Architecture UW
208 Gould
Architecture includes the study of building design, representation, computing, structures, construction materials, environmental control systems, history, theory, and professional practice. In its teaching, research, practice, and community engagement, the department addresses the traditions of architecture within the context of social and technological change, a legacy of craft in the making of architecture, an activist and community-based design process, and the principles of ethical action to address human and environmental concerns.
Adviser
208 Gould Hall, Box 355720
Advising for the first two years of the program is done through the Undergraduate Gateway Center, 141 Mary Gates Hall.
The Department of Architecture offers the following programs of study:
- Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in architecture
- Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in architectural design
- A dual-degree program leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in architectural design and the Bachelor of Science degree in construction management
- A minor in architecture
The Bachelor of Arts (with a major in architecture) is a four-year, undergraduate degree program in architecture in which students explore the factors that shape our built environment. The program provides a liberal arts foundation in the discipline of architecture, which covers spatial reasoning, aesthetics, political and economic structures, socio-cultural influences, urbanism, landscape, and ecology, and gives students the opportunity to concentrate their studies through a sequence of courses investigating history and theory, materials and making, or sustainable technologies. Students in the Bachelor of Arts (with a major in architecture) program can prepare for graduate study in architecture and related fields such as construction management, landscape architecture, real estate, and urban planning, as well as careers in other fields.
The Bachelor of Arts (with a major in architecture) consists of two, two-year sequences. Years one and two include 14 credits of preparatory architectural coursework in addition to at least 76 credits devoted to satisfying the UWs general education requirements. These include coursework in the Visual, Literary, and Performing Arts (VLPA), Individuals and Societies (I&S), mathematics, science, and other areas of knowledge. The intent of these first two years is to help students build their skills in communication and critical thinking; gain broad exposure to other disciplines in order to make more informed academic and career decisions; and provide the broad academic foundation essential to successful study in architecture. All interested UW students are welcome to participate in this first two-year sequence.
The second two-year sequence begins in the junior year. Upper-division admission to the program requires the completion of architecture prerequisites and a minimum of 90 credits, and occurs through a selection process at the beginning of spring quarter of the sophomore year. Years three and four include 29 credits of required courses, including the capstone, 38 credits of discipline-specific selectives and electives, and 23 credits of upper-division electives. Students can focus their studies by choosing a concentration of history and theory, materials and making, or sustainable technologies, or a combination of these.