Architecture, BA

CBU's architecture major creates a rich academic environment marked by the confluence of advanced practice, contemporary theory and social engagement. 

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Program Intro

The primary goal of CBU's architecture program is to help students develop the capacity and judgment necessary to understand the built environment and generate architecture as a critical response, so that each student can engage both the discipline of architecture and the multiple discourses – artistic, technological, social, political, environmental, economic, spiritual – necessary to be a successful practitioner and a conscientious citizen with a biblical worldview.

87 Units

*87-102 units, depending on concentration

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4 Optional Concentrations
22 Required Major Courses

Why Study Architecture at CBU?

Multiple Opportunities to Engage with the Profession

At CBU Architecture, we aim to develop architects who demonstrate professional excellence and personal integrity. Both coursework and extracurricular activities focus on developing servant-leader professionals who live biblically based missional lives. Students can think deeply about their faith while applying their skills in missional settings and participating in industry-leading research. Additionally, CBU has local chapters of the following student organizations for networking and community service: American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS), Freedom by Design, Tau Sigma Delta National Honor Society (TSD), and the Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Construction Management (AEC) Club.

Earn a License to Practice in California

The Bachelor of Arts in Architecture at CBU will allow a student to proceed directly into the workforce. As such, it is not an NAAB-accredited degree itself. However, the degree does allow a graduate to seek their license in the state of California with as little as four years of work experience under a licensed architect. More information can be found on the California Architects Board website. Please note that this licensure pathway changes occasionally, and the license to practice architecture in CA earned under this method is not transferable to other states.

Option to Complete Graduate Degree in Less Time

The primary degree path for most of our students is the M.Arch. degree. It is an accelerated 5-year degree program accredited by the NAAB. The BA degree comprises a part of the M.Arch. degree program. Students may choose to complete the BA degree, and then return to complete the remaining coursework necessary to earn the M.Arch. at some point in the future. By completing the M.Arch. at CBU, students can earn their degree in as little as 5 calendar years, compared to 6-7 years at most other universities.

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International Study Built into the Program

CBU Architecture students participate in a five-week international programDuring the trip, students will earn four units of course credit that covers topics of design, urbanism, history and theory. This one-of-a-kind experience includes five weeks in Italy, apartments in Florence and Rome, guided tours from informed faculty, sketching and photography of architectural masterpieces and great food. The CBU Architecture study program in Italy embeds students into the Italian culture and, through a careful study of design, history and urban design, asks students to consider deeply the foundational truths of the profession.

Program Details

ARC 220: Computer Modeling

The course will be an advanced course to develop an awareness and understanding of the role of Building Information Modeling in the student’s ability to study design ideas and present those ideas in the various design disciplines. 

DES 110: Creativity: Process and Purpose

This course provides an introduction to creativity through discussion and project-based learning. The course provides overview and practice of creative processes (e.g. ideation, research, empathy, proto-typing, etc), in-depth discussion of the theological foundations for creativity, and practice for developing creative habits.

ARC 310: Design Studio III

The studio focuses on conceptualization and implementation of architectural ideas throughout the process of pre-design, programmatic development, site design, and building design.

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  • Architectural Representation Concentration
  • Construction Management Concentration
  • Human Factors in Design Concentration
  • Religion and the Built Environment Concentration

Brett Biermann, Ph.D.

Professor of Graphic Arts

E-mail: bbiermann@calbaptist.edu
Office Location: Adams Suite B8

Krysten Burton

Assistant Professor of Architecture

Office Phone: 951-552-8377
E-mail: kburton@calbaptist.edu

Ryan Chung

Assistant Professor of Architecture

Office Phone: 951-552-8620
E-mail: rchung@calbaptist.edu

Susan Duemer, M.Arch.

Professor of Architecture

Office Phone: 951-552-8815
E-mail: sduemer@calbaptist.edu
Office Location: ARCH Building, Room 216

Aaron Greene, M.Arch.

Associate Professor of Architecture

Office Phone: 951-552-8193
E-mail: agreene@calbaptist.edu
Office Location: Architecture, 105

Katherine Kaford, Ph.D.

Professor of Art History
Associate Dean, College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design

Office Phone: 951-552-8816
E-mail: kkaford@calbaptist.edu
Office Location: James Building, Room 453

Keelan Kaiser, M.Arch.

Professor of Architecture
Program Director of Architecture

Office Phone: 951-552-8149
E-mail: kkaiser@calbaptist.edu
Office Location: ARCH 103, https://zoom.us/j/509396321?pwd=Z09GR0JnTGR5SDBydk5NTkdTY0RQdz09

Matthew Niermann, Ph.D., M.S.

Associate Professor of Architecture
Associate Dean of College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design (CAVAD)
Program Lead, Illustration/Interior Design

Office Phone: 951-552-8670
E-mail: mniermann@calbaptist.edu
Office Location: James 478

David Ogoli, Ph.D.

