Bachelor of Architecture

The School of Architecture offers a five-year, accredited professional program leading to the Bachelor of Architecture degree. The Bachelor of Architecture fulfills the educational requirements for professional registration and offers specialized architectural study through upper-level studios and architecture electives, as well as opportunities for the study of liberal arts through the elective sequence leading to a minor. The school is a member of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, and is fully accredited by the National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB), which asks each school to include the following paragraph on professional degrees in all literature:

In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a 6-year, 3-year, or 2-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.

Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

The School of Architecture’s location in the Miami Metropolitan area provides an outstanding laboratory for research and advanced study – the challenging influences of conservation and development are intense in one of the nation’s fastest growing urban centers. As such, these challenges result in increasing demand for professionals skilled in these areas. Students have the opportunity to work directly with the faculty toward the resolution of issues in theoretical, practical and research contexts. The School of Architecture values and sustains a creative, open and supportive environment, emphasizing personalized instruction through small classes and studio courses.

The first three years in the School of Architecture provide each student with a fundamental core of architectural knowledge. In each semester of the core curriculum, students focus on a particular topic that links the design studio with lecture courses. Elective upper-level studios are designed to afford the maximum diversity of history and theory topics to suit individual development and interest. As part of the graduation requirements and in an effort to ensure that they receive a rounded liberal arts education, all students must complete a selected minor in any field of their choice outside of the School of Architecture.