture, industrial design, interior architecture or environmental design, by equipping them with a depth of understanding of human needs and a command of a range of technologies that will enable them to shape their environments and the objects in them. We are keenly aware of our responsibilities toward our environment and our concentration on sustainable design has forged collaborative projects across the disciplines.

Admission Requirements - College of Architecture and Design

UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS

Admission to the College of Architecture and Design is a two-stage process. First, applicants must be admitted to the University of Houston. Applicants who indicate Architecture, Interior Architecture, Industrial Design, or Environmental Design as their first-choice major will then be considered for admission into the College of Architecture and Design. No additional application is required.

Official transcripts must be sent directly to the University of Houston Office of Admissions.

There are three categories of applicants:

1. First Time in College Freshmen
2. Transfer Students
3. Change of Majors

Procedure for Admission to the College of Architecture and Design 

Portfolio

Applicants to the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design must submit a portfolio, including samples of original creative work that demonstrates critical thinking or inquiry, the applicant’s view of the world, and their interest for their chosen design major. Successful submissions show an alignment with the Hines College’s values as a design program focusing on and emphasizing creativity and the act of making as an intentional act of inquiry and knowledge generation through multi- faceted approaches. Examples include drawings, physical prototypes, and digital software applications, among many other forms of making and artistic production.

Portfolios must include a Letter of Interest that highlights the applicant’s design or artistic aptitude and interests. Because admission to the Hines College is highly selective and competitive, all applicants are advised to carefully curate and craft their portfolios as a best reflection of themselves.

What should be included in the portfolio?

• Letter of Interest - communicates the applicant’s interest in the field of design and gives the applicant an opportunity to share their story with the review committee.

• An electronic submission of up to 6 samples of original creative work in any medium - including, but not limited to, digital design, video/film, photography, sculpture, jewelry, painting, drawing, installation, performance, design documentation, prints, ceramics, fashion, creative writing, etc. Applicants transferring from another design program should include recent work.

o File format: .pdf files (not to exceed 10 MB)

• Letters of Recommendation - optional

How will the portfolio be evaluated?

The Hines College employs a holistic review process in admission decisions. The College’s Admission Review Committee will consider the following criteria in determining an applicant’s potential for success in its design programs: creativity, presentation, craftsmanship of the included creative work, and the quality of the letter of interest.

Application Status

Applicants can check the status of their application by logging into myUH to verify information.

Applicants will need to retrieve a myUH number, issued by the University upon applying and set a password. If applicants have difficulties logging in, UH Information Technology can be contacted at support@uh.edu or by calling 713-743-1411.

First Time in College Freshmen

The ApplyTexas application must be completed. Applicants must meet general University requirements before being accepted by the University of Houston. Applicants who indicate Architecture, Interior Architecture, Industrial Design, or Environmental Design as their first-choice major will be considered for admission into the College of Architecture and Design. No additional application is required.

The ApplyTexas application and portfolio should be submitted by the February 1 priority application deadline. All transcripts must be submitted to the University of Houston Office of Admissions.

Transfer Students

Applicants are considered transfer students if they:

• are a student who earned 15 or more transferable hours of college credit after high school graduation (during fall/spring semester) and
• are not a former student who is in good standing or academic suspension seeking readmission and
• are a U.S. citizen, have applied for permanent residency, or qualify for Texas residency based on Senate Bill 1528

The ApplyTexas application and portfolio should be submitted by the February 1 priority application deadline. Applicants must meet general University requirements before being accepted by the University of Houston. Applicants who indicate Architecture, Interior Architecture, Industrial Design, or Environmental Design as their first-choice major will be considered for admission into the College of Architecture and Design. No additional application is required.

Change of Major to Architecture, Industrial Design,Interior Architecture or Environmental Design students already attending University of Houston must apply through SlideRoom to apply as a change of major to the College of Architecture and Design. Change of Major applicants must have completed at least one semester in another UH major to apply under this admit type.

Change of Major applicants must also submit a portfolio through SlideRoom by February 1 for priority consideration to the major. Refer to the College of Architecture and Design website for instructions for the portfolio submission process for Change of Majors.

International Students

Along with the ApplyTexas application and portfolio, international applicants have additional admissions requirements. Please see the Undergraduate Application Guide for international applicants.

Readmission

For Readmission to the University of Houston see policy on Readmission for Former UH Students and the Gerald D Hines College of Architecture and Design readmission procedures.

Readmission to the College

Students whose UH enrollment has paused for 13 months or longer must apply for readmission as a former student. Regardless of academic standing, you are required to meet your college-specific re-entry requirements and deadlines. Please visit the University Admissions website for additional information: Undergraduate Admissions - Readmission for Former UH Students.

