Creating a Forum on the Contribution of Architectural Engineering Education to the Profession

Abstract

Architectural engineers in practice receive their formal education from a wide variety of sources, including the academic institution they attended. An academic education program does not have to have ‘‘architectural engineering’’ ~AE! in the title in order to contribute to the profession or to train students to be productive in the industry. The membership of the AE profession is made up of individuals from a wide variety of experience, practice, and educational backgrounds, not just the faculty and graduates of the AE schools. With only 14 ABET-accredited AE schools ~several additional AE programs are in various stages of development!, it is clear that a large number of those practicing in the AE field are not graduates of educational departments with the words Architectural Engineering in their names. In the past, this journal has published large numbers of papers from authors who neither graduated from nor worked at one of the AE schools. Many technical and academic papers from various architecture and engineering programs concentrating in some aspect of building design, construction, and operation have also been published in the pages of the Journal of Architectural Engineering ~JAE!. Promoting an AE-based education is one part of the mission of the Architectural Engineering Institute ~AEI! of ASCE. This not only encompasses various forms of outreach and continuing education efforts, but also includes the role of supporting and coordinating the voice of the ABET AE programs. This activity within AEI is centered on the Academic Council, which is composed of the Chairs and Department Heads of the AE programs within the United States. As of the date of this writing, there are 14 ABETaccredited programs in the U.S., with several others established, offering classes, or in the planning and proposal stages. While this is still a small amount compared with, for instance, the total number of traditional civil engineering schools, it is significant to note that from the mid-1980s until fairly recently, the number of ABET AE schools held constant at 13. This recent increase in AE program development is also matched by an increased interest in building design and construction by the more traditional civil, mechanical, electrical, and related engineering programs in this country. As the industry expands and buildings become more complex, the need for graduates from all sources with specific expertise in AE-related disciplines will continue to grow. The AE-related academic programs should continue to take the lead in defining the