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In May 2019, a number of Gibbs College of Architecture (GCA) programs received science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM)-related designations under the U.S. Department of Education’s Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code system. This change in GCA degree codes benefits international students who wish to work in the U.S. following graduation. In September 2019, an additional program, the Master of Science in Architecture, was also designated as a STEM degree program.
Previously, international students on F-1 visas were allowed one year of optional practical training (OPT) post-graduation. Now, students who have graduated from a STEM-related field have the option to extend their OPT an additional 24 months, allowing them to work in the U.S. for three years through the OPT STEM Extension.
The GCA CIP code changes apply to current and future students studying in one of the programs listed below on or after the approval date (fig. 1)* and cannot be applied retroactively to previous graduates. Information about the 24 month OPT extension can be found through OU’s Office of International Student Services and at the Dept. of Homeland Security (https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/stem-opt-extension-overview). Please confirm with these offices to ensure that your program of study qualifies.
What is a CIP code? CIP codes help the U.S. federal government track enrollment trends in academic areas within colleges and universities across the country.
| Fig. 1. GCA programs with STEM-eligible CIP codes (approved 5/2019 unless otherwise noted) |
| Bachelor of Architecture, B044 |
| Master of Architecture, B046 |
| Master of Architecture, B047 Master of Science of Architecture, M044 (approved 9/2019) |
| Master of Interior Design, M586 |
| Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design, B385 |
| Master of Construction Science, M253 |
| Master of Construction Science, M254 |
| Master of Landscape Architecture, M620 |
| Master of Regional and City Planning, M818 |
| Master of Urban Design, M865 |
| Ph.D in Planning, Design, and Construction, D785 |
| Certificate in Resilient Planning, Design, and Construction, G776 |
Telesis, a journal produced by students in the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture, has earned first place in the 2026 Douglas Haskell Award for Student Journals for its seventh volume, “Unfold.” This marks the fourth time the publication has earned recognition for excellence in student architectural journalism. It shares the honor with student journals from Columbia University, University of Michigan, and Cal Poly.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture congratulates Thinh "Henry" Duong, a master's student in the Division of Interior Design, for earning first place in the 2026 Robert Bruce Thompson Annual Student Light Fixture Design Competition.
Gibbs College of Architecture Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) Director and Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design (PLAD) faculty member Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., recently published a new book, Collective Yearning: Black Women Artists from the Zimmerli Art Museum.
