The Department of Architecture offers a five-year bachelor of architecture undergraduate professional degree (B.Arch.). It is "professional" in the literal sense of being accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which subjects the program to a rigorous ongoing review process.
The following learning goals, based on NAAB requirements, define our expectations for graduating students:
Ability to read, write, listen, and speak effectively
Ability to raise clear and precise questions, use abstract ideas to interpret information, consider diverse points of view, reach well-reasoned conclusions, and test them against relevant criteria and standards
Ability to use appropriate representational media, including freehand drawing and computer technology, to convey essential formal elements at each stage of the programming and design process
Ability to gather, assess, record, and apply relevant information in architectural coursework.
Understanding of the fundamentals of visual perception and the principles and systems of order that inform two- and three-dimensional design, architectural composition, and urban design
Ability to use basic architectural principles in the design of buildings, interior spaces, and sites
Ability to recognize the varied talent found in interdisciplinary design project teams in professional practice and work in collaboration with other students as members of a design team
Understanding of the Western architectural canons and traditions in architecture, landscape, and urban design, as well as the climatic, technological, socioeconomic, and other cultural factors that have shaped and sustained them
Understanding of parallel and divergent canons and traditions of architecture and urban design in the non-Western world
Understanding of national traditions and the local regional heritage in architecture, landscape design, and urban design, including the vernacular tradition
Ability to incorporate relevant precedents into architecture and urban design projects
Understanding of the theories and methods of inquiry that seek to clarify the relationship between human behavior and the physical environment
Understanding of the diverse needs, values, behavioral norms, physical ability, and social and spatial patterns that characterize different cultures and individuals and the implication of this diversity for the societal roles and responsibilities of architects
Ability to design both site and building to accommodate individuals with varying physical abilities
Understanding of the principles of sustainability in making architecture and urban design decisions that conserve natural and built resources, including culturally important buildings and sites, and in the creation of healthful buildings and communities
Ability to prepare a comprehensive program for an architectural project, including assessment of client and user needs, a critical review of appropriate precedents, an inventory of space and equipment requirements, an analysis of site conditions, a review of the relevant laws and standards and assessment of their implication for the project, and a definition of site selection and design assessment criteria
Ability to respond to natural and built site characteristics in the development of a program and the design of a project
Understanding of principles of structural behavior in withstanding gravity and lateral forces and the evolution, range, and appropriate application of contemporary structural systems
Understanding of the basic principles and appropriate application and performance of environmental systems, including acoustical, lighting, and climate modification systems, and energy use, integrated with the building envelope
Understanding of the basic principles of life-safety systems with an emphasis on egress
Understanding of the basic principles and appropriate application and performance of building envelope materials and assemblies
Understanding of the basic principles and appropriate application and performance of plumbing, electrical, vertical transportation, communication, security, and fire protection systems
Ability to assess, select, and conceptually integrate structural systems, building envelope systems, environmental systems, life-safety systems, and building service systems into building design
Understanding of the basic principles and appropriate application and performance of construction materials, products, components, and assemblies, including their environmental impact and reuse
Understanding of the fundamentals of building cost, life-cycle cost, and construction estimating
Ability to make technically precise drawings and write outline specifications for a proposed design
Understanding of the responsibility of the architect to elicit, understand, and resolve the needs of the client, owner, and user
Ability to produce a comprehensive architectural project based on a building program and site that includes development of programmed spaces demonstrating an understanding of structural and environmental systems, building envelope systems, life-safety provisions, wall sections and building assemblies, and the principles of sustainability
Understanding of obtaining commissions and negotiating contracts, managing personnel and selecting consultants, recommending project delivery methods, and forms of service contracts
Understanding of the basic principles and legal aspects of practice organization, financial management, business planning, time and project management, risk mitigation, and mediation and arbitration as well as an understanding of trends that affect practice, such as globalization, outsourcing, project delivery, expanding practice settings, diversity, and others
Understanding of the role of internship in obtaining licensure and registration and the mutual rights and responsibilities of interns and employers
Understanding of the need for architects to provide leadership in the building design and construction process and on issues of growth, development, and aesthetics in their communities
Understanding of the architect’s responsibility as determined by registration law, building codes and regulations, professional service contracts, zoning and subdivision ordinances, environmental regulation, historic preservation laws, and accessibility laws
Understanding of the ethical issues involved in the formation of professional judgment in architectural design and practice.
