School of Architecture
The Study of Architecture has a long and distinguished history at the University of Notre Dame. Courses in architecture were taught at the University as early as 1869. Formal instruction in architecture began in 1898. The Department of Architecture, previously part of the College of Engineering, became the free-standing School of Architecture in 1994. The School offers a five-year program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Architecture, a two-year program leading to the degree of Master of Architectural Design and Urbanism, and two- and three-year programs leading to the degree of Master of Architecture. The professional degree programs (B.Arch. and M.Arch.) are accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board, and the curricula conform to NAAB requirements for the professional degree in architecture.
Accreditation
In the United States, most 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 professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an eight-year, three-year, or two-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 require a preprofessional undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
The University of Notre Dame School of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:
B.Arch. (165 undergraduate credits)
M.Arch. (preprofessional degree + 54 graduate credits)
M.Arch. (non-preprofessional degree + 93 credits)
Next accreditation visit for all programs: 2032
Research
School of Architecture faculty are actively engaged in research, practice, and creative work. Key research priorities include Urban and Placemaking; Climate Resilience, Environmental Justice, and Health; Time-tested and Emerging Technologies; and Architecture, Design and Preservation
Additionally, the School is home to the following faculty-led research labs, many of which provide research assistant opportunities to students: Digital Historical Architectural Research and Material Analysis Lab (DHARMA); Built Environment Decarbonization Analysis Lab (BEDA) and Historic Urban Environments Lab (HUE-ND). For the most up-to-date research news, visit the School of Architecture’s website at architecture.nd.edu.
Facilities
From its first quarters on the uppermost floor of the Main Building, Architecture has progressed to ever more sophisticated facilities. From 1964 to 2018 it was housed in the former Lemonier Library, extensively renovated in 1994 as Bond Hall of Architecture. In January of 2019 the School inaugurated Walsh Family Hall of Architecture. Located next to the Marie DeBartolo Center for the Performing Arts near O’Neill Hall of Music, the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, and an anticipated facility for Art, Art History and Design, Walsh Family Hall is part of the developing “Arts District.” It is a 100,000 square foot facility featuring classrooms, studios, an auditorium, library, digital design lab, and furniture workshop, in addition to a Hall of Casts and public plaza. In Rome, Architecture began with modest basement studio space but soon moved to a building in Renaissance Rome. In 2014, having outgrown that space, the program was moved to a facility one street from the Colosseum, as part of the newly established Rome Global Gateway which includes Architecture and other scholarly disciplines in Rome.
The Michael Christopher Duda Center for Historic Preservation, Resilience, and Sustainability
The Michael Christopher Duda Center for Historic Preservation, Resilience, and Sustainability provides resources in support of the graduate degree program for the Master of Science in Historic Preservation, as well as for a vibrant research and outreach program, including support for individual scholarship, student studio travel for projects based beyond campus and the Rome Global Gateway, charrettes, exhibitions, conferences, and publications. The Center will also house interdisciplinary efforts that engage scholars and practitioners elsewhere in the University and in the wider academic and professional community. In this way, the Center further infuses the Architecture program with the principles of sustainability and resilience which are key to Notre Dame’s mission to be a force for good in the world.
Richard H. Driehaus Prize in Classical Architecture
Richard H. Driehaus, the founder and chairman of Driehaus Capital Management in Chicago, initiated the Richard H. Driehaus Prize in Classical Architecture to honor a major contributor in the field of traditional and classical architecture or historic preservation. In 2004, he initiated the Henry Hope Reed prize to recognize outstanding contributions to the welfare of the traditional city and its architecture. The prizes were established through the University of Notre Dame’s School of Architecture because of its reputation as a national leader in incorporating the ideals of traditional and classical architecture into the task of modern urban development.
Student Awards and Prizes
AIA Medal for Academic Excellence. This American Institute of Architecture (AIA) award honors the graduating Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture student who has the highest grade-point average for the complete course of study.
Alice Wesoloski Scholarship. For her decades of service to the School of Architecture, this award was established in honor of Ms. Wesoloski. Selected by the faculty and the Office of Financial Aid to provide tuition assistance to a student of particular ability, character and need.
Alliance Architects Scholarship. Selected by the faculty, the Alliance Architects Scholarship is awarded to a student who has shown a personal or professional interest in serving or otherwise supporting underrepresented minority communities, as evidenced by active membership in either the University’s chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS-ND), in which all students are eligible to participate regardless of race or ethnicity, or the University’s Student Association for Women in Architecture (SAWA-ND), which is open to all students regardless of sex.
Alpha Rho Chi. Selected by faculty, the Alpha Rho Chi Medal goes to the graduating student who has shown exceptional ability for leadership and has performed willing service for the School.
Andrew F. Kervick Award for Design and Drawing. Founded by Prof. Francis W. Kervick, former head of the School of Architecture in memory of his father, this award, selected by the fourth- and fifth-year faculty, honors the student whose work in freehand drawing in the fourth or fifth year has been of the highest merit.
