The Architectural Engineering program at KFUPM was established in 1975 to prepare qualified professionals in the growing and increasingly challenging complexities in contemporary buildings. However, the graduate program in ARE did not start until 1989. The review and update of the ARE graduate program presented in this report is the first since its establishment in 1989. The purpose of the current revision is to make the ARE graduate program cope with new technology changes in the building industry, the current and future needs of the Kingdom, as well as competing with other similar international programs.
The current plan of study at KFUPM Architectural Engineering graduate program consists of a Master of Science option with 24 credit hours of course work and 6 credit hours thesis research. To update the current ARE curriculum, an Ad hoc Committee was formed by the Chairman of the Architectural Engineering Department two years ago to review and update the ARE Graduate Program to incorporate new technologies in the field, to satisfy the needs of the Kingdom, and to compete with leading similar international programs while introducing flexibility in the options as well as the structure of the program without sacrificing quality.
The changes in the newly proposed program were based on input from faculty members, discussions with some ARE students, input from the industry, comparison with similar international programs, as well as University-wide requirements.
The proposed program contains a Master of Science (M.S.) thesis option with a thesis and a total of 30 credit hours as well as a Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) non-thesis option with an engineering report and a total of 42 credit hours which includes 39 credit hours of course work and 3 credit hours for the Master of Engineering Report. A new emphasis is given to the emerging field of Facilities Engineering and Management (FEM) by introducing it as a major area of emphases in the new program. FEM is a fast growing profession all over the world and is in the heart of the speciality of Architectural Engineering.
MAIN FEATURS OF THE NEW PROGRAM
- New ARE courses are introduced to strengthen the main areas of emphasis in the program.
- A wider range of electives is introduced to cover all topics related to the areas of emphasis in the program.
- Stronger emphasis is given to computer applications in all ARE courses.
- Courses with less importance were either replaced, canceled or combined with other courses.
- New concentration in the emerging field of Facilities Engineering Management is introduced.
- New non-thesis (Master of Engineering) option in introduced with 42 credit hours.
Areas of Emphasis in the Program
The two main areas of emphasis in the ARE graduate program are:
1. Facilities Engineering and Management (FEM)
2. Building Environmental Control Systems (BECS)
Such areas with in-depth emphasis on building technology and management, distinguish the ARE program from other engineering programs. The program structure and course requirements of these options are illustrated in Figure 1.
Learning Objectives.
The graduate program of the Architectural Engineering department is designed to prepare hihgly qualified professionals and researchers in the file with a specialized and in-dept knowledge relted to the design, operation and management of he various building systems. The program offers students with in-dept study in one of the two specialized areas of Facilities Engineering and Management and Building Environemnt Control systems.
Admissions
The Architectural Engineering Department offers Master of Science and Master of Engineering degrees in Architectural Engineering. Admission to the graduate program requires fulfilling all KFUPM and College of Graduate Studies requirements. For more details about the admissions visit the home page of the Deanship of Graduate Studies. In addition, the applicant should meet the following Architectural Engineering requirements:
- Bachelor degree in Architectural Engineering or in related Engineering fields (Civil or Mechanical) or in Architecture equivalent to the KFUPM Bachelor degree
- The Master of Engineering option is unavailable for full time graduate and research assistants Degree Requirements
The graduate program includes two options namely:
- Master of Science (M. S.) option: consists of 30 credit hours, of which 9 credit hours are core requirements, 9 credit hours are electives from Architectural Engineering courses, 6 credit hours are free electives from KFUPM graduate courses, and there are 6 credit hours of thesis work.
- Master of Engineering (M. Eng.) option: consists of 42 credit hours, of which 9 credit hours are core requirements, 15 credit hours are electives from Architectural Engineering courses, 15 credits hours as free electives from KFUPM graduate courses, and there are 3 credit hours of Research Project.
