Bachelor of Science in Architecture
Architectural design is developed and practiced as a mode of critical inquiry from the scale of the city to the scale of the hand. It provides a framework for the study of contemporary culture, grounded in history and extended through observation, analysis and design.
CURRICULAR FOCUS
The undergraduate program is a pre-professional program providing the balance of a broad liberal arts foundation with a design studio preparation for graduate study in architecture.
- An integrated curriculum of studies in the liberal arts and architecture to promote an understanding of design as a cultural expression
- A strong preparation for graduate professional study in architecture with a broader mandate to cultivate leadership in a range of potential career paths
- Opportunities for focused study through concentrations in Architectural Design or Architectural Studies
- Minors in Landscape Architecture as well as minors or double majors in other disciplines in the School and University
CURRICULUM
Students entering the Department of Architecture follow one curriculum for their first three years. Starting in their second year, the strategic choices of electives will prepare the student to pursue the concentration of their choice.
4th Year Election of Concentration
At the end of the spring semester of the third year, each student will elect a course of study for the fourth year from the following list. The choices are designed to maximize the opportunities for undergraduate study given the wide range and scope of student interests and potential career paths.
- 4th Year: Pre-Professional Concentration
This Concentration is for students intent on pursuing a career as a practicing Architect. The curriculum is designed to maximize the opportunities to explore complex issues and conditions through design as well as representing intentions in material form.
- 4th Year: Architectural Studies Concentration
This Concentration is designed for students interested in expanding the scope of their study to include the related design fields of landscape architecture or urban planning. This option also allows students interested in the relationship between the practice of architectural design and research of architectural history or technical issues related to building and the environment to pursue these interests. Minors offered within the School of Architecture are the primary vehicle used to complete the degree requirements.
- 4th Year: Multi-Disciplinary Concentration
This Concentration is for students interested in exploring the connection between architecture and another discipline. This discipline can be something as close to architecture as art or engineering, or it could also be a more distant field, such as business, archaeology, or materials science. It is the student’s responsibility to make the case for the connection. Fulfilling the requirements for a minor in the related field is the primary vehicle used to complete the degree requirements.
Admission
Transfer students are accepted into the Department each fall up through the beginning of the third year. Students wishing to transfer into the Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture should refer to the Transfer Advice page.
Students who wish to obtain the Master of Architecture professional degree should apply to the graduate program. Students expecting to enter graduate studies should have maintained a 3.0 cumulative average, with a 3.5 average in the architectural design sequence. Admission into the Graduate Program in Architecture at the University of Virginia is extremely competitive.
Admission to Undergraduate Programs in Architecture is handled through the University of Virginia Undergraduate Admissions Office
. For undergraduate studies, applicants apply to the University, not to the School of Architecture.