Brian Crumlish Scholarship. Selected by the faculty, the Brian Crumlish Scholarship is awarded to the student who has displayed outstanding academic achievement in Building Technology and Structural Mechanics during the second year of study, and the Building Technology II and Structural Design during the fourth year of study.
David M. Schwarz Architects, Inc. Internship and Traveling Fellowship Award. A ten-week paid internship for a fourth-year student and for a graduate student entering the final year of his or her program with David M. Schwarz Architects, Inc. and a one-month travel fellowship involving independent research and study.
Dean’s Award for Design Excellence in Architecture. Selected by the fifth-year thesis jurors and the dean, this award goes to overall excellence in a fifth-year thesis project.
Dean’s Graduate Award for Design Excellence in Architecture. Selected by the graduate thesis jurors and the dean, this award goes to overall excellence in a graduate thesis project.
Ferguson & Shamamian Graduate Prize. The prize is selected by the jury to recognize superior achievement in classical design for a thesis project and the related investigation of an architectural idea that may serve as an enduring source of architectural inspiration.
Ferguson and Shamamian Undergraduate Prize. The prize is selected by the jury to recognize superior achievement in classical design for a thesis project and the related investigation of an architectural idea that may serve as an enduring source of architectural inspiration.
Frank Montana Rome Scholarship Award. Recipients are selected by the dean, second-year design faculty and the office of financial aid. The Montana scholarships were endowed by Prof. Frank Montana, chair of the Department of Architecture for 25 years and founder of the Rome program. The scholarships are for tuition assistance in connection with the Notre Dame Rome Studies Program.
Gertrude S. Sollitt Prize for Architectural Structure.
Founded in 1931 by Ralph Sollitt and Sons Construction Co., this award, selected by the School’s jury, goes to the student who submits the best work as a solution to a special problem in structure assigned in the scholastic year.
Jane Jacobs Award. Selected by the thesis faculty and the dean, this award is for demonstrated commitment to community and urban planning.
Leon Battista Alberti Award. For the graduate student with the highest grade-point average for the complete course of study in the post-professional degree program.
Liang Ssu-Ch’eng Award. Selected by the fifth-year thesis jurors and the dean, this award recognizes excellence in non-Western architecture.
Lois E. Nichols Prize. Established in 2025, the prize celebrates, promotes, and advances the craft of architectural hand-draftsmanship as foundational to the education of the Architect. It is awarded to a graduating student whose culminating work embodies the highest ideals and skills as exemplified in a singular hand-crafted plate in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts tradition.
Michael and Julie Hanahan Architecture Prize. Selected by the students, this prize recognizes overall excellence in the study of architecture.
Nellie Wynn Kervick Award for Design and Drawing. Founded by Prof. Francis W. Kervick, former head of the School of Architecture in memory of his mother, this award, selected by the Rome Studies studio faculty, honors the student whose work in freehand drawing in the third year of study has been of the highest merit.
Norman A. Crowe Award. Given to a graduating student for their contributions to the idea of sustainability with respect to architecture and urbanism. Selected by the dean and faculty.
Ralph Thomas Sollitt Award. Founded in 1931 by Ralph Sollitt and Sons Construction Co., this award, selected by the fifth-year thesis jury, is given to the student who submits the best design as a solution to the thesis architecture problem.
Rambusch Prize in Religious Architecture. The Rambusch Prize is awarded to a graduating student for the best solution to a problem related to a religious architecture project.
Ray Stuermer Memorial Award for Excellence in Design. Given in memory of former Professor Ray Stuermer, this award, selected by faculty, is given on the basis of design work through the fourth year for overall improvement and design excellence.
Robert Amico Studio Award. Selected by the dean and faculty for design excellence in the fourth or fifth year of study.
Rome, Paris, Athens Prize. Selected by the fifth-year thesis faculty and the dean, this award is for the scope of exploration and the quality of individual buildings that successfully unite architecture and urban design.
Ruiz Award for Excellence in Accessibility Design. Awarded to a rising fifth-year student to recognize their inclusion of accessibility issues in their studio work. Their work is well designed, demonstrates an awareness of ADA, and goes above and beyond the minimum design standard.
Tau Sigma Delta Bronze Medal Winner. The Tau Sigma Delta medal is awarded to a graduating student selected by his or her peers in recognition of design excellence.
The Association of Licensed Architects Graduate Student Merit Award. Selected by the graduate faculty, the ALA Graduate Student Merit Award goes to a graduating student recognized for exemplary achievements throughout the scholastic year.
The Association of Licensed Architects Undergraduate Student Merit Award. Selected by the fifth-year faculty, the ALA Undergraduate Student Merit Award goes to a graduating student recognized for exemplary achievements throughout the scholastic year.
The Noel Blank Design Awards. Founded by Leon W. Blank in memory of his brother, Noel, this high honor goes to the top two thesis projects as selected by the fifth-year thesis jurors.
The St. Joseph Award in Furniture. Selected by the furniture design professor for excellence in furniture design and construction.
Walsh Family Hall Civic Award in Architecture and Urbanism. Given to a graduating student for contribution to a culture of environmental sustainability and civic virtue within the School of Architecture.
