Architecture (BAR)
The goals of the Architecture curriculum include developing competence in the design of individual buildings, understanding the relationship between individual buildings and their physical and cultural contexts, and recognizing the ethical dimensions of the professional practice of architecture. Architects play a primary role in shaping the built environment and have a professional responsibility to do so in a manner that contributes to the civil life of society. Their work must also help to renew and sustain the integrity of the natural world and promote social welfare.
In addition to the five-year undergraduate professional degree of Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.), the School of Architecture offers multiple paths of study leading to one of three masters degrees.
The two-year post-professional graduate course of study leads to the Master of Architectural Design and Urbanism (MADU) degree, and is for those who already hold a professional degree in architecture (B.Arch. or M.Arch.).
The two-year professional graduate course of study leads to the Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) degree, and is for those who hold a four-year preprofessional degree (B.S. or B.A. in Architecture).
The three-year professional graduate course of study leads to the Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) degree, and is for those who hold an accredited undergraduate degree in a field other than architecture.
The Master of Science in Historic Preservation (MSHP) program prepares architects to manage the care of historic places. The curriculum prepares students to observe, analyze, and reinforce the identity of historic buildings and sites; understand and correctly apply conservation principles; acquire the necessary technical skills to conserve historic places for the long term; design new construction in harmony with historic places; and address climate change and other challenges emerging from the natural and man-made environment. The MSHP program is open to recent graduates and working professionals with professional or non-professional degrees in architecture.
All of these graduate courses of study entail one or three foundational studio courses, a one-year advanced study of architecture and urban design including one semester in Rome, and conclude with a one-semester thesis project.
All third-year undergraduate students spend the academic year in the School’s Rome Studies Center in Italy. Some limited scholarship aid is available for the additional expenses incurred in Rome.
The initial phase of undergraduate architectural study is devoted to acquiring basic design and technical skills and developing an understanding of architectural concepts by learning canonical forms of classical architecture and applying them to design problems of increasing scale and complexity. This beginning study is reinforced in the third year, spent in Rome, where 2,500 years of building tradition provide the context for contemporary design problems. Fourth-year students return to Notre Dame, where they are reintroduced to the American context. At this stage, students are encouraged to synthesize their interpretations of the historical legacy in the context of American urban centers and small cities. They are also challenged by projects that require them to engage architectural problems outside their Western focus. The undergraduate program culminates with a thesis design project completed in the fifth year.
In addition to studio instruction, students complete course work in structural, mechanical, and environmental systems and architectural history. History and theory courses in the School of Architecture include a two-semester survey of the history of architecture from the earliest times to the present and specialized upper-level course work in selected topics involving the history and theory of architecture.
Students are in contact with practicing professionals through collaboration between the School of Architecture and the Northern Indiana Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The School of Architecture has an active chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students.
Undergraduate Curriculum
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | |
| Writing I: University Seminar * | 3 | |
| Philosophy I: Introductory * | 3 | |
| PHYS 10111 | Principles of Physics I (Liberal Arts I) | 3 |
| Theology I: Foundational * | 3 | |
| ARCH 11011 | Graphics I: Drawing | 3 |
| Moreau First Year Experience | 1 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Writing 2: Writing & Rhetoric * | 3 | |
| PHYS 10222 | Principles of Physics II: the Physics of Civilization (Liberal Arts 2) | 3 |
| MATH 10270 | Mathematics in Architecture: Mathematical Excursions to the World's Great Buildings (Liberal Arts 3) | 3 |
| ARCH 10211 | Introduction to a Global History of Architecture | 3 |
| ARCH 11021 | Graphics II: Drafting | 4 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| ARCH 21111 | Design I | 6 |
| ARCH 20411 | Building Technology I | 3 |
| ARCH 20211 | History of Architecture I | 3 |
| ARCH 21011 | Introduction to Architecture I - The Architect's Eye | 3 |
| Liberal Arts 6 (WKSS or WKLC) * | 3 | |
| Hours | 18 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| ARCH 21121 | Design II | 6 |
| ARCH 20221 | Architectural History II | 3 |
| ARCH 20511 | Principles of Structural Engineering | 3 |
| ARCH 20111 | Introduction to Architecture II - Theory and Composition | 3 |
| Philosophy 2 or Catholicism and the Disciplines * | 3 | |
| Hours | 18 | |
| Third Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| Semester in Rome | ||
| ARCH 34112: Design III | 6 | |
| ARCH 34312: Architectural History III | 3 | |
| ARCH 34012: Graphics III - Freehand Drawing | 3 | |
| Conversational Italian | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Semester in Rome | ||
| ARCH 34122: Design IV | 6 | |
| ARCH 34322: Architectural History IV | 3 | |
| ARCH 34311: Roman Urbanism & Architecture | 3 | |
| ARCH 34022: Graphics IV - Watercolor | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| ARCH 41111 | Design V | 6 |
| ARCH 40511 | Structural Design-for Architect | 3 |
| ARCH 41011 | Graphics V: Computers | 3 |
| ARCH 40411 | Environmental Systems I | 3 |
| Concentration or elective * | 3 | |
| Hours | 18 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| ARCH 41121 | Design VI | 6 |
| ARCH 40521 | Applied Structural Systems | 3 |
| ARCH 40421 | Building Technology II | 3 |
| Concentration or elective * | 3 | |
| Elective * | 3 | |
| Hours | 18 | |
| Fifth Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| ARCH 51111 | Design VII | 6 |
| ARCH 50419 | Environmental Systems II | 3 |
| 2nd Theology: Developmental * | 3 | |
| Concentration or elective * | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| ARCH 51121 | Design VIII Thesis | 6 |
| ARCH 50711 | Professional Practice | 3 |
| Concentration or elective * | 3 | |
| Elective * | 3 | |
| Moreau Senior Capstone | 1 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Total Hours | 166 | |
- *
Courses need not be taken in the semester they are shown.
Courses in Calculus or Physics strengthen preparation for structures courses. Students who enter the University with test credit equivalent to these courses should work with their advisors to identify appropriate coursework in calculus, physics, or environmental issues that will fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning and Science and Technology core requirements.
The four required courses in Architectural History do not count as University core requirement history courses but do fulfill the “Arts & Literature or Language & Culture” requirement.
From the group of History or Social Science or “Integration” course requirements, students must take two of the three, e.g.: An Architecture student with a history minor can count only one History course toward the core, and must take either Social Science or an “Integration” course.
Concentrations in Furniture Design, Historic Preservation, and in Architectural Practice and Enterprise, are options within the undergraduate degree program. Concentrations are declared at the end of the third year.
Required courses for the Concentration in Furniture Design are:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ARCH 41811 | Beginning Furniture | 3 |
| ARCH 41821 | Advanced Furniture | 3 |
| ARCH 57811 | Special Projects in Furniture I | 3 |
| ARCH 57821 | Special Studies in Furniture Design II | 3 |
The Concentration in Historic Preservation requires four courses:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ARCH 51411 | Research and Documentation of Historical Buildings | 3 |
| ARCH 53411 | History of American Architecture 1630-1915 | 3 |
| ARCH 53231 | History and Theory of Preservation | 3 |
| ARCH 53421 | Historic Construction and Preservation | 3 |
Students in the Concentration in Practice and Enterprise take four courses from the Mendoza College of Business:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 20100 | Foundations of Accountancy | 3 |
| MGTO 20100 | Principles of Management | 3 |
| Two other courses chosen from offerings in various aspects of business | 6 | |