https://j.ideasspread.org/index.php/fad <p>Frontiers in Art and Design (FAD) is an international, double-blind peer-reviewed, open-access journal, published by IDEAS SPREAD INC. It publishes original research, applied, and educational articles in all areas of art and design. The journal is published in both print and online versions. The online version is free access and download.</p> IDEAS SPREAD INC en-US Frontiers in Art and Design 3066-974X <p>Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal.<br>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).</p> https://j.ideasspread.org/index.php/fad/article/view/1711 <p class="text">Student experience has a strategic importance to any institution of higher learning, as it can potentially impact on the institution’s reputation, as well as long-term sustainability. The present study is an exploration of student experiences in higher institutions of learning in Uganda, taking Makerere University Architecture School (MUAS) as the case study. Using a mixed-method research approach, the study sought to evaluate students' perspectives on the architectural teaching program and their extent of success at MUAS. The study focused on 70 graduates from Makerere University's architectural program, specifically those who completed the programme within five years. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. In the findings, students revealed that the program placed significant academic and psychological demands on them throughout the five-year duration. They revealed the intense workload, unclear academic expectations, and the emotional strain caused by harsh critique and punitive course-retake policies of the university. Equally concerning were the strained relationships between students and tutors, with over half describing these as difficult or very difficult. The physical and resource environment was identified as a critical barrier to student success. Inadequate teaching-studio spaces, lack of fulltime access, insufficient workshops, and outdated equipment have a serious impact on their innovation as Architecture students. Recommendations include revision of the curriculum to achieve a better balance between theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Others are infrastructural improvements, such as upgrading and expanding studio spaces to provide dedicated, fulltime accessible workspace will encourage creativity and collaboration and the establishment of well-equipped workshops and digital fabrication labs.</p> Arch. Kenneth Ssemwogerere ##submission.copyrightStatement## http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 2025-08-28 2025-08-28 1 2 p1 p1 10.30560/fad.v1n2p1