Student Organizations
The American Institute of Architecture Students. – Notre Dame Chapter (AIAS-ND). The American Institute for Architecture Students chapter at the University of Notre Dame enlivens the educational and social life of Walsh Family Hall of Architecture. AIAS-ND enhances the educational process by scheduling visits to active construction sites on campus with the cooperation of the University Architect and inviting guest speakers from nearby AIA chapters. In addition to these educational aspects, the club sponsors trips to national and regional events. The goal of AIAS-ND is to spur conversation, curiosity, and passion in this chosen field of study.
The Frank Montana Sketching Club of Notre Dame (FMSCND). The Frank Montana Sketching Club was founded in 2016 to encourage the passion and scholarly collaboration that results from drawing and sketching. Inspired by the travel paintings done abroad by Frank Montana, the Club seeks to instill a love of drawing cultivated not only at school and while in Rome, but throughout one’s life. All students at Notre Dame are welcome, and the School of Architecture will be the general headquarters for the club’s main activities, including: visits to the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, sketching and measuring buildings on campus, lectures, and social events.
The National Organization of Minority Architecture Students – Notre Dame (NOMAS-ND). The National Organization of Minority Architecture Students is an organization established to support and encourage students of different races, genders and sexual orientations. NOMAS-ND provides mentorship as well as interaction with NOMAS clubs at other schools across the country. The goal of the club is to give minority students a sense of community and provide role models to encourage, inspire, and provide them with a sense of belonging in the field of architecture.
Stoa Magazine. Stoa—the student-led, student-designed, and student-edited magazine of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture—serves as a platform for showcasing student experiences, design research, and writing. By bringing the unique Notre Dame student perspective to broad architectural themes, Stoa acts as a catalyst for mindful exposition and theory for contributors and readers alike. Above all, the magazine cultivates a community for intellectual growth by connecting students, alumni, and faculty, as well as fostering a dialogue with the wider academic and architectural world.
Student Association for Women in Architecture – Notre Dame (SAWA-ND). Student Association for Women in Architecture was founded in 2007 by Mollie Code and Danielle Potts through a grant from the Beverly Willis foundation. The club is open to both undergraduates and graduates in the School of Architecture who support the presence of women and promote gender equality in the industry. SAWA meets throughout the academic year with faculty to discuss current topics relating to the field, foster inter-class mentoring relationship between students, and host panel lectures.
Students for Classical Architecture – Notre Dame (SCA-ND). Students for Classical Architecture’s Notre Dame Chapter is a student group focusing on classical architecture in the architectural practice and education of the 21st century. The club’s mission statement is as follows: Architecture has its roots in hundreds of years of tradition. Yet, it is common in today’s architectural academies that the teaching of this tradition be willfully neglected. As students, we want to learn the fundamentals that have arisen from this tradition so that we might incorporate those principles into our own, contemporary, architecture. SCA will promote discussion regarding how best to incorporate architectural fundamentals into a contemporary curriculum. The Students for Classical Architecture will also support local chapters of this organization at all institutions of higher learning. It is our hope that collaboration between these chapters will encourage dialogue between their respective academic programs, fostering a gradual rebirth of tradition in education.
Students for New Urbanism – Notre Dame Chapter (SNU-ND). Students for New Urbanism (SNU-ND) provides education on the New Urbanist planning approach. The chapter also supports New Urbanism initiatives in the local community. The club also supports student participation in city forums related to downtown revitalization projects including the St. Joseph County Public Library renovation and the South Bend Riverfront redesign. Every year, the club brings planners, architects, and real-estate personnel to give lectures and engage in discussion with the Notre Dame students and faculty to encourage thought and enthusiasm for traditional city-planning.
Tau Sigma Delta. In 1961 the Sigma Chapter of Tau Sigma Delta, the national architectural honor society, was established at Notre Dame. The constitution of Tau Sigma Delta stresses as its sole function the encouragement of high scholastic standing. Election to membership is limited to the top 20 percent of the students in the School of Architecture who have completed 60 percent of their requirements for the professional degree.
Advisory Council
Ricardo Alvarez-Diaz
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Ronald B. Blitch
New Orleans, Louisiana
Michael D. Chesser
Camarillo, California
Robert S. Davis
Seaside, Florida
Fritz L. Duda
Dallas, Texas
Gabriel Jacobs
Chicago, Illinois
Holly L. Mizelle Johnson
Atlanta, Georgia
Martin G. Knott
Easton, Maryland
Theresa Smith Korth
Westfield, New Jersey
David P. Manfredi
Boston, Massachusetts
Kevin J. Mulhall
Glenview, Illinois
Timothy I. Panzica
Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Mark Pulte
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Michael G. Ryan
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Maria Fernanda Sánchez
Ciudad De Guatemala, Guatemala
A. James Tinson
Bronxville, New York
John Francis Torti
Washington, D.C.
Robert E. Turner
Berwyn, Pennsylvania
Matthew M. Walsh, Sr.
Burr Ridge, Illinois
Dave Weaver
Chicago, Illinois
Sharon L. Yehnert