Architecture 201
2410 Campus Road
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-7225
Fax: (808) 956-7778
Email: arch@hawaii.edu
Web: www.arch.hawaii.edu/

Interim Dean: William R. Chapman, PhD

Faculty

*Graduate Faculty

*S. M. Bussiere, MLA—landscape architecture and urbanism
*M. Despang, MArch—critical practice, practical critique/tactics and techniques of typology, tectonics, technology
*Y. Ishida, MArch, AIA—design, construction materials and processes, systems, structures
*B. Kanisthakhon, MArch—design, construction materials and processes
*C. Llewellyn, MArch, FAIA—design, global practice
*L. McGuire, PhD—architectural and design history, theory, and criticism
*W. Meguro, SMArchS, AIA, LEED AP—sustainable buildings/ community design
*K. Nute, PhD—architectural history, theory and design
*H. J. Park, MArch, PhD— design computing, optimization, affordable housing
*E. Peterson, MArch, PhD—architecture, design, and fabrication
*D. Rockwood, MArch—design, construction materials and processes
*C. H. Schar, MArch, FAIA—community design, professional practice
*K. Sierralta, MArch, AIA—architecture and design
*J. Stilgenbauer, MLA— landscape architecture, urban design
*L. Walters, MArch—design, digital fabrication
*P. White, MLA—landscape architecture, hydrological risk

Cooperating Faculty

*R. Chen, PhD—engineering
*A. Das, PhD—planning
*P. Das, PhD—planning
*C. Fletcher, PhD—climate change
*A. Freitas, PhD—planning
*P. Garboden, PhD—planning
*S. George, PhD—elementary education; place based learning
*D. Harris-McCoy, PhD—architectural theory: Greco-Roman, Renaissance
*A. J. Kaufman, PhD—landscape specialist
*K. E. Kim, PhD—planning
*P. Lavy, PhD—pre-modern art/architecture history
*C. H. Lee, MFA—art, design thinking, skeuomorphism
*S. Robertson, PhD—human-computer interaction, interaction design
*J. Tripp, PhD—historic preservation; architectural history

General Information

Introduction

The study of architecture and landscape architecture allows students to generate physical solutions to complex environmental design problems that often have competing economic, social, and political parameters. The built environment professions attract those who have a wide range of interests and skills and wish to make a unique contribution to society.

Vision: Global Connections

The School of Architecture inspires transformative design at the global scale, with preeminence in the Asia-Pacific region inspired by the local relevance and impact of Hawai‘i.

Mission Statement: Building for the 21st Century

The School of Architecture builds on our unique island context within the Hawai‘i, Asia, and Pacific region to promote design excellence, intellectual inquiry, creative problem solving, and multidisciplinary collaboration, with both local and global impact.

DArch Accreditation Notice

In the U.S., 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 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.

The School of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program:

Doctor of Architecture

Track I: (preprofessional degree in architecture [126/120 credits] + 90 graduate credits)
Track II: (non-professional degree [120 credits min.] + 108 graduate credits)

Next accreditation visit: 2026

MArch Accreditation Notice

The School of Architecture offers the Master of Architecture (MArch) degree, and admitted the first cohort of students in the Fall 2022 semester.

MLA Accreditation Notice

The Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as the official accrediting body for professional programs in landscape architecture. LAAB is a member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA).

The School of Architecture offers the following LAAB-accredited degree program:

Master of Landscape Architecture

First-professional MLA 1 Track
First-professional MLA 1 Advanced Placement Track

Next LAAB accreditation visit: Fall 2028

STEM Designation

The DArch (including the Global Track option) and the MArch are STEM-designated 04.0902 Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology degrees. The MLA is a STEM-designated 04.0601 Landscape Architecture degree. Our graduate programs’ STEM designations allow international graduates holding F-1 visas who apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT) to extend the OPT period from the regular one year to three years, give eligibility for STEM-specific scholarships, and offers expanded GI Bill benefits for U.S. veterans.

Admissions Overview

Students seeking admission to the school must complete an online application by the stated deadlines. The school and UH Mānoa do not grant deferred admission. Applicants wishing to defer admission must reapply.

Undergraduate Application Procedures

All applicants for admission to the pre-professional undergraduate Bachelor of Environmental Design (BEnvD) program must complete a UH System Application at www.manoa.hawaii.edu/apply/.

Undergraduate Application Deadlines

Fall priority deadline is January 5 and final deadline is March 1. Spring priority deadline is September 1 and final deadline is October 15.