Professor of Architecture
Fellow of The Cambridge Commonwealth Trust

Office Phone: 951-552-8195
E-mail: dogoli@calbaptist.edu
Office Location: 3739 Adams Room 214

Jacob Slagill, BA

Assistant Professor of Architecture

Office Phone: 951-552-8336
E-mail: jslagill@calbaptist.edu
Office Location: ARCH 215

Karim Youssef, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Architecture

Office Phone: 951-343-4849
E-mail: kyoussef@calbaptist.edu

  1. Faith Integration - Students both integrate, and resist disintegrating, holistic Christian faith and purposes in their studies, professional preparation, and way of life.
  2. Creative and Critical Thinking - Students demonstrate the capacity to combine or synthesize existing ideas, images, or expertise in original ways and the experience of thinking, reacting, and working in an imaginative way characterized by a high degree of innovation, divergent thinking, and risk taking.
  3. Agape/Care and Empathy - Students genuinely desire the good of others and have multiple experiences with and demonstrate a high level of empathy when solving design problems and working with community constituencies.
  4. Evidence - Students engage in evidence-driven decision making.
  5. Excellence - Students demonstrate fluency with research, analysis, and synthesis of problems in all aspects of architectural education.
1. The Policy

The Studios Culture of CBU Architecture will value generosity of spirit, open discourse, continuous testing of ideas and a commitment to excellence on the part of all the participants. It will promote a culture of engagement in which students develop intellectually, technically, ethically and spiritually through interaction with problems, opportunities and people not only within the field of architecture, but beyond it.

2. Process of Implementation and Maintenance

The members of the CBU Architecture community agree to uphold the Studio Culture Policy. The policy will be a working guide for Studio Culture at CBU. The Policy will be introduced to students at the Academic School Orientations, posted in the studios themselves, available on the CAVAD website and included in the Student Undergraduate Catalog.

A team of faculty and students will review the policy annually, determine its efficacy and ensure its implementation. Revisions to the current policy will be discussed by the team with the common goal of maintaining a healthy studio environment that supports holistic growth through the sharing of knowledge, ideas and experiences.

3. Studio Design

Studio is the central component of an effective education in architecture. Studio learning encourages dialogue, collaboration, risk-taking, innovation, and a “learn-by-doing” pedagogy. The Studio atmosphere is a unique learning community that fosters increased scholarship as well as personal connectedness and an attitude of “iron sharpening iron.”

4. Faculty

Students are encouraged to think of all the faculty of CBU Architecture as “their” faculty, not just their particular Studio instructor. Interaction between students in separate studios and between students in separate years of the program is encouraged, as is interaction between students in the separate disciplines of CAVAD.

5. Time Management

Students and faculty must lead balanced lives and use time wisely, including time outside the Design Studio, to gain from all aspects of a university education and life experiences. Although we believe in the Studio as the backbone of the architectural education, we also believe in the value of a rich, fully engaged life that is deeply involved in spiritual maturity and service.

6. Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Opportunities

We believe that Design is the integration of many parts, that process is as important as product, and that the act of design and of professional practice is inherently interdisciplinary, requiring active and respectful collaboration with others.

The CBU Architecture program is built on a foundation of interdisciplinary learning, and opportunities to promote and experience this philosophy are inherent throughout the program. We seek every opportunity for collaborative processes and learning opportunities, not only within the program, but across the disciplines of CAVAD, CBU and the larger community outside of our walls. We will highly value cross-disciplinary design studios and design-build project opportunities that span disciplines and reach into our community. This is in keeping with our University Student Outcome to “implement a personal and social ethic that results in informed participation in multiple levels of community.

7. Assessment

Design critique is an integral part of the learning experience. Students will learn from faculty, but also from peers and from the experience itself. Making clear, understandable and comprehensive presentations of one’s ideas, both graphic and verbal, and then learning from the critical feedback that the presentation generates, are vital learning experiences that help prepare students for professional practice. We highly value honesty and forthrightness, in a constructive atmosphere of respect and encouragement.

CBU’s architecture program encourages assessment for design and studio courses that affirms the values of respect for a student’s ideas (intention), the development of these ideas (process), and the ability to make those ideas spatial & material (product). Students will therefore be graded on an understanding of the concepts that motivate and initiate the project at hand (grasp of ideas), the student’s rigor in the development of ideas and use of information in the process of design (work effort), and the material and graphic quality of the project’s final products – be they models, drawings or representations in other media (communication of ideas). Some advanced Studio projects will also consider the appropriateness of the proposed design solution in its real-world context.

8. Diversity

CBU Architecture values social, intellectual and disciplinary diversity, as well as diversity in race, nationality and gender, in its staff, faculty and student population, as well as in its curriculum. We support active, open discourse, and the Studio must be a place where diverse life experiences and opinions are shared. A culture of respect and open inquiry provides the foundation of a life-long learning perspective that begins in architecture school. This attitude is in keeping with our University Student Outcome to “respect diverse religious, cultural, philosophical, and aesthetic experiences and perspectives.” The program is currently recruiting students from high schools representing a wide cross section of Southern California’s ethnic and socio-economic communities. We are also involved in the ongoing recruitment of international students.

* Studio Policy is an evolving draft, which is being regularly assessed, negotiated and ratified with students and faculty.

 

Career Possibilities

Through career days, networking events and regular participation by professional architects in student project reviews, CBU students have access to all of the major architecture offices in southern California, leading to employment by all major regional architecture offices, such as Ruhnau Clarke, Visioneering, HMC, SGH, LPA and PBK. Many of our graduates work in offices nationwide, including notable international architecture firms such as Gensler, SOM and Populous, and they work globally in ministry-oriented offices and non-profits worldwide.

The path to becoming a licensed architect is a multi-step process that includes education, experience and examination. 

  • Since 2008, the construction industry and, in parallel, demand for architectural services has steadily increased. Both total construction and private non-residential construction are on an increasing trend. 
  • According to American Institute of Architects membership data, 60% of architects are 45 years of age or older. In short, there is an increasing need for new young architects in America to replace the aging, and soon retiring, population of architects.

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Discover. Define. Ideate. Prototype. Test. Our demand of the student is simple. See Differently.