Mission and Objectives
The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, founded in 1946 by John G. Williams at the University of Arkansas, houses professional design programs of architecture, interior architecture and design and landscape architecture together with liberal studies programs. All combine studio design education with innovative teaching in history and theory; building and intelligent technologies and urban design and resiliency. A broad range of course offerings equips graduates with the knowledge and critical agility required to meet the challenges of designing for a changing world. Design instruction occurs in studio sequences that provide educational experiences appropriate for students who wish to pursue both traditional and non-traditional forms of professional practice. Fundamental principles and techniques design and design thinking are stressed and all curriculums empower students by developing skill, knowledge, and a deep sense of responsibility to their environment and to the cultures they will serve. The school's curriculum surveys issues and opportunities in built and natural settings, as well as addressing complex social, physical, and cultural and diverse relationships that constitute the human-made environment. In summary, the school prepares its students with critical frameworks for professional skills, and applied learning experiences that equip them to assume leadership roles in the profession and in their communities.
Degrees Offered
The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design offers three professionally accredited programs. The five-year Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.), the four-year Bachelor of Interior Architecture and Design (B.I.A.D.) and the nine-semester Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (B.L.A.).
The Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies serves students who are interested in the design disciplines, but not professional practice. The four-year program is well suited for students who seek careers or graduate education in allied design disciplines.
Minors
Students in architecture, interior architecture and design and landscape architecture may pursue academic minors in approved degree programs of other colleges on campus, providing they meet the specific requirements for that minor, as well as any of the school’s minors in History of Architecture and Design, Planting Design, Design with Plants, Sustainable Landscape Design and Management, Urban and Regional Planning, and Sustainability. An Interior Design minor is available only to students in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design.
Accreditations
All three professional degree programs in the Fay Jones School are nationally accredited.
The architecture program was founded in 1946 and has been accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) since 1958. The landscape architecture program was established in 1975 and has been accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB) of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) since 1983. The Interior Architecture and Design program was established in 1974 and has been accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) since 1993. The school holds memberships in the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) and the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), organizations that comprise North American schools of architecture, landscape architecture and interior design.
Facilities and Resources
The three academic units of the Fay Jones School — architecture, interior architecture and design and landscape architecture — together with its administrative offices are located in Vol Walker Hall and its state of the art addition, the Steven L. Anderson Design Center. Harmoniously combining traditional and contemporary architecture, our award-winning facilities not only offer students in the Fay Jones School extraordinary opportunities for collaboration among its three design disciplines, but also model best practices for new and historic preservation construction, all adhering to high standards of sustainable design. At the same time, we value making connections with the entire state and our nation, pursuing learning experiences for our students that foster civic engagement and responsibility. So too, the school is aware of the increasing global nature of design practice and offers field trips, guest lectures, learning opportunities in applied design and research, and, especially, a variety of approved study abroad programs.
Design Studio
The design studio sequence is the core of each discipline within the school. Studio projects are complemented by topical lectures that inform the design process. These learning experiences develop and nurture the intellectual and creative skills of students and allow them to approach problem solving in a disciplined, logical, and analytical manner. The amount and complexity of material covered, the fast pace of assignments, and the presentation of work for critical discussion among faculty and other students combine to produce a challenging learning atmosphere.
Library Resources
The collections in the Fine Arts Library include traditional print resources on the visual arts (painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, and photography), architecture, interior architecture and design, and landscape architecture. It also provides access to a rapidly growing and robust collection of digital books and periodicals. Types of materials include books, exhibition catalogs, reference books, and periodicals. Major databases that allow researchers to identify resources in these disciplines include Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals, Art & Architecture Complete, and Oxford Art Online. The Fine Arts Library maintains course reserves for faculty wishing to place materials on reserve for their classes. Archives and manuscripts related to art or architecture can be found in Special Collections in Mullins Library. The Libraries subscribe to JSTOR, including its excellent collection of images in the visual arts, formerly known as Artstor. The Fine Arts Library is undergoing a major restoration and is scheduled to reopen for the fall semester of 2024.
