Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Architectural Design
- San Francisco, USA
- Online
BA
DURATION
8 semesters
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2027
TUITION FEES
USD 1,463 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* per unit for international students / USD 1,239 per unit for domestic students
Key Summary
About: The Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Design (BA-ARH-D) grounds students in environmental design, architectural and urban history and theory, fundamentals of sustainability, materials, building construction and structures, and advanced design representation tools. You’ll learn architectural design, practice, and critical analysis to examine culture through built spaces. The program emphasizes real-world projects and career-centered skills.
Career Outcomes: Graduates enter architecture and related fields as City and Urban Planner, Construction Manager, Design Consultant, Project Architect, Self-Employed Architect, and Sustainable Design Consultant, working in master planning, construction delivery, preservation, industrial and furniture design, branding and product consulting, firm leadership, or sustainability-driven practice.
Grounded in environmental design, the Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Design (BA-ARH-D) degree provides a strong undergraduate education while allowing the student to experience and gain skills in architectural design, art, architectural, and urban history and theory, fundamentals of sustainability, materials, building construction and structures, as well as advanced design representation tools. To study the world through the architectural lens is an opportunity to examine our culture through the spaces and buildings that we create.
Undergraduate students will meet the following student performance criteria:
Conceptual Thinking and Process
- Communicate architectural concepts verbally and in writing
- Articulate and extend architectural concepts through diagrams
- Develop a rigorous material logic for model-making to test ideas
- Produce diagrams indicating critical analyses of relevant precedent buildings or the built environment recognizing the significance to the discipline of architecture
- Develop a design identity that synthesizes critical thought, architectural intent, and urban design strategies by developing decision-making criteria substantiated by research
Fundamental Design & Drawing and Making
- Develop criteria to generate and evaluate an architectural order and formal language
- Develop architectural proposals sensitive to the site context in scale and use based on research
- Produce architectural drawings with appropriate drawing conventions to convey spatial qualities and design intent
- Convey materiality in design projects based on an understanding of construction material properties
- Construct drawings and models with a high level of craft and attention to detail
Presentation Skills
- Clearly explain and defend design projects in verbal presentations
- Create presentation boards, slides, and/or printed materials that exhibit logical sequencing and a hierarchy of information
- Develop effective visual communication strategies to convey information that build toward an argument
Leadership and Community
- Demonstrate a commitment to community building and social equity through programming and organization of an architectural project
- Demonstrate sensitivity to diverse viewpoints of user groups in the design of a building
- Engage a collaborative process in the development of a design, with a range of design and engineering disciplines
Integrated Design
- Conduct a user & programmatic analysis
- Communicate analyses of the urban and environmental conditions of a site with clear graphic devices
- Integrate sustainable and energy-conscious strategies into the design of a building
- Communicate analyses of environmental performance systems of the design with clear graphic devices
- Develop an energy-conscious strategy for the design of building envelope systems and material selection
- Integrate structural systems into the design of a building
- Produce technical documentation describing the integration of architecture and building systems
- Accommodate accessibility and life safety requirements in the design of a building
Academy of Art University Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the Academy of Art University will demonstrate the ability to:
- Produce a body of work suitable for seeking professional opportunities in their chosen field of art and design.
- Solve creative problems within their field of art and design, including research and synthesis of technical, aesthetic, and conceptual knowledge.
- Communicate their ideas professionally and connect with their intended audience using visual, oral, and written presentation skills relevant to their field.
- Execute technical, aesthetic, and conceptual decisions based on an understanding of art and design principles.
- Evaluate work in their field, including their own work, using professional terminology.
- Recognize the influence of major cultural and aesthetic trends, both historical and contemporary, on art and design products.
- Learn the professional skills and behaviors necessary to compete in the global marketplace for art and design.
Our students enter the profession well prepared, as we educate them to become critical thinkers and visionary designers with skills and experiences to carry them into their architecture careers. We provide them with the knowledge and abilities necessary to investigate their ideas and transform their architectural visions into built reality. We strongly believe in our students’ potential to shape the future of our environment as critical leaders in their fields.
City and Urban Planner
Master planning environmental design decisions at the scale of a neighborhood, district, city, or region, architects can be part of an urban or design team improving urban environments.
Construction Manager
As construction managers, architects contribute their knowledge of building design and coordinate the design delivery of a project from conception to final closeout.
Design Consultant
Graduates from an architectural school are qualified outside of architectural practice, to consult across disciplines; from building envelope design, historical preservation, industrial design, furniture design, color, branding, and business and product consulting, among many other possibilities.
