STEM and HASS Disciplines in Architectural Education: Readiness of FAD-STU Bachelor Students for Practice

Abstract

Since the beginning of this century, STEM education has become increasingly important in preserving prosperity and economic competitiveness. Architecture has its own specific attributes. It overarches the STEM and HASS disciplines, and it should be perceived as a cultural phenomenon rather than as a field of study. The main objective of this article is to highlight the methodology based on the statistical method evaluating the correlation rate between the Bachelor’s student performance (SP) in design studio courses and STEM and HASS categories, represented by particular subjects of various areas of study. The relationship between the admission examination procedure and the academic performance of graduates in the DESIGN category was also analyzed. Although the level of knowledge and skills required based on the study results within the curricula was more significant in the HASS category, the direct correlation between subjects in the STEM category, especially engineering, and the quality of the design studio′s outputs as the main and fundamental part of the creative architectural work, was also confirmed. The authors of the article found that STEM knowledge and STEM skills do not reach the required level and, therefore, the emphasis should be placed on changing curricula, balancing the ratio of STEM and HASS categories, adjusting the credits assigned to STEM subjects, or reviewing the classification system.

Keywords

• architectural education
• STEM and HASS disciplines
• bachelor’s study
• FAD-STU in Bratislava
• student performance
• statistical analysis