Campuses:
This is archival data. This system was retired as of August 21, 2023 and the information on this page has not been updated since then. For current information, visit catalogs.umn.edu.
Twin Cities Campus
Architecture B.S.School of Architecture
College of Design
The bachelor of science (with a major in architecture) is a pre-professional architecture degree program that offers studio-based design education and a rigorous program of history/theory and building technology courses. The program exposes students to the formal, socio-cultural, material, environmental, and historical factors that shape built environments. The BS program fosters a sense of stewardship for local and global built environments by providing opportunities for students to engage with College of Design faculty and research centers, to enroll in service learning courses, and to study abroad. Design education in the BS program is structured around five sequential semester-long design studios. Each studio is a focused study in one of architecture’s core areas: 1. material assemblies, 2. site and the designed environment, 3. program and typology, 4. metropolitan design, and 5. advanced design. Through hands-on making and complementary courses, students demonstrate how these core areas affect formal, spatial, and experiential qualities of architectural space.
BS students develop visual literacy through design thinking and the development of design processes in design studios by engaging spatial representation in drawing and computational courses, by researching historical precedents and theoretical texts in history and theory seminars, and by exploring concepts of sustainability and resilience in technology courses. The BS program fosters a sense of stewardship of local and global built environments by providing opportunities for students to engage with College of Design faculty and research centers, to engage in design-build activities, to enroll in service learning courses, and to study abroad.
Students are eligible to apply to the BS degree program from within the College of Design after completing all required first-year courses. Admission is competitive, with a portfolio, transcripts, and an essay included in the application process. Students in the BS will take five required 6-credit design studios, a sequence of history/theory and building technology courses, and 9 credits of upper-level architecture electives. Graduates of the BS are well prepared to apply to the second year of the School of Architecture's master's of architecture graduate program; master's of science degree programs in sustainability, heritage preservation and conservation, and metropolitan design; as well as other graduate degree programs at peer institutions, per their admissions requirements.
Program Delivery
This program is available:
Admission Requirements
Students must complete
30 credits
before admission to the program.
Freshman and transfer students are usually admitted to pre-major status
before admission to this major.
A GPA above 2.0 is preferred for the following:
For information about University of Minnesota admission requirements, visit the
Office of Admissions
website.
Required prerequisites
Prerequisite Courses, Primary Core
It is required that students complete the following
classes prior to admission to the BS:
ARCH 1281 - Design Fundamentals I
[AH]
(4.0 cr)
ARCH 2281 - Design Fundamentals II
(4.0 cr)
ARCH 1621W - Introduction to Critical Inquiry in Practice
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
ARCH 1621V - Introduction to Critical Inquiry in Practice
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
General Requirements
All students in baccalaureate degree programs are required to complete general University and college requirements including writing and liberal education courses. For more information about University-wide requirements, see the
liberal education requirements.
Required courses for the major, minor or certificate in which a student receives a D grade (with or without plus or minus) do not count toward the major, minor or certificate (including transfer courses).
Program Requirements
At least 38 upper division credits in the major must be taken at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus.