The C. Murray Smart Center, located in Vol Walker Hall, contains a vast collection of books and materials relating to architecture, architectural history, interior design, landscape architecture and urban design.
Digital Drawing and Fabrication Resources
Fabrication Laboratories Website
Located in the lower levels of Vol Walker Hall and an annex location on Government Avenue in Fayetteville, the Fabrication Laboratories are an open environment for all students and faculty in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. Material experimentation, prototyping and representing scale models are an essential part of the design culture at the Fay Jones School. The Fabrication Labs are flexible work spaces that support hands-on learning and research by offering a variety of equipment in four facilities: Wood Lab, 3D Print Lab, Laser and CNC Lab, and the Build Lab. The Fabrication Labs are under the direction of the Fay Jones School’s Dean’s Office and the Fabrication Laboratories manager.
Garvan Woodland Gardens
Garvan Woodland Gardens Website
Located on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Garvan Woodland Gardens is an integral unit of the school. The land and endowment were the result of a bequest to the department of landscape architecture in 1985. This 210-acre woodland habitat features a variety of garden settings and unique architectural structures designed and developed by world-renowned specialists in botanical gardens, landscape architecture and architecture. Their mission is to preserve and enhance a unique part of the Ouachita environment; provide people with a place of learning, research, cultural enrichment, and serenity; develop and sustain gardens, landscapes, and structures of exceptional aesthetics, design, and construction; and partner with and serve communities of which the Gardens is a part. An internship program offers opportunities for summer study and employments.
University of Arkansas Community Design Center
Community Design Center Website
UACDC advances creative development in Arkansas through design, research, and education solutions. Originated in 1995 as an outreach center of the Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design, the center has its own downtown facilities and a full-time design and planning staff who deliver professional services for communities and organizations nationwide. Much like a teaching hospital, some staff also deliver educational services as practicing design professors. UACDC regularly collaborates with allied professionals in multiple disciplines, and the center's nonprofit status allows it to leverage the work of its private sector collaborators.
Off-Campus Study Requirement
Each student in the professional program in architecture, landscape architecture and interior design is required to complete an approved off-campus study experience focusing upon complex urban relationships, and fostering cultural diversity. Approved programs in the Fay Jones School vary. They range from a semester in Rome to five- to ten-week programs in Europe or Latin America.
A special international programs fee supports the school’s international programs. These fees are assessed to all students participating in the professional (five-year) degrees in architecture, landscape architecture and interior design designated in the “Fees and Cost Estimates” section of this catalog. The international program and any travel fees offsets the costs of maintaining off-campus programs that are not a part of the school’s university-funded budget, as well as enhancing student-centered activities. Students are assessed the international fee each semester up until the semester they study abroad. At that time, they will be assessed for any remaining semesters plus any additional program costs not covered by the international study fees. The fee is assessed for each study abroad program and is not regulated by the catalog year of the students’ first enrollment in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. All travel fees are non-refundable under any circumstances including withdrawal from the respective professional programs. For further information, see notes on related program fees under “Fees and Cost Estimates” for the university.
School Academic Regulations
Plus/Minus Grading System
The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design utilizes a plus/minus grading system that assigns numerical values to 12 different grades. These values are used for architecture, interior design and landscape architecture courses when grade-point averages are calculated. The 12-step grading system with assigned values is as follows:
Grading System | Grade | Value |
| A | 4.00 |
| A- | 3.67 |
| B+ | 3.33 |
| B | 3.00 |
| B- | 2.67 |
| C+ | 2.33 |
| C | 2.00 |
| C- | 1.67 |
| D+ | 1.33 |
| D | 1.00 |
| D- | 0.67 |
| F | 0.00 |
School Scholarships
Over 100 awards and scholarships are available to students in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. Most are awarded annually on the basis of recommendations made by the scholarship committee of the school.
