History

The Department of Architecture and Building Sciences was first established in 1387H (1967/68G) as a department within the College of Engineering at King Saud University, (formerly University of Riyadh). At that time, the College also included Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Departments.

As the pioneering school of architecture in the Arabian Peninsula and in the Gulf region, its graduates represent the leading generation of architects and planners who participated in the establishment of schools and colleges of architecture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and are now undertaking top positions in their fields at both government and private sectors.

The Department continued to develop and expand in terms of student population and faculty members as well as the development of study programs and constituent courses. In view of the economic and urban growth witnessed by the Kingdom and the attendant need for architects and planners, and the expansion of education in all fields, the department was transformed into an independent College of Architecture and Planning in the academic year 1404/05H (1984/85G).

The Department of Architecture and Building Sciences awards its graduates the degree of Bachelor of Architecture upon successful completion of 160 credit hours prescribed in the study plan for the Bachelor of Architecture. The Department also offers a Master of Architecture degree (M. Sc.), which was initiated in the year

The introduction of the doctoral program, Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture (Ph.D.), in the academic year (1425/26H) (2003-04G) was a natural outgrowth of the graduate program, and is ever since the only architecture department offering such a degree in the entire Gulf area. Needless to say that the Department of Architecture and Building Sciences at King Saud University was one of only a few schools in the region that considers research to be a necessary element of architectural education.