The first Department of Architecture was established in Myanmar in 1954, started with Mr. B. Kedar, an Indian graduate at BOC College. Mr. B. Kedar introduced first-year students to the subjects of World Architecture History, Design Studio, Architectural Design and Studio. In the second academic year, he offered an artist to instruct techniques of art drawings, along with other engineering subjects to support architectural knowledge.
Then, Mr. Guy Davis from Rogland Squire and Associate, London, who arrived at the Department of Architecture in BOC as a professor, lectured architectural courses and miniature design. Students had to attend classes related to architecture in the first half of the fourth academic year and do research in the second half. In 1956, the Department of Architecture was transferred to the Faculty of Engineering in Squire, then to Rangoon Institute of Technology in 1961. The very first Burmese head of department was U Thar Htun. Later, the name “Rangoon Institute of Technology” was changed to “Yangon Institute of Technology” and finally, to the name of “Yangon Technological University (YTU)” which is recognized today.
Our department currently offers the following programs: Bachelor of Architecture (6 years), Master of Architecture (2 years) and Doctoral in Architecture (3 years).
Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch)
Courses of basic drawing and introduction to Art and Design are included in the 1st and 2nd academic years. In the next three years, we mainly support architectural modules while students are assigned to prepare projects in Design Studio, discussing with the lecturers. The sixth academic year is the period when we evaluate students in terms of their submitted research thesis and miniatures.
Master of Architecture (M.Arch)
The postgraduate program which takes for 2 years is divided into two specializations as follows.
Urban Design and Planning Architecture.
Our department is managing to open more specialization classes in the upcoming years to preserve the country’s heritage and cultivate urban planning professionals.
On average, the department annually accepts 30 students for undergraduate, 10 for postgraduate and 5 for doctoral programs.
The Department of Architecture at YTU aims to upgrade architectural education in line with international standards and to develop architectural graduates with professional skills, leadership skills and ethical skills.