Bachelor of Arts in Architecture
The BA in Architecture is a pre-professional degree that prepares students to enter a two-year professional Master of Architecture program, such as the program that Miami University offers.
The undergraduate major in architecture at Miami University is a rigorous four-year pre-professional program leading to the degree Bachelor of Arts in Architecture. The four-year Bachelor of Arts in Architecture degree is followed by the two-year professional Master of Architecture degree, which is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). The professional M.Arch degree, in combination with a specified period of internship in an architectural firm, prepares students to sit for the state licensing examination and become practicing architects.
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate critical thinking skills (communication, design thinking, visual communication, technical documentation, investigative, fundamental design, use of precedents, ordering systems, historical traditions and global cultural, cultural diversity, applied research);
- Demonstrate integrated building practices, technical skills and knowledge (pre-design, accessibility, sustainability, site design, life safety, comprehensive design, financial considerations, environmental systems, structural systems, service systems, materials and assembles);
- Demonstrate leadership and practice (collaboration, human behavior, client role in architecture, project management, practice management, leadership, legal responsibilities, ethics and professional judgment, community and social responsibility).
4-Year Curriculum Plan
| Fall Semester (14 credit hours) |
Spring Semester (16 credit hours) |
|---|---|
| ARC 101 Studio I (5) | ARC 102 Studio II (5) |
| ARC 113 Graphic Media I (2) | ARC 114 Graphics II (2) |
| ARC 103 Shop Methods and Materials (1) | MP Foundation Bio./Phy. Sci. with Lab (3) |
| MP Foundation English Comp. (3) | MP Foundation Social Science (3) |
| MP Foundation Bio./Phy. Science (3) | MP Intercultural Perspectives (3) |
| UNV 101 University Studies |
| Fall Semester (16 credit hours) |
Spring Semester (16 credit hours) |
|---|---|
| ARC 201 Studio III (5) | ARC 202 Studio IV (5) |
| ARC 213 Graphic Media III (2) | ARC 214 Graphic Media IV (2) |
| ARC 212 Env. Systems I (3) | ARC 211 Landscape/Urban Design (3) |
| ARC 221 Arch. History I (3) | ARC 222 Arch. History II (credit for MP Fdtn IIa Creative Arts) (3) |
| MP (Fdtn III Global Perspectives)1 (3) | MP (Thematic Sequence #1) (3) |
| Fall Semester (18 credit hours) |
Spring Semester (15 credit hours) |
|---|---|
| ARC 301 Studio V2 (6) | ARC 302 Studio VI (6) |
| Architectural Elective (History/Theory)3 (3) | Architectural Elective (History/Theory) (3) |
| Architectural Elective (Building Technology)4 (3) | Architectural Elective (Building Technology) (3) |
| MP (Thematic Sequence #2) (3) | MP Foundation Global Perspectives (3) |
| MP Advanced Writing (3) |
| Fall Semester (14 credit hours) |
Spring Semester (15 credit hours) |
|---|---|
| ARC 401 Studio VII (6) | ARC 402 Studio VIII (MP Capstone (6) |
| Architectural Elective (Building Technology)(3) | Architectural Elective (History/Theory) (3) |
| Architectural Elective (Comm. Process) (2) | Architectural Elective (Building Technology) (3) |
| MP (Thematic Sequence #3) (3) | General Elective (3) |
Total number of 124 credit hours required for graduation.
NOTES
1 Fdtn III Global Perspectives may alternatively be fulfilled with six hours of credit from any Miami-approved Study Abroad program. International students may complete Fdtn III through six hours of Global Miami Plan coursework.
2 Studios I-IV must be taken in the semester and sequence shown. Studios V-VIII are upper-level elective studios. The upper-division studio sequence may be accelerated by taking a maximum of one pre-approved 6-credit-hour summer studio taken after completion of ARC 202. All 400-level upper-level studios are offered as Miami Plan Capstones.
3 Required upper-level Architectural Electives must be met by a minimum of:
(A suggested sequence of Arch. Elective courses are shown in parentheses; courses and sequence to be discussed with an academic advisor.)
9 credit hours in History/Theory
12 credit hours in Building Technology and Practice
2 credit hours in Communication Process
4 The following Building Technology Elective courses are recommended for students intending to pursue a Master of Architecture:
ARC 410 Statics and Strength of Materials
ARC 417 Architectural Materials
ARC 418 Construction Methods
After Graduation
Approximately 80% of our graduating seniors go on to an M.Arch program at Miami or elsewhere. Miami undergraduates pursue architecture graduate studies at such institutions as Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Yale, Rice, Washington University, the University of Michigan, Georgia Tech, the University of Virginia, Syracuse, Cornell, the University of Texas, and the University of California at Berkeley. Other graduates have pursued advanced education in landscape architecture, urban design, interior design, graphic design, film making, theatre and stage design, the history of art and architecture, political science, business, and law.
