Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts is introducing the first undergraduate architectural engineering program in New England. Launching in the fall of 2012, the program will focus on the challenges of sustainability, energy conservation, and safety in the manmade environment. It is one of two such programs in the Northeast and one of only 17 in the U.S.
 
According to statistics from the Bureau of Labor, employment in job sectors that typically hire architectural engineers—government agencies, construction contracting firms, and multidisciplinary engineering and architectural firms—are predicted to grow between 8 and 38 percent over the next seven years. This has prompted the school to round out the program with safety, planning, and building studies incorporating civil and environmental engineering; electrical and computer engineering; fire protection; humanities and arts; and mechanical engineering.
 
There will also be focus on energy use and their impact on the environment. Selcuk Guceri, Bernard M. Gordon dean of engineering at WPI, says, “Our new program in architectural engineering will build on WPI’s strengths in all of these areas to produce graduates who are uniquely well-prepared to help create tomorrow’s sustainable structures.”
 
To learn more about the program, email Michael Dorsey, director of research communications, at mwdorsey@wpi.edu.