Auburn University Building Science Department increases enrollment

In its proactive mission to anticipate and fulfill the ever-growing needs of the construction industry, the Auburn University Department of Building Science will increase its enrollment by 25 percent and will begin accepting additional students in spring 2007.

The program will see its enrollment increase to nearly 600 students by 2008 and beginning in the fall semester of 2008 the program is expected to award 120 degrees per year as a result of the expansion.

"I am truly pleased that the university administration has partnered with the college, department and construction industry to develop the needed resources to accommodate an increased student enrollment," said Dan Bennett, dean of the College of Architecture, Design and Construction. "Coupled with our new building, this expansion will ensure Auburn's standing as a national leader in construction and integrated practices education."

The expansion of the building science program is in direct response to the construction industry's need for qualified graduates who are immediately able to step into construction management.

"This strategic move to grow the program, in conjunction with the completion of our new facility, will place us in a position to better meet the needs of the construction industry," said John Murphy, department head for building science.

Housed in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction, the Department of Building Science was founded in 1942 and is the second oldest construction program in the nation.

Annually regarded as one of the nationally best construction education programs, the Department of Building Science has already taken steps to accommodate the increase in enrollment.

In July, ground was broken for the construction of the M. Miller Gorrie Center for Building Science, which will serve as the program's new home beginning in 2007. As part of its long-standing symbiotic relationship with Auburn University, the construction industry throughout the southeast provided partial funding for the Gorrie Center.

The state-of-the-art, 33,000-sq.-ft. facility features a high level of distance education capability and computer technology as it applies to construction education.

It will also include a demonstration laboratory and other classroom designs specifically suited for the program's delivery methods. Exposed building components will provide the building as a "living classroom" and expand opportunities for students to relate to how buildings are constructed.

Auburn University is a comprehensive research institution with more than 23,000 students and 6,500 faculty and staff. Ranked among the top 50 public universities nationally, Auburn is Alabama's largest educational institution, offering more than 230 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs.