Department of Architecture
The UAE's #1 Architecture Program (QS Rankings, 2025)
The Department of Architecture is home to a vibrant community of aspiring architecture and interior design students studying within the dynamic context of the UAE. Our distinguished faculty of accomplished architects, designers and scholars from around the world contribute to making the department a center for academic excellence in the heart of the Middle East. With a commitment to hands-on learning, critical thinking and pushing the boundaries of design, the department provides a stimulating and rigorous learning environment in each of our two degree programs.
Our architecture and interior design programs stand out for their integration of applied learning, enabling students to understand the foundations of design with the opportunity to explore through the act of making. Design-build studio projects and a host of elective courses focused on fabrication and craft allow architecture and interior design students to understand how materials are shaped and assembled into built form. Open studio spaces, state-of-the-art workshops and cutting-edge technology form an ecosystem for experimentation and innovation. |-BREAK-|
Several international study and travel opportunities form additional components of a comprehensive education that enable our students to broaden their interests and horizons beyond the design disciplines. Students from AUS are sought after by the top firms in the region and are regularly admitted to top graduate programs around the globe. The Department of Architecture is dedicated to producing highly skilled and critically thoughtful design leaders who are well equipped to positively impact the built environment and successfully navigate the challenges of the 21st century.
Programs
Explore our degree programs:
For information about program accreditation, please visit the accreditation page.
The Design-Build Initiative
The AUS College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) is proud to be one of the few colleges in the Middle East to offer students a comprehensive studio experience alongside involvement in real-world architecture projects. Through CAAD’s Design-Build Initiative (DBI), CAAD faculty integrate hands-on construction projects into the architecture curriculum, providing students with valuable experience from design through fabrication and construction. CAAD’s completed DBI projects have garnered significant recognition, including three Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Design-Build awards, an ACSA Collaborative Practice Award, three Journal of Architectural Education publications and eight regional American Institute of Architects design awards.
Check out our latest projects in the gallery below:
Faculty
Our internationally acclaimed faculty helps develop and mentor the department’s students, working closely with them to challenge, inspire and support them with their projects and research.
CAAD Fellowship
Advance your teaching and creative practice
Every year, CAAD invites applications for a 10-month fellowship in the Department of Architecture. This fellowship carries the title of Assistant Professor and enables early to mid-career applicants to develop their teaching and pursue a scholarly or creative project. Fellows receive mentorship, funding and access to world-class facilities, including CAAD’s labs. Teaching opportunities include beginning design, architectural design, interior design, fabrication, integrated design, building technology and computation. For more information or to apply, click here.
Alumni Testimonials
AUS architecture graduates are the top choice for employers in the UAE (QS Rankings by Narrow Subject 2024). Many students secure positions with leading firms before graduation or gain admission to top graduate programs worldwide. Through our strong industry partnerships, they also benefit from valuable internships and hands-on experience, preparing them for successful global careers.
Dunia Abu Shanab
MArch II | +UC Berkeley
The architecture program at AUS gave me the opportunity to be mentored by successful professionals while developing my skill set and preparing me for the industry. Being at AUS has not only taught me how to excel at my career but also taught me to love what I do and discover myself through it. The contacts I have made and experiences I have had will serve as valuable resources throughout my professional and academic career.
Amin Alsaden
PhD Candidate | Graduate School of Design, Harvard University
The lasting impact of AUS stems from the fact that, for me, it was a place and period of exploration, which perhaps reflected the early experience of the young institution. Guided while expected to go astray, we were inspired by instructors who combined the rigor of higher education and specificity of the discipline with the open-endedness and vast exposure afforded by liberal education. Aside from the theoretical and practical tools we acquired, this was a time of immense personal transformation and growth that impressed upon students the imperative of expecting more from ourselves, and from the world.
Maryam Mudhaffar
Masters of Architectural History | The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, UCL
Ever since I joined AUS in 2007, architecture and design have become an integral part of my life both as an academic and a professional. My undergraduate education has allowed me to explore and engage with the socio-cultural, political and economic factors that shape the contextual frameworks in which conceptual and tangible manifestations are materialized in the Gulf – it fundamentally developed my creativity as a designer and my curiosity as a researcher.
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Events and News
Contact Us
General inquiries
caad-arcfaculty@mailman.aus.edu
Jason Carlow
Head of Department
Tel +971 6 515 2886
[email protected]
Jameela Muhammad Saleem
Administrative Assistant
Tel +971 6 515 2805
[email protected]
