Architectural Engineering is the discipline concerned with the planning, design, construction and operation of engineered systems for commercial, industrial and institutional facilities. Duke’s Certificate Program in Architectural Engineering provides students with an understanding of building design and the construction process. All civil engineering undergraduates are eligible to participate in the program and quality for certification. More than 70% of Duke CEE students earn this certificate. Architectural Engineering is the discipline concerned with the planning, design, construction and operation of engineered systems for commercial, industrial and institutional facilities. Duke’s Certificate Program in Architectural Engineering provides students with an understanding of building design and the construction process. All civil engineering undergraduates are eligible to participate in the program and quality for certification. More than 70% of Duke CEE students earn this certificate.

Buildings have historically represented the culture of their time. From palace to post office, hotel to family home, buildings are physical examples of what was considered aesthetically proper and technologically most advanced at a given time. Today, modern buildings are composed of many different systems such as structural, enclosure, space, and environmental-control (heating-cooling-ventilation, electrical, water, sound control). As a result, designing a building is a complex task requiring the close collaboration of architects and engineers together in a design team. However, there has traditionally been a great difference between the role of the architect and that of the engineer, with the architect on the “creative” side of design and the engineer on the “practical” side. Architectural engineers, trained in practical and creative methods of problem solving and design, bridge this gap.

Architectural engineering is a new and growing field of engineering. The American Society of Civil Engineering recently established a Division of Architectural Engineering, and there currently are 13 architectural engineering schools in the U.S. offering undergraduate and graduate degrees. In this course of study, a background in aesthetic design, architectural history, building materials and construction forms the architectural core, while a suitable list of engineering courses in such topics as structural design provides the engineering basis.

Architectural engineers obtain their registration as Professional Engineers. Employment opportunities are with engineering or architectural firms, construction companies, research establishments, testing laboratories, building materials industries, and government agencies in addition to academic positions and private practice.