The Kansas City Academic Program (KCAP) provides a rich and challenging conclusion to the five-year Bachelor of Architecture curriculum, as well as special opportunities for graduate students, at Kansas State University. Upper level students at other institutions are also encouraged to apply.

The program offers students a variety of opportunities unavailable on the Manhattan campus. Our location in Kansas City permits easy access to a rich body of architecture and urban context as well as access to a vibrant culture of both the visual and performing arts.

A wide variety of courses and public lectures and events are available through the University of Missouri at Kansas City, The Nelson-Atkins Museum, the Kemper Museum, the Kansas City Art Institute, the Kansas City Chapter of the AlA and other area institutions and venues.  Recent events have included lectures by Steven Holl and William Gass at the Nelson-Atkins, a lecture series on Science and Art at the Kansas City Art Institute and screenings and presentations by film directors as well as the film festival sponsored by the Kansas City Film Makers Jubilee.

 Location

Studio space for the program is located in Epperson House, a turn of the century mansion, on the University of Missouri in Kansas City (UMKC) campus. The campus is in the Country Club Plaza district, among the most attractive neighborhoods in Kansas City. The KCAP is within easy walking distance of the Nelson-Atkins and Kemper Galleries, The Henry Moore Sculpture Garden, the Kansas City Art Institute and Rockhurst College.  

Downtown Kansas City and the rapidly developing Crossroads and West Bottoms Arts Districts, with their many galleries and artists studios, are readily accessible by public transportation or car.

 Eligibility

Students from Kansas State University are eligible for the program if they have completed all required studio courses other than ADS 7 and ADS 8. All exceptions should be discussed with the department Head and Academic Advisor.  Project Programming, Professional Practice and History/Theory electives are available directly through the program. A wide variety of professional support and free electives are available through UMKC and other area institutions.

Faculty

Kansas State University is represented in Kansas City by Professor Mark Shapiro. He is an accomplished designer and critic and received a Masters Degree in Urban Design from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Cape Town. He has taught at Syracuse University and Tulane University. He is a registered architect and his design work has been recognized with publications, exhibitions and awards both nationally and internationally. In addition to teaching the studio courses, Professor Shapiro supervises Project Programming and Professional Practice and offers a course on the ideas and work of Le Corbusier.  

Curriculum

Students should consult the academic advisor on the Manhattan Campus as to all requirements.

During the Fall Semester students will be enrolled in Studio (ADS7), Professional Practice and Project Programming through Kansas State University.

During the Spring Semester students will be enrolled in Studio (ADS8) and the Le Corbusier elective through Kansas State University.

All other courses are offered through UMKC or other area institutions.

In order to take advantage of in-state tuition rates at UMKC students in the program must enroll as a visiting student in at least six credit hours per semester at UMKC. Forms and information are available at http://www.umkc.edu/admissions/visit-app.pdf

This arrangement provides appropriate opportunities for most eligible students to fulfill graduation requirements. Students who suspect they may have course requirements which are not satisfied by these offerings should consult the department Head and Academic Advisor.  

Kansas State University Course Descriptions

 ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO 7 & 8:

GOALS:

1.                  The resolution of a complex and demanding functional program.

2.                  The resolution of a complex urban site.

3.                  The exploration of the role and meaning of the public realm.

 4.                  The exploration of materiality, systems and structure.

 

The Fall semester will be devoted to the program development in the Project Programming course as well as the development of urban scale proposals and related architectural design exercises in studio. Both of these activities will also emphasize the development of a theoretical framework (thesis) for each student. The semester will culminate in a preliminary proposal. The Spring studio will be devoted to the resolution of the project in the form of a comprehensive proposal that goes beyond mere schematic resolution.

   

THEORY OF DESIGN /Le Corbusier:

 Spring 2002

 More than a quarter of century after his death the works and ideas of Le Corbusier stand as monuments to the Modern Movement in architecture.  Despite the “Post Modern” critique of Modernism, Le Corbusier remains as one of the most complex figures of the 20th century avant-garde.

This course has two main purposes.  The first is to explicate the work and ideas of Le Corbusier in their social, political and cultural context.  The second is to subject them to a critical analysis based on more recent scholarship and newly published archival material.  The course is intended to enhance the critical abilities of the student and raise questions that will allow an understanding that goes beyond the self-created myths of Modernism as well as those of “Post Modernism.”  

The course is structured around a series of thematic lectures and discussions and an analysis project that will concentrate on a particular aspect of Le Corbusier’s architecture.

 

PROJECT PROGRAMMING

 Fall 2001  

Through individual and group activity students research and develop the program for the ADS 8 project.

 

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE  

Fall 2001

Through readings, discussion and site visits students become familiar with the issues surrounding the practice of architecture.

 Electives

A wide variety of elective courses are available to students enrolled in this program. Courses may be taken at the University of Missouri at Kansas City in business, management, economics, marketing, public administration, planning, political science, sociology, psychology, ecology, geography, art, art history, history, philosophy, computer science, and in other areas. Courses may also be taken at local community colleges or the Kansas City Art Institute. It is essential that students investigate the options open to them and they are encouraged take advantage of the rich urban and cultural experience that is available.

Advising

Students accepted in the program must consult with the department Head and the Academic advisor in Manhattan. Professor Shapiro will also be available to assist with questions of procedure and advice on elective course offerings.

Housing

Excellent rental housing is available at very reasonable prices. The most economical arrangements will be those by groups of students leasing apartments together. There are a number of strategies for finding apartments in the area including the use of apartment finding agencies, classified ads, bulletin boards at UMKC and simply walking likely neighborhoods.

Health Insurance

The health insurance plan available to students on the Manhattan campus is not available to our students in Kansas City. UMKC does not provide a health insurance plan or on campus medical services for its students because a substantial percentage of its student body lives at home. Students are advised to maintain coverage on their own or through their parents' insurance plans if this option is available.

Costs

Students in the Kansas City Academic Program enroll in courses offered by the program's faculty through Kansas State's Continuing Education Division. This arrangement permits students to pay for courses by the credit hour. Elective courses taken at UMKC are paid for at the Missouri in-state rate. In order to maintain this rate students in the Kansas City Academic Program must enroll in at least 6 UMKC credit hours each semester.

Total tuition cost will vary depending on the number of credit hours a student takes and the institutions involved. Tuition costs for in-state students will be comparable to or slightly more than those at the Manhattan campus. Out-of-state students will realize substantial savings on tuition costs. The cost of housing, food, and incidentals is comparable to those in Manhattan.

Financial Aid  

All the financial aid options available to students on the Manhattan campus are fully available to students in this program. Students must contact Lucille Wiley at Student Financial Aid on the Manhattan campus so that they can complete the required paperwork.

Graduation

Students in the Kansas City Academic Program should arrange for their graduation checks with Dean Lynn Ewanow. Students in the program are encouraged to participate in the graduation ceremony in Manhattan.

Admission Procedure

Students who are interested in the program are encouraged to visit Epperson House. Professor Shapiro will be available to answer questions you may have. Contact him at (816)235 6053 or (816) 4449310 to make arrangements for a visit.

Students who would like to participate in the Kansas City Academic Program should contact the Department of Architecture office at (785) 532 5953.

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