About the program
Students in the Bachelor of Design in Architecture (BDA) major learn how to critically approach a broad range of conditions through the lens of architecture by working in ways and through projects not necessarily tied to the traditional building scale or building systems. The BDA is a flexible, self-directed degree for students keenly interested in architecture, design, design experimentation, making, and creative arts, and whose interests link architecture with other design disciplines or push the boundaries of architectural practice.
Workshop-based learning
Architecture education in the BDA degree program revolves around an exciting and wide range of self-selected design workshops that change from year-to-year. Collectively, these seven-week workshops expose you to the processes, conditions, and principles of architectural design as it relates to both emerging and traditional practices. You’ll immerse yourself in the design process through projects that link architecture with explorations in visual media (such as film, photography, virtual reality); ethical, social, and cultural concerns (preservation, disaster relief, neighborhood needs); building concerns (daylight, facade, material, modeling studies); and/or allied disciplines (set design, landscape architecture, and urban studies). As a BDA student, you further customize your learning by choosing multiple elective courses in architecture, as well as electives outside the College of Design.
Studying abroad enriches your learning by exposing you to diverse cultures and built environments. Architecture students can customize a learning abroad experience anywhere in the world, or study globally with courses we’ve helped to shape or have pre-approved, such as in Denmark, Italy, and New Zealand. In addition to semester-long options, architecture faculty propose shorter, three-week offerings at the beginning of each summer.
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The centralized online application will guide you through the necessary materials and steps.