Student Organizations
American Institute of Architecture Students
The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) is a national organization whose purpose is “to organize architecture students and combine their efforts to advance the science and art of architecture, to promote excellence in architectural education, training and practice, and to foster an appreciation of architecture and related disciplines among all persons.” All students in the school’s architecture program are eligible for membership.
American Society of Landscape Architects, Student Chapter
The purpose of the student chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects is to bring together the landscape architecture students to combine their interests and efforts, to extend their knowledge of the profession of landscape architecture, and to help advance the profession while preparing for a professional career. All students in the school’s landscape architecture program are eligible for membership.
American Society of Interior Designers Student Chapter
The American Society of Interior Design Student Chapter (ASID) is dedicated to representing the entire profession and encouraging the highest possible standards for the practice of interior design. Their purpose is to encourage interaction with professionals in interior design and allied professions and to develop leadership qualities. All students in the school's interior design program are eligible for membership.
National Organization of Minority Architects
The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) mission is to champion diversity within the design professions by promoting the excellence, community engagement, and professional development of its members.
Tau Sigma Delta Honor Society
The Alpha Eta Chapter of Tau Sigma Delta is the only national collegiate honor society recognized in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, interior design and allied arts. All students in the school are eligible for membership.
Elections to membership are made by the existing membership, subject to approval by the faculty, from the top 20 percent of each class of fourth-year and fifth-year students maintaining a minimum 3.00 cumulative grade-point average. In addition, leadership, character, and promise of professional merit are considered in making selections.
Sigma Lambda Alpha
Sigma Lambda Alpha, founded and chartered by the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA), is an international honor society that encourages, recognizes and rewards academic excellence in preparation for the profession of landscape architecture. Any landscape architecture junior or senior with an average of 3.2 or higher is eligible for membership.
Ownership of Work
All original work submitted for credit, including design studio projects, becomes the property of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. Students are required to maintain portfolios documenting all academic and design studio work. Digital copies of all work completed in a studio must be submitted to the studio year coordinator in order to receive a grade for the studio.
School Computer Policy
All students enrolled in the school are required to purchase, for their first year, a personal computer matching or exceeding specifications issued by school. The specifications are the same for all departments. All students will need their computers in the fall semester of the first year.
Recommendations for educationally priced computers are available on the UA Information Technology Services.
A substantial amount of software may be required depending on specific course requirements, most of which is free for students to download at school's Technical Support page.
School Admission Requirements
Each program within the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design has its own requirements for admission to their general and professional programs. The page below provides admission requirements for:
- The Department of Architecture
- The Department Interior Architecture and Design
- The Department of Landscape Architecture
Department of Architecture Admissions
The department of architecture maintains two distinct tracks of study for entering freshmen to accommodate all students interested in pursuing a degree in architecture. The two tracks of study are designed to foster learning and to build strong foundations for entering students with different skill levels and high school backgrounds. Students accepted to the University of Arkansas with the intention to participate in the B.Arch. or B.S. programs in the department of architecture will be classified as fall/spring studio students or summer/summer studio students and assigned to either the fall/spring studio track or summer/summer studio track based upon department admissions policies described below.
Fall/Spring Studio
Students must meet all of the following requirements:
- 25 ACT or better
- 3.5 GPA in high school
- College preparatory curriculum to include physics and an upper level math (Pre-Calculus or higher)
Space in the studio is limited to 120 students with priority given to first year students who are admitted to the University of Arkansas and indicate architecture or architectural studies as their intended degree program by Nov. 15.
Students are reviewed at the end of the fall semester and may continue in the program if they meet the following criteria:
- “C” or better in ARCH 10105 Fundamental Design Skills
- “C” or better in PHYS 10404 Physics for Architects I
- “C” or better in ARCH 12102 Design Thinking I: Foundations in Technology
- Present a 2.0 GPA
Students who do not meet those criteria will receive a letter and be advised accordingly.