Project Architect
Collaborating on large or complex architectural projects, project designers are crucial members of a design team.
Self-Employed Architect
Operating as sole practitioners, firm principals run small to mid-sized offices sometimes in partnership with other principals. Firm principals are responsible for signing and stamping construction documentation sets and must be licensed in the state in which a project is being built.
Sustainable Design Consultant
Specializing in sustainability-driven design projects, sustainability consultants may be architects or other design professionals.
Unit Requirements
| Humanities | 6 |
|---|---|
| Major | 45 |
| Liberal Arts | 45 |
| Core | 36 |
| Total | 132 |
Degree Requirements
- Minimum 2.0 GPA
- A minimum grade of C- in all core courses, major courses, and the following Liberal Arts courses:
- LA 107 Writing for the Multilingual Artist
or LA 108 Composition for the Artist - LA 219 History of Architecture 1
- LA 249 History of Architecture 2
- LA 255 College Math
- LA 271 College Algebra with Geometry
- LA 292 Programming & Culture
- LA 293 Precalculus
- LA 296 Applied Physics
- LA 319 History of Architecture 3
- LA 429 Architecture Theory
- LA 449 Urban Design Theory
- LA 107 Writing for the Multilingual Artist
- And the following general education requirements:
- 1 Written Communication: Composition
- 1 Written Communication: Academic Writing
- 3 History of Architecture
- 1 Fundamental Math
- 1 Applied Math
- 1 Advanced Math
- 1 Applied Physics
- 1 Cultural Influences & Human Behavior
- 1 Employment Communications & Practices
- 1 Historical Awareness
After the above general education requirements are met, take Liberal Arts electives as needed to fulfill the Liberal Arts unit requirement.
Curriculum
Semester 1
- ARH 110: Studio 1: Conceptual Design Studio (Core)
- ARH 170: Projective Drawing & Perspective (Core)
- LA 101: Freshman Symposium: Artistic Resilience (Liberal Arts)
- LA 148: The Classical and the Contemporary (Humanities)
Semester 2
- ARH 150: Studio 2: Spatial Ordering & Form (Core)
- ARH 180: 2D Digital Visual Media (Core)
- LA 108: Composition for the Artist (Liberal Arts)
Recommended for summer - LA 255: College Math (Liberal Arts)
- LA 271: College Algebra with Geometry (Liberal Arts)
Recommended for summer
Semester 3
- ARH 210: Studio 3: Site Operations & Tectonic Systems (Core)
- ARH 390: 3D Digital Modeling (Core)
- LA 219: Histories of Architecture (Liberal Arts)
- LA 293: Precalculus (Liberal Arts)
Semester 4
- ARH 239: Materials & Methods (Major)
- ARH 240: Site Design & Mapping (Major)
- ARH 255: Studio 4: Assembly Building & Context (Core)
- LA 249: An Artistic and Intellectual History of the Renaissance (Liberal Arts)
- LA 296: Applied Physics (Liberal Arts)
Recommended for summer - LA 485: Tell your Story: Personal Statement, Portfolio, Resume (Liberal Arts)
Recommended for summer
Semester 5
- ARH 315: Studio 5: Advocacy in Design (Major)
- ARH 320: Structures: Wood & Steel (Major)
- LA 292: Programming & Culture (Liberal Arts)
- LA 319: History of Architecture: Modernity (Liberal Arts)
Semester 6
- ARH 230: Color, Perception and Space (Major)
Recommended for summer - ARH 330: Structures: Concrete, Masonry, & Tensile Systems (Major)
- ARH 350: Studio 6: Site Conditions & Building Performance (Major)
- ARH 399: Building Information Modeling (Major)
- LA 123: Design Philosophy: Aesthetics, Logic, and Ethics (Liberal Arts)
Recommended for summer - LA 429: Architecture Theory (Liberal Arts)
Semester 7
- ARH 410: Studio 7: Tectonics and Structure (Core)
- ARH 420: Structures: Systems Investigation (Major)
- ARH 430: Climate & Energy Use: Sustainable Strategies (Major)
Semester 8
- ARH 440: Design Technology: Environmental Controls (Major)
- ARH 450: Studio 8: Housing & Integrated Design (Major)
- COM 208: Dynamic Aerial Imagery (Humanities)
- LA 359: Urban Sociology (Liberal Arts)
Recommended for summer - LA 449: Urban Design Theory (Liberal Arts)
Recommended for summer