School of Architecture

Our NAAB-accredited B.Arch is a first-professional degree designed to launch your career. You learn to analyze, synthesize, and design with purpose, building the capacity to contribute meaningfully to the built environment.

The program is rigorous and studio-focused. Field trips, firm visits, networking events, and internships connect you directly to the profession. You sharpen your design, technical, research, and critical thinking skills, graduating with a portfolio that shows your career readiness.

For students without a prior degree, the B.Arch is the most direct path to licensure. It is recognized in all 50 states and fully aligned with NAAB standards.

The BA in Architecture gives you a strong design foundation with skills that transfer across disciplines. You’ll learn to define problems, explore design iterations, refine solutions, and build a portfolio that demonstrates both creativity and rigor.

This degree is flexible. It prepares you for graduate school or careers in architecture and related fields. Its multidisciplinary approach equips you for design practices that move beyond traditional boundaries.

In California, the BA provides a modified path to licensure.

The Associate of Applied Science in Design of Built Environments offers an interdisciplinary approach to design and environmental stewardship in architecture or landscape architecture. Students create proposals that protect ecology, reduce environmental impacts, and benefit the community. Evidence-based iterative design processes serve as the foundation for developing proposals for built environments that address diverse needs. Emphasis is placed on clear communication from professional presentations to detailed construction documents. Guided by faculty actively practicing in architecture and landscape architecture, students acquire design and technical skills needed to enter the profession.

If you hold an undergraduate degree in architecture or a related field, the NAAB-accredited M.Arch Track 1 builds on your foundation. If you’re entering without an architecture background, the NAAB-accredited M.Arch Track 2 builds your skills from the ground up.

These studio-focused programs connect advanced design methods with technical competence. You refine your architectural perspective, expand your design skills, and strengthen your knowledge of contemporary practice. You gain fluency in current technologies, design theory, and the craft of building.

The M.Arch is an internationally recognized credential and the first step toward professional licensure in the U.S. and many countries. Fully aligned with NAAB requirements, it prepares you to practice at the highest level.

Learn more about M.Arch Track 1 and M.Arch Track 2.

The WSCUC-accredited MA-ARH programs let you dive deep into advanced architectural design investigations inside a vibrant art and design university environment. You’ll shape your own path, specializing in areas that integrate contemporary architectural developments, advanced theory, emerging technologies, and experimental design techniques.

MA-ARH I welcomes students without an architecture background, while MA-ARH II is designed for those with a degree in architecture or a related field (portfolio review required).

These programs are not NAAB-accredited and may not qualify for licensure in many U.S. states—but they are built to expand your design range, amplify your creative research, and sharpen your expertise in the discipline.

Learn more about MA-ARH Track 1 and MA-ARH Track 2.

The IPAL (Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure) pathway is the most direct route to becoming a licensed architect in states that accept the program.

At the Academy, the only school in Northern California to offer IPAL, you’ll simultaneously complete requirements for education, experience, and examination by accruing work experience in architecture and taking your licensing exams while attending class. Coursework and faculty mentorship support you in landing paid internships, so every step brings you closer to your license and your career.

Studio Classrooms are open by design—floor plans that spark interaction between Landscape Architecture, Architecture, and Interior Architecture students. Online or onsite, the facilities are built for access, dialogue, and shared momentum.

Our atrium is the heart of the school—a dynamic space for live events, public lectures, and showcases of student work. Open, visible, and always in motion.

Presentation spaces are where you can experience live events, public lectures, and presentations of student work.

Our labs house laser cutters, 3D printers, and CNC routers for high-precision work. Shop technicians guide you through the workflow that transforms raw materials into finished designs.

Our wood shop is built for precision and practice—outfitted with band saws, drill presses, jointers, planers, miter saws, panel saws, shapers, and table routers. Four SawStop table saws reinforce our commitment to craft and safety.

The metal shop supports a full range of fabrication processes, including welding. It gives you the tools to turn your concepts from sketch into structures.

The print lab is equipped with a large-format plotter and a small-format color copier and scanner—purpose-built for the plans, drawings, and presentations architecture students bring to life in class.

Our workstations run the latest design software and media technology, keeping you current with industry tools. A lab technician is available during business hours to support your workflow.