Troy, N.Y. — The School of Architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has implemented a new doctoral program. The Doctor of Philosophy in Architectural Sciences, approved by the New York State Department of Education, will be offered beginning Fall 2004.

The new degree will allow advanced work in all areas of graduate study in architecture including lighting, acoustics, informatics, computation and design, building conservation, and energy-efficient or "green" architectural systems. Interdisciplinary in nature, the Ph.D. is open to candidates with master's degrees in architecture, science, engineering, and the humanities.

"The School of Architecture's curriculum has grown into a quintessential cross-disciplinary program that incorporates the visual arts, information technology, engineering acoustics, lighting, theory, and practice," said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson. "This new Ph.D. is a natural progression of the school's progressive research agenda, fueled by the use of the latest digital technology and established research."

The advanced degree will build, in part, on the international reputation of the school's Lighting Research Center. The leading university-based lighting research center in the nation, the LRC specializes in energy efficiency, new products and technologies, and lighting design. The center is well known for its research in how light affects people in various environments, such as in the workplace or driving at night.

The new doctoral degree also comes at a time when the school has significantly expanded its acoustics program. A central component of the acoustics program is the acoustic research lab, where students use computer models and a "hemi-anechoic," or nearly echo-free, chamber to research how building designs and materials affect sound performance.

The acoustics program also emphasizes research related to auralization, or "virtual acoustics," the acoustical counterpart to digital visualization that involves recreating and transmitting sound from the best acoustically built structures into a headset, laptop, or television.
Doctoral candidates also will work with state-of-the-art computers and three-dimensional design software that are altering and improving how homes and other structures are designed, built, and delivered.

"This new degree will allow our students to expand their inquiry and creativity - through the command of technology - to further explore the critical questions of culture, societal values, and the making of new environments to allow them to become pioneers and leaders in their fields," said Alan Balfour, dean of architecture.

Contact: Jodi Ackerman
Phone: (518) 276-6531
E-mail: N/A