Summer/Summer Studio
Summer studio students meet the University of Arkansas minimum requirements for admission but do not meet the above noted department criteria for the fall/spring studio. These students can enroll in ARCH 10105 Fundamental Design Skills in the summer if they meet the following criteria:
- “C” or better in PHYS 10404 Physics for Architects I or an approved equivalent
- Present a 2.0 GPA
Students who do not meet these criteria will be delayed until they satisfy the admissions criteria for the Department of Architecture. Students will be reviewed at the end of the first summer session and will not be allowed to continue in the program if they do not meet the following criteria:
- “C” or better in ARCH 10105 Fundamental Design Skills
- “C” or better in ARCH 12102 Design Thinking I: Foundations in Technology
- Maintain a 2.0 GPA
Architecture Department Transfer Students
Transfer students who are admitted to the Fay Jones School of Architecture start the design studio sequence in the summer and must meet the following requirements:
- Completion of an approved general physics course and an approved mathematics course.
- To enter Design I in the summer, students must successfully pass Physics for Architects I (or another approved upper level physics course) with a minimum of C or better, complete an approved math course and present a 2.0 GPA overall.
- Students admitted to the university with a completed two-year associate of arts or associate of science degree from an Arkansas state-supported two-year or four-year college or university, as stated in ACT 182, will have general education (core) requirements waived. All students must complete any lower division discipline specific courses required for the major, as well as all courses required to comply with the conditions of accreditation.
Lack of knowledge or misinterpretation of policies and/or regulations on the part of individual students will not be considered a valid reason for failure to fulfill requirements.
Transferring from Accredited Schools of Architecture: Students transferring from an accredited professional program in architecture must have their architecture courses reviewed for acceptance and for determination of studio placement by submitting materials for review. Please contact the school’s advising center for a specific list of required materials.
NOTE: All students must complete or receive transfer credit for either PHYS 10404 Physics for Architects I or PHYS 20103 College Physics I (ACTS Equivalency = PHYS 2014 Lecture) and PHYS 20101 College Physics I Laboratory (ACTS Equivalency = PHYS 2014 Lab), MATH 12003 Plane Trigonometry (ACTS Equivalency = MATH 1203), MATH 22003 Survey of Calculus (ACTS Equivalency = MATH 2203) or MATH 20503 Finite Mathematics and all other first year university core curriculum courses prior to entry into ARCH 20106 Architectural Design III and its co-requisites in architectural structures and history.
Ultimate responsibility for completion of entrance requirements rests with each student. For questions concerning admissions, please contact the school’s advising center for additional information.
Admission to the Professional Program
The department of architecture offers students the opportunity to prepare for architectural practice or related endeavors. With this opportunity comes a responsibility for demonstrating a commitment to personal growth and success in the professional program.
Students are admitted to the first year of the architecture curriculum based on the above described by the university and the school. Every semester, students’ grades in all architecture courses, especially the design studio, are evaluated to assess their progress and performance.
Upon completion of the third year of the five-year architecture curriculum, including completion of the 35 semester-credit hour university’s state minimum (general education) core required, students will be evaluated for admission to the professional program. Admission to the Professional Degree Program in the Department of Architecture requires a minimum 2.00 grade-point average in the University Core and each of the sub-disciplines of Architecture: History/Theory, Technology and Design.
Students admitted to the professional program will continue in the established studio curriculum sequence and are to complete the final two years of design studio at the school. In addition to completing the design studio sequence, students are encouraged to take maximum advantage of the opportunities that professional and free electives provide for pre-professional development, cultivation of specialization in and related to the profession, and/or preparation for graduate education.
Interior Architecture and Design Program Admissions
Students are admitted to the first year of the interior architecture and design curriculum based on criteria established by the university and by the program. They are evaluated each semester by grades in lecture courses and by grades for performance and progress in the design studio sequence.
Admission to the Professional Program for Interior Architecture and Design
The interior architecture and design program offers prospective students the opportunity to prepare for professional practice or related endeavors. With this opportunity comes a responsibility for demonstrating a commitment to personal growth and success in the professional program.
