ARCHITECTURE, since ancient times, has been considered the mother of all the arts. In a manner much the same as in the other visual arts, the act of making architecture requires the use of the "eye," the "mind," and the "hand." Above all, architecture demands passion and intelligence, without which no act of creation can occur.

Unlike the other arts, architecture has a functional task: It must create built environments for human activity. In doing this, architecture becomes the inevitable expression of human values. Through the design process and the production of a built environment, architecture not only addresses issues of form and space-making, it addresses the interrelated physical, social, political, economic, and cultural values prevailing in a particular place and time.

The design process, defined as an intellectual exercise as well as an art form, is the primary focus of the academic program at NYIT's School of Architecture and Design. The character and curriculum of each of our four degree programs is shaped around this premise. The school maintains that this emphasis on design within the curricula best prepares the student for effective participation in the profession and for rendering service in the public interest. With this being said, the intentions of the program for every student are summarized as follows:

1. stimulate artistic sensitivity, creative power, and personal self-confidence;
2. strengthen intellectual ability as it is applied to the making of solutions to architectural and design problems;
3. acquire the technical skills needed for the practice of architecture and the related design fields.

Judith DiMaio
Dean. School of Architecture and Design