About Us
In UL Lafayette's School of Architecture and Design, we want you to have the opportunities to create socially generous, culturally rich, life-affirming, and cooperative environments so everyone can reach their highest potential. We structure our teaching around these four environments using technology and a variety of projects and subject matter.
Academic Programs
We offer undergraduate degrees in architectural studies and interior design, and we offer the only undergraduate industrial design degree-granting program in Louisiana.
If you're seeking a graduate degree, we have three tracks available for you to earn your Master of Architecture degree.
We encourage you to learn more about our programs, and learn how you can transform your world.
Our Values
In the School of Architecture and Design, we have six core values: collaboration, cultural specificity, diversity, integrity, environmental responsibility, and critical discourse.
Collaboration: Design is a social act born out of collaboration. That's why we're sending students to work with Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, where they'll design and build a treehouse and farmer's market prototype to help draw tourists to the area.
Cultural specificity is integral to the understanding of design at all scales, from the local to the global. Our Coastal Community Resilience Studio is an interdisciplinary effort that combines the ecological environment, political influence, economic situation, and sociological and anthropological influences on an area to address preservation and restoration along the Louisiana coast.
Diversity: Effective design collaboration demands an environment in which diversity of freely expressed positions and approaches is respected, so we encourage you to explore the liberal arts offerings at the University and expand your academic horizons.
Integrity: Effective education demands on an environment characterized by individual and community integrity, honesty, and empathy. You must adhere to the Student Code of Conduct, and we have developed a studio culture policy (will link to new page) to ensure you are part of a productive and supportive program.
Environmental Responsibility: As designers and citizens, we have a responsibility to proactive stewardship of the buildings and the products we make and the environments in which these live and interact. Every year, students in the Building Institute design and build an affordable home with sustainable features, like the COURhouse. By integrating energy-efficient elements like solar panels and utilizing environmental conditions, the homes are better for the surrounding environment.
Critical Discourse: The condition that makes the academy relevant is honest and open engagement with the issues critical to our environment and our future. A group of interior design students recently placed first in an international competition for their design that demonstrated how active design can help combat obesity. Our faculty members are highly involved with the Acadiana community, working with and serving on the Board of Directors for many local non-profit organizations, helping to create a vibrant and sustainable future.