At the completion of IARD 28004 Interior Design Studio III in the interior architecture and design curriculum, students will be evaluated for admission into the professional program on the basis of academic performance in the university core and the required interior architecture and design curriculum. Admission is based on available desks and requires a majority vote of a departmental admissions committee. Students admitted to the professional program will continue in the established studio curriculum sequence and are to complete the final five studios at the school. Students with less than a cumulative 2.5 GPA in IARD and ARCH courses will not be admitted to the professional program. Students who are not admitted are encouraged to consider alternative programs in the school and the university.
Department of Landscape Architecture Admissions
All students (including freshmen, international, and transfer students) admitted to the University of Arkansas are eligible for participation in the landscape architecture program in the school. Space in the studio is limited with priority given to first year students who are admitted and indicate landscape architecture or landscape architectural studies on their admissions application by November 15th. Students who require developmental work because of low ACT or SAT scores or university-administered math placement examinations or who require courses to remove deficiencies may not register for courses carrying LARC departmental designations. Upon completion of required developmental work and maintaining a grade-point average of 2.00 or more on at least 12 credit hours, students may enroll in landscape architecture (LARC) courses.
Admission to the Professional Program in Landscape Architecture
The department of landscape architecture offers a professional education grounded in liberal arts studies, which prepares students for landscape architecture practice in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. Successful completion of the program requires commitment to personal growth and excellence.
Students are admitted to the first year of the landscape architecture program based upon the established criteria by the University of Arkansas. Academic and professional performance is evaluated by grades in the course work, design studios, and construction labs. After two years in the program, students submit a portfolio of work at the end of the spring semester for application to continue in the professional program. Applicants who have a grade-point average below a 2.5 will not be allowed to continue in the program. Contact the department head for specific portfolio submission requirements and schedule of deadlines. All candidates will be notified of their acceptance or rejection in writing, normally by the first of August.
Students will be evaluated on general academic performance and in the landscape architecture curriculum as well as professional conduct. All department faculty serve on the admissions committee. Any appeal to the committee’s decision may be made by submitting a letter to the department head one week before the first week of the subsequent fall semester. The appeal will be presented to the entire faculty for consideration and will require the candidate to present their case in person.
Students who fail to gain admission to the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree program will be referred to the department head and the school’s academic adviser for appeal procedures and alternative degree programs in the school and the university.
Honors Requirements
Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design Honors Program
The Honors Program of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design is proud to be one of the six individual honors programs partnered with the University of Arkansas Honors College. The Fay Jones School Honors Program is rooted in the best traditions of design education: responsibility and service to the societies and cultures to which we are inextricably connected, and the nurturing of the individual curiosity and capabilities of our students. Honors requirements are the same in all departments (Architecture, Interior Architecture and Design and Landscape Architecture) and can be found below.
The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design Honors Program provides opportunities for students of superior academic and creative ability to enhance and enrich their professional and liberal education. Students in the Architecture Honors Program are eligible to graduate cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude. All other students who attain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher will be eligible to graduate with distinction, a classification separate from the cum laude awards. The school's Honors Program requires 18 credits of honors coursework.
Admission to the Fay Jones School Honors Program
The Honors College will automatically enroll freshmen who are accepted as honors students before summer orientation in the Fay Jones School Honors Program. At summer orientation, these honors students will fill out the Fay Jones School Honors Program enrollment form.
Freshmen who were not admitted by the Honors College before orientation but who come to orientation with the qualifying 28 composite ACT score and 3.75 high school GPA will also fill out the Fay Jones School Honors Program Enrollment form at orientation. Students who do not present both 28 composite ACT and 3.75 high school GPA, but who subsequently earn and maintain a 3.5 GPA in their coursework at the U of A, will be invited to enroll in the Fay Jones Honors Program as soon as they attain a 3.5 GPA, provided it is still possible for them to complete all of the Honors program requirements at the time of their enrollment.
