Architectural Engineering
Architectural engineering has many elements in common with civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering, but is specifically directed toward the building industry. It focuses on building systems, which include design of systems such as heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; illumination and electrical systems; structural building systems; and construction methods applied to buildings. The program is administered by the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering. Students also take courses in architectural history and architectural design from the College of Architecture and Planning.
Objective of the Architectural Engineering Program
The educational objective of the architectural engineering bachelor’s degree program is to have students acquire the broad knowledge and skills necessary to successfully pursue careers and become leaders in the building engineering profession, and be able to advance the state of the industry in any of the four core disciplines:
• building electrical and lighting systems
• building heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems
• building structural systems
• construction and construction management
Areas of Knowledge
The areas of knowledge that define these objectives include both technical and non-technical areas.
Technical areas are:
• elementary—the fundamentals for architectural engineering, including basic science and mathematics, building design and construction processes; overview of building systems; elementary principles and processes of architecture; and laboratory measurement and data analysis;
• intermediate—introduction to building systems and their components, with corresponding analysis of electrical, HVAC, and lighting systems as well as structural elements and components;
• proficiency—design, integration, and advanced analysis of at least two types of building systems, including design of electrical, HVAC, lighting, solar, and structural systems; as well as the codes and recommended practices that govern these building systems; and
• specialization—advanced design, coupled with industry experience via internships, for building lighting system design and specification, lighting engineering and equipment design, building HVAC systems design, building structural system design, solar system design, and construction and construction management.
Non-technical areas include:
• professional life, including methods of time and resource management, and professional ethics;
• processes and requirements of written and oral communication; and
• broad areas in the humanities and social sciences, including architectural history and language.
There is a broad core of requirements for all students. Students are also expected to choose, in consultation with faculty advisors, elective courses to add depth in one or more specialty areas. Such specialty areas include structural analysis and design, construction engineering, building energy analysis, mechanical systems, and illumination. A list of recommended electives is available to help students select a coherent academic program that enhances one of these areas.
| Required Courses | Semester Hours |
| APPM 1350 Calculus 1 for Engineers | 4 |
| AREN 1027 Engineering Drawing | 3 |
| AREN 1316 Introduction to Architectural Engineering | 1 |
| CHEM 1221 Engineering Chemistry Lab | 2 |
| CHEN 1211 General Chemistry for Engineers | 3 |
| Humanities or social science elective | 3 |
| APPM 1360 Calculus 2 for Engineers | 4 |
| CVEN 2012 Introduction to Geomatics | 3 |
| GEEN 1300 Intro Engineering Computing | 2 |
| PHYS 1110 General Physics 1 | 4 |
| Humanities or social science elective | 3 |
| AREN 2406 Intro Building Construction | 3 |
| AREN 2110 Thermodynamics | 3 |
| APPM 2350 Calculus 3 for Engineers | 4 |
| CVEN 2121 Analytical Mechanics 1 | 3 |
| PHYS 1120 General Physics 2 | 4 |
| APPM 2360 Introduction to Differential Equations with Linear Algebra | 4 |
| AREN 2120 Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfere | 3 |
| AREN 2050 Engr Systems for Buildings | 3 |
| AREN 3540 Illumination 1 | 3 |
| CVEN 3161 Mechanics of Materials 1 | 3 |
| AREN 3010 Mechanical Systems for Buildings | 3 |
| AREN 4550 Illumination 2 | 3 |
| CVEN 3246 Introduction to Construction | 3 |
| CVEN 3525 Structural Analysis | 3 |
| ECEN 3030 Electrical Circuits | 3 |
| AREN 4420 Cost Engineering | 3 |
| AREN 4570 Electrical Systems | 3 |
| CVEN 4545 Steel Design or 4555 Reinforced Concrete Design | 3 |
| Technical elective | 3 |
| WRTG 3030 Writing onSCience and Society | 3 |
| ARCH 3114 History and Theories of Architecture 1 | 3 |
| ARCH 4010 Architectural Appreciation and Design | 3 |
| AREN 4110 HVAC Design | 3 |
| Technical elective | 6 |
| ARCH 3214 History and Theories of Architecture 2 | 3 |
| AREN 4317 Architectural Engineering Design | 5 |
| Technical elective/Lab | 6 |
| Humanities or social science elective | 3 |
| Minimum hours for degree | 128 |
Upon consultation with their advisors, students are expected to select technical elective courses applicable to their areas of interest and specialization. The areas of specialization are construction engineering and management, mechanical systems, illumination, and structural engineering.
