Program Requirements
The Bachelor of Arts in Architecture prepares students for subsequent professional education by providing a sound general education, focused design studies, complementary support courses, and the requirement to study in an off campus location. The School of Architecture emphasizes the relationship of buildings to the rest of the environment: built, natural, and cultural. The curriculum includes seven semesters of studio in addition to complementary courses in architectural history and theory and building technology. The first three studios are collaborative, taught by faculty in Architecture and Communication. The Bachelor of Arts also includes requirements for a minor and modern language.
In the first two years of the program, students learn to apply the thinking and communications skills needed to pursue higher-level work in the discipline. The curriculum in the first two years also allows students to complete most of the University’s general education requirements. In the junior year, students must select an off-campus, location-specific studio and co-required coursework in order to fulfill their off-campus study requirement. The final studio focuses on reflection and synthesis.
Accreditation and Registration
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 pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
Clemson University, College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, School of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:
M.Arch. (pre-professional degree + 60 graduate credits)
M.Arch. (pre-professional degree + 61 credits) Architecture + Health
M.Arch. (non-pre-professional degree + 90 credits)
M.Arch (non-pre-professional degree + 91 credits) Architecture + Health
The next accreditation visit for all programs will be in 2017.
Total Semester Hours: 122
1 Three semesters (through 2020) in the same modern language are required. See Modern Languages Requirement at Clemson University statement.
2 See General Education Requirements . Three of these credit hours must also satisfy the Cross-Cultural Awareness Requirement.
3 See advisor.
4 ARCH 4030 , ARCH 4040 , ARCH 4050 , ARCH 4120 , or ARCH 4710
5 ARCH 2710 , ARCH 4140 , ARCH 4160 , ARCH 4210 , ARCH 4770 , CSM 2020 , CSM 2030 , CSM 2050 , CSM 3040 or CSM 3050
6 ARCH 3510 , ARCH 3520 , ARCH 3530 , ARCH 3540 or ARCH 3550
