Bachelor of Science in Architecture

Degree Description

The four-year Bachelor of Science in Architecture program provides a pre-professional education in architecture within the broader context of liberal arts courses provided by the University. The pre-professional degree is useful for those who want a foundation in the field of architecture as preparation for either continued education in a professional degree program or for employment options in architecturally related areas. Qualified graduates from the Bachelor of Science in Architecture program may apply for advanced standing in a first professional Master of Architecture degree program such as that offered by the School of Architecture. Those who do not choose to continue into a professional degree program may work in related architectural careers or apply for advanced degrees in landscape architecture, urban design and planning, law, public policy, history/theory, or business.

Year 1: Representation and Culture

The first year curriculum is an introduction to the discipline of architecture, premised on the theme of representation and culture; the design studio is the only architecture class the student takes each semester. Critical observation, inquiry, and thinking methodologies are introduced through a series of short assignments that focus on architectural concepts fundamental to design processes, such as space, scale, and experience. Students are taught techniques of architectural representation, with a focus on hand techniques during the first semester and digital techniques during the second semester.

Year 2: Building and Technology

In the second year, the focus in the design studio shifts to building and technology. First semester studio assignments focus on an accretive conceptual investigation of fundamental principles of the making of buildings, including structure, enclosure, circulation, program, site, and light, which culminates in a small urban infill project. Second semester studio projects address more complex concepts and principles of module and materiality, construction, and aggregation. The culminating assignment is a larger, more complex urban infill project, such as a fire station. In addition to design studio, the student takes a concurrent two semester sequence in architectural theory/criticism - in which there is a focus on oral and written communication - as well as a two semester art/architecture history sequence.

Year 3: Design and the Environment/Design and the City

The third year curriculum orients towards the larger scales and increasing complexity of the environment and the city. The fall semester design studio and theory/history class provide an integrated approach to critical issues of site, landscape, and ecology in architecture; the concurrent building science class introduces an ethical understanding of building construction, by focusing on how the architect participates in protecting the public's health, safety and welfare. In the spring, the design studio and theory/history class orient towards issues of urbanism and the role of architecture in the making of cities. The spring building science class builds on the lessons of the fall with a focus on a technical understanding of building construction.

Year 4: Comprehensive and Options

The fall semester of fourth year provides a culminating comprehensive studio experience, with a focused investigation of a comprehensive building project that fully integrates design, theory and history, building science, structure, etc. Students take a concurrent structures class, as well as a professional practice class that introduces them to the specifics of architectural practice, such as contracts. The spring semester offers the student an "option" of the emphasis of their design studio, based on their individual interests and the project options offered by the studio faculty. The student also takes a second structures class.

Off-Campus Programs

Co-Op Program: The School of Architecture's Cooperative Work Study Program provides upper level undergraduate students with employment opportunities in which they gain valuable professional experience and explore potential job opportunities in architecture and related disciplines.

Participation is limited to Illinois residents enrolled in the fourth year of the undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree program. Students work a maximum of 16 hours per week, with longer hours permitted during vacation/holiday periods or upon discussion with program coordinator; this limitation ensures that co-op work does not interfere with academic studies. Applications are accepted on a semester-by-semester basis. Acceptance will be based on demonstrated academic achievement (minimum 3.0 gpa on a 4.0 scale), faculty recommendation, and current co-op employer needs. Co-op participants are ambassadors of the School of Architecture to the professional community and are held to professional ethics and standards.