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 2530, ARCH 2540, ARCH 3530, ARCH 3540, and ARCH 4540), 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 1510 | Introduction to the Built Environment | 3 |
| ARCH 1540 | Introduction to Architectural Graphics | 3 |
| ARCH 2530 | Architectural Design I | 4 |
| ARCH 2540 | Architectural Design II | 4 |
| ARCH 2660 | Materials and Methods | 3 |
| ARCH 3430 | Media in Architecture | 3 |
| ARCH 3530 | Architectural Design III | 6 |
| ARCH 3540 | Architectural Design IV | 6 |
| ARCH 3610 | Structural Systems I | 3 |
| ARCH 3620 | Structural Systems II | 3 |
| ARCH 3850 | Global History of Architecture | 3 |
| ARCH 3860 | Global History of Architecture II | 3 |
| ARCH 3880 | Architectural Theory | 3 |
| ARCH 4540 & 4540 | Architectural Design: Vertical Studio and Architectural Design: Vertical Studio (Must be taken twice for credit) | 12 |
| ARCH 4610 | Building Assemblies | 3 |
| ARCH 4630 | Principles of Environmental Building Design | 4 |
| ARCH 4640 | Environmental Building Performance | 4 |
| ARCH 4830 | Urban Theory and Issues | 3 |
| ART 1100 | Introduction to Art: Why Art Matters | 3 |
| ART 1110 | Drawing I | 3 |
| ART 1210 | Integrated Design Process | 3 |
| MATH 1143 | Precalculus I: Algebra | 3 |
| PHYS 1111 | General Physics I | 3 |
| PHYS 1111L | General Physics I Lab | 1 |
| 3 credits of 2000-level or above courses from outside ARCH, LARC, ART, IAD, or VTD 1 | 3 | |
| 3 credits of 2000-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 1510 | Introduction to the Built Environment | 3 |
| ART 1110 | Drawing I | 3 |
| ART 1210 | Integrated Design Process | 3 |
| ENGL 1101 | Writing and Rhetoric I | 3 |
| COMM 1101 | Fundamentals of Oral Communication | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Term 1 | ||
| ARCH 1540 | Introduction to Architectural Graphics | 3 |
| ART 1100 | Introduction to Art: Why Art Matters | 3 |
| ENGL 1102 | Writing and Rhetoric II | 3 |
| MATH 1143 | Precalculus I: Algebra | 3 |
| Scientific Ways of Knowing Course | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fall Term 2 | ||
| ARCH 2530 | Architectural Design I | 4 |
| ARCH 2660 | Materials and Methods | 3 |
| PHYS 1111 | General Physics I | 3 |
| PHYS 1111L | General Physics I Lab | 1 |
| Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring Term 2 | ||
| ARCH 2540 | Architectural Design II | 4 |
| ARCH 3430 | Media in Architecture | 3 |
| 2000-level or higher Non Art & Architecture Course | 3 | |
| Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing Course | 3 | |
| American Experience Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fall Term 3 | ||
| ARCH 3530 | Architectural Design III | 6 |
| ARCH 3610 | Structural Systems I | 3 |
| ARCH 4830 | Urban Theory and Issues | 3 |
| ARCH 3850 | Global History of Architecture | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Term 3 | ||
| ARCH 3540 | Architectural Design IV | 6 |
| ARCH 3620 | Structural Systems II | 3 |
| ARCH 3860 | Global History of Architecture II | 3 |
| ARCH 3880 | Architectural Theory | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fall Term 4 | ||
| ARCH 4540 | Architectural Design: Vertical Studio | 6 |
| ARCH 4630 | Principles of Environmental Building Design | 4 |
| 2000-level or higher Art & Architecture Course | 3 | |
| 2000-level or higher Elective Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Term 4 | ||
| ARCH 4540 | Architectural Design: Vertical Studio | 6 |
| ARCH 4610 | Building Assemblies | 3 |
| ARCH 4640 | 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.