Our professors are more than engaging teachers-they are leading researchers, scholars, and practitioners. Their research, scholarship, and experience will vitally inform what you'll be learning in and out of the classroom. Many of our graduate students have the opportunity to assist faculty members with their current research. Recently, graduate students have assisted faculty research on a wide range of topics—Byzantine churches, diversity in the design professions, sustainable building systems, and digitally-assisted construction.

The School's nationally recognized Building Research Council and other research centers across campus provide additional opportunities for graduate student involvement. Because of the range and depth of research activities at the University of Illinois, graduate students have the opportunity to assist research in areas that are closely related to their own areas of specialization, furthering their educational experience. Many of these research opportunities provide partial or full tuition waivers and stipends.

Even students who don't actively assist faculty research experience the benefits of these activities. In many cases, the professor teaching your class wrote the textbook (or part of it). You'll be learning from individuals who are nationally and internationally recognized experts. Often, if part of the textbook is unclear you can ask the author to explain-the next day in class!