The College of Architecture, Design and Construction laid a foundation for prospective students to use in building their futures during the second annual college-wide graduate recruiting open house in Dudley Hall, Gorrie Center and Wallace Center, Friday.
CADC featured master's programs in landscape architecture, community planning, building construction and industrial design, as well as two new programs, design-build and real estate development.
"We are excited to have the support of the dean's office to host such an open house," said Joyce Griffin, director of student services for the CADC. "It sets the pace for the camaraderie not only between the college and the students, but the students and their fellow classmates."
Karen Rogers, associate dean for external affairs, said the executive master's degree in real estate development (MRED) is a collaboration between CADC and the College of Business.
"It's our newest addition, and we're very excited about it," Griffin said.
Rogers said the other new master's program, design-build, is a collaborative degree between CADC and the College of Building Science.
"(It) is based on integrated project delivery," Rogers said. "It is the collaboration from the early stages in the design process between builders and designers."
Griffin said the dual programs option is beneficial for students because it allows them to consolidate their projects while taking less than 20 additional credit hours.
"Students can have two degrees," Griffin said. "We think that's a great asset for our department."
Griffin said CADC is comprised of approximately 1,400 students, 300 to 400 of which are graduate level.
Rogers said CADC has contacted, specifically, undergraduate students about its graduate degrees.
"By nature, the students we are recruiting are undergraduates because they haven't started graduate school yet," Rogers said. "We always get in touch with students from the College of Business for construction, students from horticulture for landscape (and) students from public administration for community planning."
Rogers said the primary purpose of the open house is to share with prospective students the variety of programs CADC offers under one roof.
"It is a unique situation to teach our students to have three disciplines, three graduate programs in the same school," said Rod Barnett, associate professor and chair of the landscape architecture program. "They can develop their own program of study that builds a bridge between planning, landscape architecture and real estate."
Barnett said the open house gives students a flavor of the Auburn family by allowing them to relax and open up with faculty and current students.
"This is exactly what is required out there in the real world," Barnett said. "It is important that they spend a full morning with us."
Rogers said many students do their graduate school research online, but do not get the opportunity to meet the people they would be working with or see where students work.
"We wanted students who are interested in our college to be able to meet faculty, prospective students and actual students from all the different programs," Rogers said. "That's the first, most important part."
Griffin said the open house allows her to meet students for whom she might later be an adviser.
"It affords me the opportunity to begin rapport with them that I continue through each semester with e-mails and working with them," Griffin said.
Griffin said she tends to spoil her students by helping them register for classes.
"Many of our programs are lock-step; they don't have a lot of flexibility," Griffin said. "I try to provide assistance (with) the voids they would like to fill with something beyond design and construction."
Griffin said one of the biggest concerns for students is how to apply for the graduate programs.
She helps students during this process by sharing information about GRE scores, GPA requirements, recommendation letters, letters of intent and specific deadlines.
"We have internship fairs for which we invite people to come in," Griffin said. "Faculty, through their grant money and their projects, afford these students assistantships and other opportunities for internships. That helps to put their fears at ease."
Griffin said such opportunities allow students to explore various employment options they can pursue with their degrees.
"As a college, our graduate programs offer many related resources that go beyond the boundaries of specific disciplines," Rogers said. "We're really proud of our programs and the work our students do."
Rogers said CADC displayed examples of students' work, past and present, for prospective students to get an idea of the types of projects they would complete for certain master's degrees.
"It's not only good for prospective students, but I also think it's really good for our own students," Rogers said. "They get a chance to do some work together and meet each other."
Rogers said CADC tries to recruit a mixture of students from all schools and backgrounds.
"We actually have pretty good track records with students at a national level and an international level," Rogers said. "We've got a lot going on, really eager to bring people in and let them see."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
