Architecture (B.S.Arch)
Architecture Undergraduate Curricular Requirements
The four-year curriculum leading to a B.S.Arch. degree provides the undergraduate, pre-professional coursework that qualifies students for entry level architectural work and prepares them to pursue the NAAB accredited, professional M.Arch. degree via the seamless degree path.
Admission to the B.S.Arch. program is competitive. Students apply to the program after the first year of study, where academic achievement is reviewed to determine eligibility for continued study in architecture. Another application occurs at the end of the second year of study. Here, applicants to the third year are required to submit a portfolio containing examples of graphic work in art and architecture. The deadline for both second and third year applications is mid-May, with the results of the evaluation being made known to applicants by the first week of July.
Students accepted into the years three and four of the curriculum are required to maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA and to receive a grade of C or higher in architectural design studios. Students who do not meet these criteria are ineligible for acceptance to the M.Arch. degree program and the College of Graduate Studies. (Provisional admittance to the M. Arch. program can be granted, with permission, for students with GPAs of 2.8 cumulatively, or 3.0 over the last 60 credit hours. See below for M.Arch. degree requirements.)
Note: Program permission is required for admittance into architecture design studios (ARCH 253, ARCH 254, ARCH 353, ARCH 354, and ARCH 454), and students must achieve a minimum grade of C in the previous studio course to enroll in the next sequential studio course.
Note: Students who have not been accepted into the third year curriculum may not enroll in architectural design courses. Students who have left the program may only re-enter the curriculum by application to the college admissions committee.
Required course work includes the university requirements (see regulation J-3) and:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ARCH 151 | Introduction to the Built Environment | 3 |
| ARCH 154 | Introduction to Architectural Graphics | 3 |
| ARCH 243 | Media in Architecture | 3 |
| ARCH 253 | Architectural Design I | 4 |
| ARCH 254 | Architectural Design II | 4 |
| ARCH 266 | Materials and Methods | 3 |
| ARCH 353 | Architectural Design III | 6 |
| ARCH 354 | Architectural Design IV | 6 |
| ARCH 361 | Structural Systems I | 3 |
| ARCH 362 | Structural Systems II | 3 |
| ARCH 385 | Global History of Architecture | 3 |
| ARCH 386 | Global History of Architecture II | 3 |
| ARCH 388 | Architectural Theory | 3 |
| ARCH 454 & 454 | Architectural Design: Vertical Studio and Architectural Design: Vertical Studio (Must be taken twice for credit) | 12 |
| ARCH 461 | Building Assemblies | 3 |
| ARCH 463 | Principles of Environmental Building Design | 4 |
| ARCH 464 | Environmental Building Performance | 4 |
| ARCH 483 | Urban Theory and Issues | 3 |
| ART 100 | Introduction to Art: Why Art Matters | 3 |
| ART 111 | Drawing I | 3 |
| ART 121 | Integrated Design Process | 3 |
| MATH 143 | College Algebra | 3 |
| PHYS 111 | General Physics I | 3 |
| PHYS 111L | General Physics I Lab | 1 |
| 3 credits of 200-level or above courses from outside ARCH, LARC, ART, IAD, or VTD 1 | 3 | |
| 3 credits of 200-level or above courses from within ARCH, LARC, ART, IAD, or VTD 1 | 3 | |
| 6 elective credits from any discipline 1 | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 101 | |
- 1
Credits earned in completion of an academic minor may be substituted.
Courses to total 123 credits for this degree
| Fall Term 1 | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| ARCH 151 | Introduction to the Built Environment | 3 |
| ART 111 | Drawing I | 3 |
| ART 121 | Integrated Design Process | 3 |
| ENGL 101 | Writing and Rhetoric I | 3 |
| COMM 101 | Fundamentals of Oral Communication | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Term 1 | ||
| ARCH 154 | Introduction to Architectural Graphics | 3 |
| ART 100 | Introduction to Art: Why Art Matters | 3 |
| ENGL 102 | Writing and Rhetoric II | 3 |
| MATH 143 | College Algebra | 3 |
| Scientific Ways of Knowing Course | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fall Term 2 | ||
| ARCH 253 | Architectural Design I | 4 |
| ARCH 266 | Materials and Methods | 3 |
| PHYS 111 | General Physics I | 3 |
| PHYS 111L | General Physics I Lab | 1 |
| Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Term 2 | ||
| ARCH 254 | Architectural Design II | 4 |
| ARCH 243 | Media in Architecture | 3 |
| 200-level or higher Non Art & Architecture Course | 3 | |
| Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing Course | 3 | |
| American Diversity Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fall Term 3 | ||
| ARCH 353 | Architectural Design III | 6 |
| ARCH 361 | Structural Systems I | 3 |
| ARCH 483 | Urban Theory and Issues | 3 |
| ARCH 385 | Global History of Architecture | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Term 3 | ||
| ARCH 354 | Architectural Design IV | 6 |
| ARCH 362 | Structural Systems II | 3 |
| ARCH 386 | Global History of Architecture II | 3 |
| ARCH 388 | Architectural Theory | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fall Term 4 | ||
| ARCH 454 | Architectural Design: Vertical Studio | 6 |
| ARCH 463 | Principles of Environmental Building Design | 4 |
| 200-level or higher Art & Architecture Course | 3 | |
| 200-level or higher Elective Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Term 4 | ||
| ARCH 454 | Architectural Design: Vertical Studio | 6 |
| ARCH 461 | Building Assemblies | 3 |
| ARCH 464 | Environmental Building Performance | 4 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Total Hours | 123 | |
The degree map is a guide for the timely completion of your curricular requirements. Your academic advisor or department may be contacted for assistance in interpreting this map. This map is not reflective of your academic history or transcript and it is not official notification of completion of degree or certificate requirements. Please contact the Registrar's Office regarding your official degree/certificate completion status.
- Students completing each of the architectural history courses will demonstrate a working thorough knowledge of global architectural history and an understanding of its importance, through written papers and examinations and in its application to design.
- Students completing their fourth year of design studio will demonstrate critical thinking skills, considering diverse points of view to make informed decisions with respect to built environments.
- Students completing their fourth year of design studio will demonstrate effective graphic communication skills, including architectural drawings, analytical diagrams, information graphics, and physical and digital models.
- Students completing the environmental control systems sequence of courses will demonstrate a working knowledge of these systems as applied to architectural projects.
- Students completing the structures sequence of courses will demonstrate a working knowledge of structural systems as applied to architectural projects.