Recent curricular changes are making it easier for architecture students to enroll in the structural engineering minor through the College of Engineering & Applied Science.
“Architectural courses Arch 321 and Arch 421 can now count towards meeting the prerequisite requirements for basic structures courses,” said Rani El Hajjar, professor and chair of the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department.
The changes are intended to help architecture students better fit structural engineering into their academic planning and set the stage for better collaborations between the two professions, both in practice and research, El Hajjar said.
“As engineers, we know that the safety and efficiency of structures depend on decisions made long before the calculations begin,” he said. “When architects understand load paths, building codes, and material behavior, the entire design process benefits.”
As an undergraduate architecture major, Kyle Reynolds, UWM associate professor of architecture, minored in structural engineering and he recommends it.
“The minor in structures will help architecture students combine the art and science of architecture with a thorough understanding of the realities and opportunities in the structural design of buildings,” Reynolds said. “In my own experience, knowledge of structures can help reveal opportunities for structural expression, novel forms, and spatial complexity in the design of buildings.”