The Bachelor of Science in Architecture (BS in Architecture) is a pre-professional degree program that offers studio-based design education and a rigorous program of history, theory, and building technology courses. The program introduces students to the influences shaping built environments, including socio-cultural, material, environmental, and historical factors. Students’ design education is structured around five semester-long design studios covering each of architecture’s core areas: material assemblies, site and context, program and typology, metropolitan design, and advanced design.

Our students develop visual literacy through design thinking and by developing design processes in the studio courses. They learn spatial representation through analog and digital drawing, research historical precedents and theoretical texts in history and theory seminars, and explore sustainability and resilience in technology courses.

We foster in our students a sense of stewardship of local and global built environments by creating opportunities for them to engage with faculty across the College of Design and its research centers, to participate in design-build activities, to serve local communities through student organizations, and to study abroad, traveling to places such as Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, China, and Japan.

Professional Careers

Graduates of our program go on to work in a range of professional environments that value design thinking, critical inquiry, and visual literacy — whether architectural practice, advertising, or companies specializing in digital media, software development, historical research, or environmental analysis.

Graduate Programs: M.Arch Year Two

The BS in Architecture allows students to apply to two-year Master of Architecture (M. Arch) degree programs. The professional M.Arch degree is required to become a licensed architect in the state of Minnesota, and throughout the U.S.