Architectural Studies Major

The Architectural Studies Program is a liberal arts major. Students who complete the program receive a B.A. with a major in Architectural Studies.

Students in the School of Arts & Sciences are required to complete a 12-credit related area for graduation. The following areas are recommended for Architectural Studies Majors:

Students completing the major may consider the following career options:

In the spring term 2007, the Architectural Studies Program inaugurated a dedicated design studio space in Thaw Hall which now accommodates a two-semester architectural studio sequence for 20 students.
Students in the program can now get intensive instruction from practicing architects in the fundamentals of spatial thinking, graphic representation techniques, and model building.            
                                                                                                      About this image

  This summer, the Architectural Studies   Program will offer two new courses:

  1.   1. HAA 1913: Architectural Studies Seminar -   Historic Preservation Documenation and   Conservation
  2.   2. HAA 1910: Special Topics Architecture -   Window Restoration

  These courses are unparalleled opportunities in   Pittsburgh for site-specific, hands-on   university-level courses in Historic   Preservation taught by highly-trained local   specialists.


  Read more about the courses and this image

In the past five years, graduates from Architectural Studies have gone on to M.Arch. programs at Kent State, MIT, Ohio State, SUNY Buffalo, Syracuse University and the University of Maryland.    

For further information, contact:          
Prof. Drew Armstrong, Director of the Architectural Studies Program
104 Frick Fine Arts Building
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
412-648-2402
amphion@pitt.edu

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS (36 credits)


The Architectural Studies major requires completion of 36 credits distributed in the following three areas:

Core Courses (12 credits)

Studio Arts Courses (12 credits)

These courses should be taken early in the student's curriculum. 
Note: SA 0110 and SA 0130 serve as prerequisites for SA 1430. 

History of Architecture Courses (12 credits)

HAA 0040 Introduction to Western Architecture is mandatory for all students in the Architectural Studies major and should be completed by the end of the sophomore year. An additional 3 courses should be chosen from the following list, two of which must be at the 1000 level.

Some first professional graduate programs in architecture require that students have completed university level courses in calculus and physics. Thus, students intending to go on to complete an M.Arch. degree are urged to familiarize themselves with individual program requirements.

ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES INTERNSHIP

An internship is a requirement for graduation in the architectural studies program. Junior or senior status and a GPA of at least 2.75 are prerequisites. Internships allow architectural studies majors to experience what it looks and feels like to be a professional in one of the various design professions. They help to focus the student's motivation and to make evident why certain subjects need to be learned. They also help students decide whether or not they want to apply to a graduate program in architecture. Click here to read where students have recently interned or are currently interning.

To see a listing of architectural firms in Pittsburgh where students have had internships, please view the Architectural Studies Internship Directory.

To receive academic credit for an internship, students must enroll in HAA 1900 and complete an Internship Agreement Form with their site supervisor.  This form is returned to Drew Armstrong for approval.  A minimum of 120 hours of work must be completed to receive academic credit.  (Students work an average of 10 hours per week in an internship.)  In addition, the student is required to complete a paper that evaluates his or her internship experience (Student Intern Evaluation Form) and turn in examples of any work produced to Drew Armstrong at the end of the internship for evaluation.

All internship students must follow the guidelines set up by the AS program. Click here to download the guideline information sheet.

STUDY ABROAD

A foreign study term in Denmark is available through Denmark's International Study Program in Copenhagen. The term consists of five 3-credit courses selected from a wide variety of subject offerings, including architectural history, urban history, studio arts, architectural design, and traditional liberal arts disciplines. A single fee covers tuition, room, board, in-city transportation, and use of numerous libraries.

Calendar

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About the AS Major

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