The Office of Admissions will complete an undergraduate transfer credit evaluation for prior completed post-secondary level course work or approved Advanced Placement (AP) high school course work. The School of Architecture will complete a transfer credit evaluation for prior completed post-secondary level course work taken in architecture design or related subjects after an applicant is accepted by UH Mānoa. BEnvD course requirements will be waived only for transfer credits that are deemed equivalent to courses offered by the school.

Students entering the pre-professional undergraduate program directly from high school may potentially complete the program in four years of full-time study. The time to complete the program by transfer students is based on a case-by-case evaluation of transfer credits.

Graduate Application Procedures

DArch Application Procedures

All applicants for admissions to the professional Doctor of Architecture (DArch) program must hold a baccalaureate degree or higher and must apply online with Graduate Division at www.manoa.hawaii.edu/graduate/content/prospective-students/. Applicants must also submit a School of Architecture Supplemental Information for Admission form, which can be found at arch.hawaii.edu/doctor-of-architecture/, and required documents by the stated deadline. Supplemental documents submitted by applicants become the property of the School of Architecture.

DArch Application Deadline

Fall deadline is January 1. Spring deadline is September 1. Summer deadline is February 1.

Students entering the program who hold a four-year preprofessional baccalaureate degree (e.g., BS architecture studies, BA architecture studies, BA environmental design) enter the 3-year, 90-credit professional DArch program. Fall semester start date is recommended.

Students entering the program who hold a baccalaureate degree in a field unrelated to architecture or environmental design (non-pre-professional degree) enter the 108-credit professional DArch program. Summer start date is recommended.

No graduate credit is transferable to the DArch degree if it has been counted for another graduate degree.

For information on the Credit Acceptance Policy for Doctorate degrees, please go to manoa.hawaii.edu/graduate/transfer-pbu-credits/

MArch Application Procedures

All applicants for admissions to the professional Master of Architecture (MArch) program must hold a pre-professional baccalaureate degree and must apply online with Graduate Division at www.manoa.hawaii.edu/graduate/prospective-students/. Applicants must also submit a School of Architecture Supplemental Information for Admission form, which can be found at www.arch.hawaii.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/suppinfo_MArch.pdf/, and required documents by the stated deadline. Supplemental documents submitted by applicants become the property of the School of Architecture.

MArch Application Deadline

Fall deadline is January 1. Spring deadline is September 1.

All applicants to the professional Master of Architecture (MArch) program must hold a pre-professional architecture four-year baccalaureate degree to be considered for acceptance. Fall semester start date is recommended. No graduate credit is transferrable to the MArch degree if it has been counted for another graduate degree.

MLA Application Procedures

Admissions procedures for the Master of Landscape Architecture program (MLA) follow general Graduate Division policy (manoa.hawaii.edu/graduate/prospective-students/). Applicants for admission to the MLA must hold or expect to hold prior to matriculation a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university, or an equivalent degree from a recognized non-U.S. institution of higher education. To be eligible, a first-professional MLA I track applicant must hold a four-year bachelor’s degree with a major in any field of study. A first-professional MLA I AP track applicant must hold a professional degree in architecture (BArch, MArch, DArch) or a four-year pre-professional bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture, architecture, or environmental design. Additionally, a strong design portfolio is required for an MLA I AP applicant to be granted advanced standing of up to two semesters. A post-professional MLA II track applicant must hold an accredited professional degree in landscape architecture (BLA, BSLA). All applicants to the MLA program need to demonstrate a GPA of 3.0 or above for undergraduate course work and for any post-baccalaureate or graduate course work. Minimum TOEFL score for international MLA applicants: 61 (internet) or 500 (paper); or minimum IELTS score for international MLA applicants: 6.00 for the overall band test results.

Prospective MLA students seeking admission to the program will be required to submit a general Graduate Division application by the stated deadline. In addition, MLA applicants need to submit the following supplemental materials required by the School of Architecture: statement of interest, resume, portfolio, three letters of recommendation, MLA supplemental information form.

MLA Application Deadline

Admissions to the MLA program (all degree tracks) will be Fall only with a January 1 application deadline.

Advising

Informal academic advising may be requested by prospective students by contacting the school’s Student Services Office. Students who have been accepted to the school should contact the Student Services Office for information regarding orientation and required advising before registration.

Program Requirements

Students enrolled in the pre-professional Bachelor of Environmental Design (BEnvD) must meet UH Mānoa General Education Core Requirements and maintain UH Mānoa academic standards. Enrolled students wishing to enter the 90-credit professional DArch, MArch, or the MLA programs must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA at the graduate level.

All graduate students (DArch, MArch, and MLA) whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 are placed on academic probation. Upon completion of the probationary semester if the cumulative GPA is not raised to 3.0, or if special conditions established by the dean are not met, the student may be dismissed or suspended from the program.