Architecture (BA)

The Bachelor of Arts in Architecture (BA) program provides a robust foundation in architectural design with skills transferrable to related disciplines. The ability to define a problem, work through design iterations, and refine evaluative criteria are some of the transferrable skills that will prepare students for multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary design practices within and beyond architecture.

With an emphasis on building strong portfolios, students have the option to pursue graduate school or employment in architecture or related fields upon graduation. Curricular flexibility enables students to select courses that best prepares them for their individualized goals. The BA program is institutionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). The program is not accredited by NAAB and may not be accepted as meeting architectural licensure requirements in many U.S. states. In the State of California, the BA degree offers a modified path to architectural licensure.

Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree
Core Classes

This program is available online and on campus

School of Architecture

ARH 110

Studio 1: Conceptual Design Studio Core/3

Learn design principles for creating spaces for people. You will utilize design, methodology, and space-making principles to gain fundamental knowledge and skills in environmental design and prepare for future architecture and landscape architecture studios.

ARH 170

Design Communication Core/3

Create architectural drawings that convey design intent. Draft and model architectural spaces moving fluidly between 2D and 3D to create orthographic and isometric drawings. Learn the fundamentals of architectural drawing conventions and develop an efficient workflow incorporating Rhino and Adobe Suite.

ARH 239

Materials and Methods Core/3

Material choices are design decisions. You'll evaluate the unique properties and construction methods of materials, including the social constructs, environmental impacts, and design opportunities they provide.

ARH 240

Site Design and Mapping Core/3

Experience the dynamic interdisciplinary nature of site design. Taking physical characteristics, regulatory parameters, accessibility, and sustainable design principles into consideration, you'll develop a site design that combines your skills and understanding of topography, landscape, and urban design.

ARH 255

Studio 4: Assembly Building and Context Core/6

Theaters are cultural institutions for collective story-telling. Design a theater by developing a critical viewpoint on the role of society, community, and culture. You will develop a design methodology through the analysis of the site as well as a cultural artifact. Iterative use of hand drawing, physical model-making, and digital drawing will lead to a spatial composition.

ARH 410

Studio 7: Tectonics and Structure Core/6

Architecture is a reflection of contemporary culture and conflict invites innovation. You will question preconceptions to find outdated modes of inhabiting space and discover new program relationships, spatial conditions, and rich tectonic expressions. You must take this course concurrently with ARH 420.

FND 113

Sketching for Communication Core/3

Communicate your ideas through drawing. Learn to draw objects, figures, and environments to scale and in perspective and to create drawings using compositional strategies and camera angles that can be used in sequential imagery.

LAN 223

Digital Graphics for Landscape Architecture Core/3

You'll learn to digitally draft plans, sections, elevations, axonometrics and renderings. You'll become proficient in the same software that today's design professionals use to produce legible, accurate, and well organized digital documents. (This course is cross-listed with LAN 665.)

Degree Requirements

Unit Requirements	Units
Core	18
Sophomore Portfolio	6
Senior Portfolio	6
Major	39
Liberal Arts	42
Elective	9
Total	120

BA ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Minimum 2.0 GPA
Minimum grade of C- in all core courses, major courses, and the following Liberal Arts courses:
LA 115 Natural Systems in the Landscape
LA 219 History of the Built Environment 1: Ancient to Gothic
LA 249 History of the Built Environment 2: Renaissance to 1900
LA 255 College Math
LA 271 College Algebra with Geometry
LA 292 Programming & Culture
LA 296 Applied Physics
LA 319 History of the Built Environment 3: 1900 to Present
LA 359 Urban Sociology
LA 429 Architecture Theory
LA 485 Tell your Story: Personal Statement, Portfolio, Resume

And the following general education requirements:
3 History of the Built Environment courses
1 Written Communications: Research and Analysis course
1 Art & Design Communication course
1 Ecological Systems course
1 Fundamental Math course
1 Applied Math course
1 Applied Physics course
1 Cultural Influences & Human Behavior course
1 Historical Awareness course
1 Architecture Employment Communications & Practices course

After above general education requirements are met, take Liberal Arts electives as needed to fulfill the Liberal Arts unit requirement.

Additional Information

Liberal Arts

Program Learning Outcomes

Undergraduate students will meet the following student performance criteria:

Conceptual Thinking and Process

Communicate architectural concept verbally and in writing
Articulate and extend architectural concept through diagrams
Develop a rigorous material logic for model-making to test ideas
Produce diagrams indicating critical analyses of relevant precedent buildings or the built environment recognizing the significance to the discipline of architecture
Develop a design identity which synthesizes critical thought, architectural intent, and urban design strategies by developing decision-making criteria substantiated by research

Fundamental Design & Drawing and Making

Develop criteria to generate and evaluate an architectural order and formal language
Develop architectural proposals sensitive to the site context in scale and use based on research
Produce architectural drawings with appropriate drawing conventions to convey spatial qualities and design intent
Convey materiality in design projects based on an understanding of construction material properties
Construct drawings and models with a high level of craft and attention to detail

Presentation Skills

Clearly explain and defend design projects in verbal presentations
Create presentation boards, slides, and/or printed materials which exhibit logical sequencing and a hierarchy of information
Develop effective visual communication strategies to convey information that build towards an argument

Leadership and Community

Demonstrate a commitment to community building and social equity through programming and organization of an architectural project
Demonstrate sensitivity to diverse viewpoints of user groups in the design of a building
Engage a collaborative process in the development of a design, with a range of design and engineering disciplines

Integrated Design

Conduct a user & programmatic analysis
Communicate analyses of the urban and environmental conditions of a site with clear graphic devices
Integrate sustainable and energy-conscious strategies into the design of a building
Communicate analyses of environmental performance systems of the design with clear graphic devices
Develop an energy-conscious strategy for the design of building envelope systems and material selection
Integrate structural systems into the design of a building
Produce technical documentation describing the integration of architecture and building systems
Accommodate accessibility and life safety requirements in the design of a building