In addition to the courses listed below, other courses not listed may be proposed by a student and approved by the advisor if they are found to be applicable.
AREN 3130 Building Energy Laboratory
AREN 3140 Illumination Laboratory
AREN 4315 Design of Masonry Structures
AREN 4317 Architectural Engineering Design
AREN 4466 Construction Planning and Scheduling
AREN 4540 Exterior Lighting Systems
AREN 4550 Illumination 2
AREN 4560 Luminous Radiative Transfer
AREN 4580 Daylighting
AREN 4590 Computer Graphics in Lighting Engineering
CVEN 3313 Theoretical Fluid Mechanics
CVEN 3323 Hydraulic Engineering
CVEN 3708 Geotechnical Engineering 1
CVEN 3718 Geotechnical Engineering 2
CVEN 4161 Advanced Mechanics of Materials 1
CVEN 4525 Analysis of Framed Structures
CVEN 4545 Steel Design
CVEN 4555 Reinforced Concrete Design
CVEN 4565 Timber Design
CVEN 4087 Engineering Contracts
CVEN 5010 HVAC System Controls 1
CVEN 5020 Building Energy Audits
CVEN 5030 Architectural Lighting Equipment Design
CVEN 5040 Lighting Systems Engineering
CVEN 5050 Advanced Solar Design
CVEN 5060 Advanced Passive Solar Design
CVEN 5070 Thermal Analysis of Buildings
CVEN 5090 Building Systems Seminar
CVEN 5110 HVAC System Design
CVEN 5111 Introduction to Structural Dynamics*
CVEN 5161 Advanced Mechanics of Materials 1*
CVEN 4511 or 5511 Introduction to Finite Element Analysis*
ECEN 5767 Power Distribution Systems
MCEN 3022 Heat Transfer
| * For well-qualified undergraduates. |
Students interested in pursuing a BS degree in business in addition to the BS degree in architectural engineering should be prepared to spend at least three additional semesters in school. A faculty advisor should be consulted in the student’s freshman year so that social sciences and humanities courses required of business students can be taken.
Academically qualified students may want to consider working toward the master of business administration degree upon completion of the baccalaureate in engineering as an alternative to a BS in business.
Graduate credit is offered in the following courses:
CVEN 5010 HVAC System Controls
CVEN 5020 Building Energy Measurements and Audits
CVEN 5030 Architectural Lighting Equipment Design
CVEN 5040 Lighting Systems Engineering
CVEN 5050 Advanced Solar Design
CVEN 5060 Advanced Passive Solar Design
CVEN 5070 Thermal Analysis of Buildings
CVEN 5080 Computer Simulation of Building Energy Systems
CVEN 5090 Building Systems Seminar
CVEN 5110 HVAC Systems Design 1
CVEN 5111 Introduction to Structural Dynamics
CVEN 5161 Advanced Mechanics of Materials
CVEN 5206 Design Development
CVEN 5217 Building Reuse and Retrofit
CVEN 5218 Construction Accounting and Financial Management
CVEN 5226 Quality and Safety
CVEN 5236 Construction Planning and Scheduling
CVEN 5246 Legal Aspect Construction
CVEN 5256 Strategic Issues/Construction
CVEN 5266 Project Administration
CVEN 5276 Engineering Risk and Decision Analysis
CVEN 5286 Design Construction Operations
CVEN 5296 Construction Engineering 2
CVEN 5326 Construction Project Controls
CVEN 5511 Introduction to Finite Element Analysis
CVEN 5525 Analysis of Framed Structures
CVEN 5575 Advanced Topics in Steel Design
CVEN 5585 Advanced Topics in Reinforced Concrete Design
CVEN 5830 Special Topics in Energy
CVEN 6161 Advanced Mechanics of Materials 2
CVEN 6525 Finite Element Analysis of Structures
CVEN 6595 Earthquake Engineering
CVEN 7111 Dynamics of Structures
CVEN 7131 Theory of Elasticity
CVEN 7141 Plates and Shells
CVEN 7161 Buckling in Structures
CVEN 7511 Computational Mechanics of Solids and Structures
CVEN 7545 Structural Optimization
CVEN 7555 Structural Reliability