INFORMATION SESSIONS

The College of Architecture and Design’s Student Services Office hosts Information Sessions for all prospective Freshman, Transfer, and Change of Major students interested in an undergraduate degree program offered at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design.

The Information Sessions cover the following information:

• Program overview
• Current majors and degree plans
• Required coursework
• Portfolio and letter of intent
• Admissions process and requirements
• Question and answer session

Register Today

To make a reservation for an Information Session, prospective students may register in one of the following ways:

• Register HERE. Please fill out all portions of the registration form. 
• Call the Student Services Office at 713-743-3463.
• Visit the Student Services Office in Room 151 of the College of Architecture Building.

UNDERGRADUATE ORIENTATION

All accepted students must attend an orientation session before July 1 in order to be guaranteed a place for the Fall semester.

Incoming students do not need to make appointments to see an advisor before orientation. Enrollment, credits, class schedules, and any other questions will be addressed during the orientation sessions.

The enrollment hold placed on all new student accounts will be removed after attending an orientation session.

Freshmen Orientation

Incoming freshmen must sign up to attend a Freshman Orientation through their myUH accounts.

This two-day program will expose students to many resources, tips, and information about the University of Houston and the College of Architecture and Design. During this program, students will meet with academic advisors, and enroll in their first semester courses.

Transfer Students Orientation

Transfer students must sign up to attend a Transfer Orientation session through their myUH accounts.

This one-day program will expose students to many resources, tips, and information about the University of Houston and the College of Architecture and Design. During this program, students will meet with academic advisors and enroll in their courses.

Change of Major Students Orientation

Current UH students who change their majors must attend a Change of Major session offered through the College of Architecture and Design’s Student Services Office. During this program, students will meet with academic advisors and enroll in their courses. 

Information regarding orientation session dates and times will be sent by e-mail.

If you do not receive information about the Change of Major session by April 1, please call the College of Architecture and Design Student Services Office at 713-743-3463 or email archsso@central.uh.edu.

International Students Orientation

International students are required to attend a new student orientation session as well as a separate orientation hosted by International Student & Scholar Services Office.  

All holds will be removed after attending a new student orientation and the ISSSO orientation. If you are unable to attend orientation, please call the Student Services Office at 713-743-3463 or email archsso@central.uh.edu.

Academic Information

College Requirements

All grades of I (incomplete) that are not otherwise changed within one academic year of the date awarded will automatically convert to F. A grade of D+ or lower in a design studio may not be used toward graduation or as a prerequisite to the next studio. A grade of I is lower than D+. To take a design studio more than twice, a student must have written permission from the dean.

Courses in the college are generally sequential and must be taken in the correct order. They may not be skipped, doubled up, or otherwise taken out of sequence. Most of the courses are offered only in either the Fall or Spring semesters and are therefore unavailable, if missed, until the next year. Students are strongly advised to meet with a Hines College academic advisor at least once a semester to strategize course selections towards timely degree completion.

Architecture and interior architecture students are evaluated at the end of the third studio for continuation in the design studio sequence. Industrial design students are evaluated in INDS 2501 for continuation in the design studio sequence.

A review of architecture students’ progress occurs at the end of the sixth studio in the studio sequence (ARCH 3501). A positive portfolio review is required for matriculation into the advanced studios of semesters 7-10 and completion of the Bachelor of Architecture degree. The portfolio review is independent of grades received from courses previously taken; the primary intent of the portfolio review is to confirm preparedness and seriousness of study required for enrollment in the Professional Studios. 

All student work may be retained permanently by the college. 

Other Programs

The Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design recognizes the value of supporting students’ professional development as an integral part of their academic career. Students who select the Experience Track in their degree program and satisfy its requirements will receive recognition for internship/CPT experience by a transcript notation. Students must meet with an academic advisor in the Hines College to formalize the Experience Track option.

Graduate Programs in Architecture

The Master of Architecture degree, with two entrance levels, is an accredited professional degree in architecture. This degree is designed for students who intend to pursue licensing and professional practice in the field of architecture in the United States and Canada. Level I is the entry level for students with bachelor’s degrees in disciplines unrelated to architecture. Level II is the entry level for students who have four-year environmental design degrees.

The Master of Science in Architecture degree is a post-professional degree. This degree is intended for students who already have a professional degree in architecture and who may already be licensed to practice architecture. This degree offers an opportunity for specialization and advanced study following standard degree plans, or custom-tailored programs of study.

The Master of Arts in Architectural Studies degree is for students who have degrees or professional experience in related fields and who wish to study architecture at an advanced level, but who do not wish to pursue a professional degree. Like the Master of Science in Architecture degree, this degree offers an opportunity for specialization and advanced study, following standard degree plans, or custom-tailored programs of study.

For more information on graduate program admission requirements and a listing of all courses, consult the College Web site at www.arch.uh.edu or contact the College.