Supporting transformation of architectural education for global wealth generation

The natural reflex to any threat is retreating into a defensible mode. In anticipation of the WTO (World Trade Organization) Liberalisation 2012, the Faculty of Design and Architecture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has, instead, taken on establishing its sustainable design informatics niche in the education, research and innovation of design-based disciplines for supporting sustainable products development. The goal is to produce competent design-based graduates for global deployment while engaging local practitioners in indirect dissemination discourses about emerging trans-disciplinary theories and available collaborative technologies for enhancing current interdisciplinary collaborations—the very core for professional practitioners operating at global platforms. This paper is proposing a two-tier professional competency approach to architectural education: 1) bachelor degree for technical competency and 2) master degree for professional competency. However, their successes require the architectural education to resolve several critical issues. Among them include career development of professional architects in a research-oriented education system; and equivalency and acceptance of scientific design research outputs for annual performance evaluation. After outlining how UPM’s Strategic Transformation Plan 2011-2013 was translated into the faculty’s Transformation Vision Strategy 2011-2014, the paper describes the challenges faced by design-based programs and highlights critical initiatives proposed at university level by the faculty. Recommendations include establishing the arts and design cluster, development of master program for professional competency, and establishment of necessary ecosystem to support such programs. This paper supports an international quality architectural education which could be extended to various disciplines in the creative and innovative human capacity development since Malaysia is moving towards knowledge-based economic transformation development.

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