Transfer students may be invited to join the Fay Jones School Honors Program if they maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher in courses completed at the University of Arkansas.
Every semester, the school's advising center will apprise the Fay Jones School Honors Program Committee of students who have achieved this level of excellence and are eligible to join the Fay Jones School Honors Program. Invitations are extended to students by the end of the semester in which the candidacy is advanced.
Confirmation of Intent to Complete the Fay Jones School Honors Program
At the end of the first semester of the third year, students will sign a form, confirming their intention to complete the remaining requirements for their honors degree. Students found not to have successfully completed the honors core course(s) needed to satisfy their Honors degree requirements (i.e., sufficient credits in University Core and/or Professional Core Honors courses) will be dismissed from the honors program at this time.
Dismissal from the Fay Jones School Honors Program
The Fay Jones School Honors Program students who fail to maintain a 3.5 cumulative GPA, depending on their year level, will receive a one-semester probation period prior to dismissal from the program.
Honors Independent Study Policy
Honors students may take as many regular or honors independent study credits as they deem desirable, but only one three-credit honors independent study course may be substituted for an Honors Professional Elective course. Furthermore, the substitution will be permitted only if all of the following conditions are satisfied:
- That the honors independent study course not be taken concurrently with capstone credit studio.
- That the honors independent study course not be taught by the student’s capstone director.
- That honors independent study course be substituted for no more than three credits of a student’s required professional electives credits.
It is recommended that students considering this option seek special advising from their faculty mentor. As it is helpful for students to know what is expected of them, the work of the honors independent study (research paper, models, prototypes, etc.) should be determined, and agreed upon, by the professor and student before the student registers for the credits. The school's advising center will register a student for an Honors Special Projects course only upon request of a syllabus or prospectus for the independent study from the student.
Honors Capstone
All honors students will pursue a capstone project during the final year of their undergraduate program. Honors students will invest three credit hours in the development of a capstone project that will articulate research topics identified in the ARDS 315H3 Honors Methods of Design Inquiry course taken spring semester in a students' third year. Guidelines for topic selection and preparation of the honors capstone project are available from the Honors Committee.
All Fay Jones Honors students are held to the highest standard with regard to academic achievement and academic integrity. Students violating the Academic Integrity policy that receive a sanction of ≥ 1.0 at the University of Arkansas will be permanently removed from the Fay Jones Honors Program without the ability to reapply. The student may appeal the decision to the University's Academic Integrity Board; if the sanction is overturned and removed, the student will be reinstated into the Fay Jones Honors Program.
The honors capstone is a student-directed project supervised by a capstone director with expertise in the capstone topic. The capstone director, who must be a faculty member in the Fay Jones School, chairs a capstone committee to be comprised of two other members, typically, a departmental faculty member and a non-departmental faculty member who brings additional fields of knowledge to the project. In rare cases when the capstone director, in consultation with the School's Honors Committee and the student, determines that a non-departmental faculty member with expertise appropriate to the capstone in question cannot be identified on campus, an extra-disciplinary member from within the Fay Jones School (e.g., faculty in architectural history, technology, or other allied field) may fill the position of the non-departmental member. Any such exceptions to the standard membership of a capstone committee should be infrequent. The point of including non-departmental participation is to help ensure that a student’s research is understandable and valid to an informed community outside of the disciplines of architecture, interior design or landscape architecture. Additional faculty, both departmental or non-departmental, as well as non-academic experts, may participate in any honors capstone as non-committee members, if the capstone director welcomes their involvement. Students will complete and present a written prospectus for the Honors Capstone no later than the Friday before summer break in their third year of study. The prospectus will be a product of the ARDS 315H3 Honors Methods of Design Inquiry course. Students shall meet a schedule of interim requirements established by the capstone committee in consultation with the School's Honors Committee.
Requirements for Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design Honors Program Scholars
Completion of 18 hours of honors designated courses, to include a minimum of:
