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Department of Architecture. — By faculty decision enrollment in the department during the period 1954-74 was held steady at approximately 330 students because of the crowded condition of the Architecture Building. Although a new building to house the College of Architecture and Design had been proposed for the North Campus in 1950, and preliminary studies prepared in the summer of 1955, authorization to proceed with program development was not granted until 1964, and another decade would pass before the new building finally became available for occupancy.
In retrospect, the delays in the provision of adequate physical facilities was fortuitous, allowing time for the faculty to reshape the educational programs of the department in response to the momentous changes taking place in society and the profession. There was general agreement that additional changes were required, and in 1954 the faculty initiated a long-range study of the curriculum. Following four years of intensive study, several new courses were introduced in 1958, covering areas not previously identified in the program. The action increased the breadth of the program without sacrifice of depth. It was nonetheless clear that demands being placed on the profession required a more drastic change in the educational programs of schools of architecture. The five-year program was outmoded, and in 1960 studies were initiated to develop and structure a six-year program.
This new six-year program in architecture was implemented in the fall of 1967. It was sufficiently broad and basic to serve as a foundation for any later specialization in graduate work or professional apprenticeship. The program included two years of liberal arts studies, taken in any accredited university or community college, and four years of professional studies. In the professional program, the first two years included a "core" of required studies, culminating in the Bachelor of Science degree. The first professional degree — Master of Architecture — is awarded upon completion of the professional program.
By the fall of 1967, the Architecture Building, built to house 300 students was literally stuffed with more than 800 students. Implementation of the six-year program required several additional classrooms and special laboratories which were not available. The addition of a second floor in the high-ceilinged Room 340 created 3,400