Bachelor of Architecture

The B.Arch is a 5-year, first professional degree program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). This program is for students that are set upon pursuing a career as a licensed architect, and centers around a carefully structured set of professional and technical courses on building design and construction. The B.Arch program is STEM-eligible, meaning that a student on an F1 visa may apply for a 24-month STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension following graduation.

Undergraduate students are admitted to the School of Architecture without a declared degree program. By the end of the second year, students must select either the B.Arch or the Bachelor of Arts in Architecture (B.A.) degree program. The student’s first-year advisor, faculty mentors, and head provide mentoring and information to guide the student in selecting their degree option.

In the first year, the B.Arch program begins with the same studio-based curriculum as the B.A. but then begins to diverge in terms of opportunities and outcomes. The B.Arch requires 10 studios and a rigorous sequence of technical and professional courses. All students begin with a highly scripted three-year sequence of foundation courses and studios — the fundamental, core architecture education essential for every professional. In the fourth and fifth years, students follow a path forged by their own interests, choosing an Advanced Synthesis Option Studio (ASOS) and electives each semester.

You might specialize: if your heart is in architectural robotics, you could take a robotics-based ASOS four semesters in a row — and university-wide supporting electives to match. Or you could hybridize: our students are building niches for themselves at the crossroads of sustainability and computation, or urban design and building performance — the very combinations that will save the world in the coming years. Or you could take a more traditional route, opting for studios whose work builds in complexity, until you graduate ready to design extensive, complex building systems.

We provide the opportunities, the guidance and the expertise; you provide the passion. 

Curriculum Chart (Class of 2030) (1st year)

Curriculum Chart (Class of 2029) (2nd year)

Curriculum Chart (Class of 2028) (3rd year)

Curriculum Chart (Class of 2027) (4th year)

Curriculum Chart (Class of 2026) (5th year)

Studio is the backbone of our undergraduate education and the epicenter of architecture students’ lives. Our bright, open studio spaces give you both your own place and the opportunity to collaborate with hundreds of students and professors as passionate about design as you are.

Your professor — an award-winning local architect or one of the world’s leading sustainability experts — doesn’t stand at the front of a 200-seat lecture hall; the two of you engage in intense conversation at your desk, sketching and questioning and pushing the boundaries of your project. You and your small cohort of 5 to 12 students develop collaborative friendships, and your work absorbs the creativity and energy of the studio environment. Studio life is not limited to the studio space, it extends into the Design Fabrication Lab (dFAB) and the Shop, the campus and the community.

Due to the technical nature of the B.Arch program, it has been assigned a CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code by the Department of Education that is STEM-eligible. This means that in addition to one year of Optional Practical Training (OPT), a student on an F1 visa may apply for a 24-month OPT STEM Extension following graduation. All School of Architecture STEM-designated degree programs are characterized by a rigorous, research-based pedagogy with emphases on computational design, building science, industry and/or practice.

For more information, refer to the Undergraduate Student Handbook.

The application procedure is the same for both of the School of Architecture’s baccalaureate degree programs. Applicants submit the exact same application materials, regardless of whether they intend to enroll in the B.A. or the B.Arch program. Admitted students enter the School of Architecture without a declared degree program.

Contact us for more information, or to schedule a campus visit.

UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS

Carnegie Mellon University's "Costs & Aid" webpage assists undergraduate applicants navigating educational costs and financial aid. Undergraduate student tuition, fees and living expenses are outlined on the university's Office of Enrollment Management's Student Financial Services website. The university estimates that all undergraduate students, including those in the B.Arch program, will incur indirect costs of approximately $1,000 per year for books, course materials, supplies and equipment that are not included in tuition. 

To help reduce student expenses, the School of Architecture subsidizes tools and materials, including free printing on school machines and no cost design software licenses. Additionally, most course readings are provided at no cost, studio faculty encourage the use of recycled and found materials and required studio field trips are partially funded. All course syllabi outline anticipated expenses so that students can plan in advance. 

Specialized materials and expenses that may exceed $1,000 per year include a laptop (bring your own or purchase before arrival, refer to the computing specifications, up to $2,000), optional field trip in the third year (up to $300), material costs for some elective courses (up to $300), and other optional field trips in elective studios. 

The school also has a fund to support students in emergency cases and with costs for their courses and studios; this fund is supported through the generosity of our alumni donors.