Forty-one students began working toward their drafting dreams this week as UCF welcomed the inaugural class of the new Bachelor of Design in Architecture program.

Created in partnership with Valencia Community College and the University of Florida, students in the program take two years of classes as Valencia students and two years as UCF students. They then can move on to obtain their master’s degrees, potentially by staying in Orlando and enrolling in a University of Florida College of Design program based in UCF’s Center for Emerging Media in downtown Orlando.

The Valencia and UCF classes are taught at the University Center building shared by the two schools at Valencia’s West Campus. The local chapter of the American Institute of Architects has worked closely with Valencia, UCF and UF to develop the program.