An Assessment of the Academic Supports Provided to African American Female Students in Undergraduate, Pre-professional Architecture Programs

Abstract

Even with the increased number of minority graduates from architecture programs, African American females still make up less than 0.4 % of all licensed architects in the United States. While, increasing diversity within the field of architecture continues to be a priority for both the academy and the profession, one can ask whether current architecture programs are doing enough to help women of color successfully engage and complete undergraduate, pre-professional curriculums. A qualitative, single case study (2013-14) explored how, if at all, African American female students were able to engage their undergraduate, pre-professional architecture curriculum. The research represents scholarly discourse related to the professoriate and the scholarship of teaching and learning. This investigation examined the characteristics of undergraduate architectural programs, from the perspective of their academic curriculum, faculty teaching methodologies, and the design studio environment. The intention of this paper is to shed light on the educational practices that currently exist within architecture programs and determine how, if at all, they mitigate or extend the barriers that traditionally limit the success of women of color in architectural education. Recent statistics 14 confirm the continued disparity within the architecture profession. Currently, males account for more than 82 percent of licensed U.S. Architects, while "all" women account for less than 18 percent. Even with the increasing number of graduates of color from architecture programs,