Internationalisation of architectural education in the context of globalisation

This paper is concerned with the issue of how to prepare future architects to practice competently in a rapidly transforming professional world. Heightened globalisation has led to transformations in the global workplace and raises important issues about what new knowledge, skills and competencies are needed graduate architects today. Other professional degrees in the higher education sector have worked out strategies, key components, curriculum content, and delivery mechanisms to internationalise their educational provision and prepare graduates to work in the new global workplace. But architectural education remains institutionally nationalistic and pedagogically trapped in the past. Internationalisation offers an inclusive learning environment for graduates who are likely to operate in socially and culturally diverse environments during their professional careers. As yet there is little evidence that architectural educators are aware of the issues involved in internationalisation, nor are they prepared to transform the content and delivery of their courses to harmonise with new global, multi-cultural environments. This paper provides an analysis of various issues surrounding contemporary architectural practice and education and argues that in schools of architecture need to be critically reassessed and reconfigured