The College of Environmental Design was established during the 1400 – 1401 (1980-1981) academic year to meet the large demand for professionals in the construction industry, resulting from the extensive construction program in progress throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The College was planned in order to bring together the academic programs that are mainly concerned with the built environment, both the natural and man-made aspects of this environment, and to prepare students for professional practice in Architecture, Architectural Engineering, Construction Engineering and Management and City Planning. The College has four departments: Architecture, Architectural Engineering, Construction Engineering, and Management and City and Regional Planning, and offers Bachelor’s degrees in Architectural Architecture and Engineering, and Master’s degrees in Architectural Engineering, Construction Engineering, and Management and City and Regional Planning.

The educational philosophy of the College of Environmental Design, as its name suggests, is to develop interdisciplinary relations between the professionals who share a common concern for the design of the built environment. In recognition of this commonality, the college has been organized as one unit with shared common facilities and resources. The realization of this philosophy comes by allowing students, whatever their chosen specialty, to share common knowledge and common classroom expertise via shared instructors, expertise, and specialization. Each undergraduate program requires five years of study, with the first year providing preparatory English and Mathematics.

Dr. Fahad Al-Said

alsaid@kfupm.edu.sa