The Architecture Major
The Architecture Major (studio-based)
Students who matriculated in Fall 2020 or after and wish to complete the architecture major will need to fulfill the following requirements.
14 classes required
The required classes are broken down into four categories: studio, lectures seminars and workshops, senior courses, and the specialization. To track your progress for the Architecture major please refer to the Architecture Major Worksheet and The Sample Sequence of Courses for the Architecture Major.
Studio Requirement – 4 Courses
• Architectural Design: Systems and Materials
• Architectural Design: Environments and Mediations
• Advanced Architectural Design I
• Advanced Architectural Design II
Lectures, Seminars, and Workshops Requirement – 5 Courses
• Modern Architecture in the World
• Architectural Elective: History
• Architectural Elective: Society, Environment, and the Global
• Architectural Elective: Design, Media, and Technology
• Architectural Elective
Senior Courses Requirement – 2 Courses
• Senior Seminar
• Elective Architecture seminar (another Senior Seminar in the Department, Advanced Architectural Research and Design, or Independent Research)
Specialization – 3 Courses
All majors are asked to complement their work with a thematic unit (three courses) called the "specialization." Each student develops a specific specialization that broadens their architectural studies in one of the following areas or combination of areas: History, Society, Environment, Global, Design, Media, and Technology. Courses may be taken from across various departments. All majors, in consultation with their advisers, will develop a short (100 word) description of their specialization and advisers will approve their course selections. Students can request and develop other areas of specialization with adviser approval.
Graduation Requirements
The major also requires that students submit a portfolio and a writing sample before graduation. The design portfolio includes representative work from all design studios and the writing sample is a paper or essay from a senior level architecture or architecture-related course. Final submissions are archived in the department, the portfolios are displayed at the end of the year show, and both are used to award graduation honors.
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The Architecture Major (studio-based)
Students who matriculated prior to Fall 2020 and wish to complete the architecture major may fulfill the new requirements outlined above or the old requirements outlined below.
14 classes required
The required classes are broken down into four categories: studio, history/theory, senior courses, and the cluster. To track your progress for the Architecture major please refer to the Architecture Major Worksheet.
Studio Requirement – 4 Courses
• Architectural Design: Systems and Materials (Architectural Representation: Abstraction fulfills this requirement)
• Architectural Design: Environments and Mediations (Architectural Representation: Perception fulfills this requirement)
• Advanced Architectural Design I (formerly, Architectural Design I)
• Advanced Architectural Design II (formerly, Architectural Design II)
History/Theory Requirement – 5 Courses
• Modern Architecture in the World
• Pre-1750 elective course
• Post-1750 elective course
• Two elective courses
(It is recommended that one of these courses be on non-western architecture)
Senior Courses Requirement – 2 Courses
• Senior Seminar
• Elective Architecture seminar (another Senior Seminar in the Department or senior level seminar elsewhere across the University, Advanced Architectural Research and Design (formerly, Architectural Design III), or Independent Research)
Cluster – 3 Courses
All majors are asked to complement their work with a thematic unit (three courses) called the "cluster." The cluster is devised by each student based on their interest in historical, technical, place-specific or issue-specific themes. The cluster sets up the opportunity for students to think in cross-disciplinary terms and to enrich their architectural work as they work through other forms of knowledge. (Examples include: New York City, Sustainability, Digital Design and New Media).
Graduation Requirements
The major also requires that students submit a portfolio and a writing sample before graduation. The design portfolio includes representative work from all design studios and the writing sample is a paper or essay from a senior level architecture or architecture-related course. Final submissions are archived in the department, the portfolios are displayed at the end of the year show, and both are used to award graduation honors.