Rice University School of Architecture


The Rice University School of Architecture is an undergraduate and graduate institution for the built environment at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Rice's graduate and undergraduate programs in architecture typically maintains an enrollment of around two hundred students. Founded in 1912, the faculty consists of around twenty architects, historians, and theoreticians, supplemented by visiting scholars and is currently led by Interim Dean John J. Casbarian.
The school offers three types of degrees: a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Architecture or B.Arch., and a Master of Architecture or M.Arch.

Facilities

The Architecture school is housed in MD Anderson Hall off the main academic quadrangle of the University. The building was designed by the school's first dean, William Ward Watkin. As enrollment expanded, the building capacity was extended with an addition by James Stirling. Aside from studio spaces, the building also houses support facilities such as fabrication shops and the Rice Advanced Visualization Laboratory. The centerpiece of the school, located at the intersection of old and new wings, contains the Farish Gallery, Jury Room, and Bridge. The Farish Gallery doubles as a Jury room and a space for all school lectures. The bridge serves as a space for informal reviews and pin-ups. The Brown Art and Architecture Library is housed on the third floor of Fondren Library, adjacent to Anderson Hall.

Off-campus programs and facilities

The Rice School of Architecture Paris program allows graduate students and 5th year undergraduates to participate in semester-long studies in Paris. The satellite school was founded, and is currently directed by John J. Casbarian, FAIA, the Harry and Albert K. Smith Professor of Architecture. Students live in housing organized by the university. Students have other opportunities to study abroad, contingent upon the project of the studio and curricula of the studio professor. In the past, Rice students have participated in international studios in Hong Kong, Brazil, Turkey, and Mexico.

Degrees

Undergraduate