Major coursework
ARCH 2301 - Drawing and Critical Thinking
(4.0 cr)
ARCH 3281 - Architecture Studio 01: Material
(6.0 cr)
ARCH 3282 - Architecture Studio 02: Site
(6.0 cr)
ARCH 4283 - Architecture Studio 03: Program
(6.0 cr)
ARCH 4284 - Architecture Studio 04: Urban Design
(6.0 cr)
ARCH 4511 - Materials and Methods I
(3.0 cr)
ARCH 4521 - Environmental Technology I
(3.0 cr)
ARCH 4561 - Architecture and Ecology
[ENV]
(3.0 cr)
ARCH 4571 - Architectural Structures I
(3.0 cr)
ARCH 4701W - Introduction to Urban Form and Theory
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
ARCH 5212 - Undergraduate Architecture Studio 05: Advanced Design
(6.0 cr)
ARCH 3411W - Architectural History to 1750
[HIS, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
ARCH 3411V - Architectural History to 1750
[HIS, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
ARCH 3412W - Architectural History Since 1750
[HIS, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
ARCH 3412V - Honors: Architectural History Since 1750
[HIS, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
ARCH 3711V - Honors: Environmental Design and the Sociocultural Context
[SOCS, CIV, WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
ARCH 3711W - Environmental Design and the Sociocultural Context
[SOCS, CIV, WI]
(3.0 cr)
Courses to be completed prior to year three of the program
Physics
PHYS 1101W - Introductory College Physics I
[PHYS, WI]
(4.0 cr)
or
PHYS 1301W - Introductory Physics for Science and Engineering I
[PHYS, WI]
(4.0 cr)
Architectural history elective
ARCH 4421W - Architecture and Interpretation: The Cave and the Light
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
ARCH 4424 - Renaissance Architecture
(3.0 cr)
or
ARCH 4425W - Baroque Architecture
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
ARCH 4432 - Modern Architecture
(3.0 cr)
or
ARCH 4434 - Contemporary Architecture
(3.0 cr)
or
Arch 44xx Architecture History
or
ARCH 4410 - Topics in Architectural History
(1.0-4.0 cr)
or
ARCH 4451 - Contemporary Architectural Thinking
(3.0 cr)
or
ARCH 4431W - Eighteenth-Century Architecture and the Enlightenment
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
Architecture electives
Nine upper division architecture credits not used elsewhere.
Take exactly 9 credit(s) from the following:
·
ARCH 3xxx
·
ARCH 4xxx
Upper division credits outside the major
Take 9 upper division credits outside the major
Upper Division Writing Intensive within the major
Students are required to take one upper division writing intensive course within the major. If that requirement has not been satisfied within the core major requirements, students must choose one course from the following list. Some of these courses may also fulfill other major requirements.
Take 0 - 1 course(s) from the following:
·
ARCH 3411V - Architectural History to 1750
[HIS, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARCH 3411W - Architectural History to 1750
[HIS, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARCH 3412W - Architectural History Since 1750
[HIS, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARCH 3412V - Honors: Architectural History Since 1750
[HIS, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARCH 3711V - Honors: Environmental Design and the Sociocultural Context
[SOCS, CIV, WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARCH 3711W - Environmental Design and the Sociocultural Context
[SOCS, CIV, WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARCH 4421W - Architecture and Interpretation: The Cave and the Light
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARCH 4701W - Introduction to Urban Form and Theory
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARCH 4431W - Eighteenth-Century Architecture and the Enlightenment
[WI]
(3.0 cr)
|
|
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 1621W/Arch 1621V |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 1621W/Arch 1621V |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 1301/Arch 5371/LA 5301/LA |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 6.0 [max 6.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 6.0 [max 6.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 6.0 [max 6.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 6.0 [max 6.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 4501/Arch 4561/Arch 5501 |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 6.0 [max 6.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 3411W/Arch 3411V |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 3411W/Arch 3411V |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 3412V / Arch 3412W |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 3711W/Arch 3711V |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 3711W/Arch 3711V |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall, Spring & Summer |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Math 1271/Math 1381/Math 1571/ |
Typically offered: | Every Fall, Spring & Summer |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Phys 1101W/Phys 1107 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Phys 1201W/1301W/1401V/1501V |
Typically offered: | Every Fall, Spring & Summer |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 4421/Arch 5421 |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Periodic Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 4424/Arch 5424 |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 4425/Arch 5425 |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 4432/Arch 5432 |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Fall Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 4434/Arch 5434 |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Fall Even Year |
Credits: | 1.0 -4.0 [max 24.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 4431/Arch 4431W/Arch 5431 |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 3411W/Arch 3411V |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 3411W/Arch 3411V |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 3412V / Arch 3412W |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 3711W/Arch 3711V |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 3711W/Arch 3711V |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 4421/Arch 5421 |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Periodic Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Arch 4431/Arch 4431W/Arch 5431 |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |