Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design

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:

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.