arch.design.umn.eduAbout Architecture | College of Design

Go to the U of M home page One Stop MyU Search FOR: Prospective Students Parents & Families Job Seekers Alumni Academics Programs Apparel Design Architecture Graphic Design Human Factors & Ergonomics Interior Design Landscape Architecture Product Design Retail Merchandising Explore All Programs Explore All Minors Explore All Certificates Admissions Apply Now Undergraduate Application Graduate Application Freshman Admissions Graduate Admissions Transfer Admissions International Admissions Costs & Financing Undergraduate Costs Graduate Costs About College Leadership College Directory About the College Design Justice Kusske Design Initiative News & Events Employment Contact Us Research Research, Creative Scholarship & Engagement College of Design Research Research Projects Gallery Research Resources Research News Centers Center for Retail Design & Innovation Center for Sustainable Building Research Digital Design Center Minnesota Design Center Wearable Product Design Center Labs Geosocial Visualization Lab Human Dimensioning Lab Wearable Technology Lab Libraries & Collections Architecture & Landscape Architecture Library Eicher Dress and Fashion Library Goldstein Museum of Design Collection University Libraries & Archives The Goldstein Museum of Design Students Undergraduate General Resources Advising Career Planning College of Design Dean’s List Forms, Policies & Procedures Four-Year Plans Funding Your Education Required Internships Research & Creative Scholarship Learning Abroad Graduate Funding Your Education Research Resources Architecture Resources Design Graduate Program Resources Human Factors & Ergonomics Resources Landscape Architecture Resources International Facilities & Maker Spaces Computer Labs & Printing Fabrication Shops Imaging Lab Letterpress Lab & Surface Design Studio Travelers Innovation Lab Commencement Groups & Organizations About Architecture Breadcrumb Academics Programs Architecture Quick Links News Events Faculty & Staff Graduate Information Sessions Current Undergraduate Resources Current Graduate Resources The University of Minnesota School of Architecture values curious , independent , and adaptable thinkers —who will engage with the diverse aspects of architectural practice while challenging its boundaries. To prepare our students to be leaders in a rapidly changing world, our education extends from the mastery of the core discipline to advancing knowledge in emerging areas of practice. Our professional and pre-professional studio-based programs in architecture are invested in design excellence grounded in research, critical thinking, and social engagement. Undergraduate Degrees Graduate Degrees Student Work Faculty Research Undergraduate Degrees Whether you are in our Bachelor of Design in Architecture (BDA) or our Bachelor of Science (BS) program, you will gain insights into the forces that shape the places where we work, live, and play. Working with students across disciplines, you will explore the art of design, and build knowledge of professional practice, drawing and visualization, and digital modeling and fabrication techniques. While you develop technical and critical skills in architecture, you will study its history and theories and the ideas, values, and relationships that have shaped and continue to define the profession. Degree Options Bachelor of Science in Architecture Bachelor of Design in Architecture Related Minors Architecture Undergraduate Minor Lighting Design Undergraduate Minor Graduate Degrees In addition to our professionally accredited Master of Architecture program and our Master of Heritage Studies and Public History program, we offer three Master of Science degree tracks (Sustainable Design, Research Practices, and Metropolitan Design) and one Ph.D track. Our graduate students become part of a collaborative community of highly regarded architecture faculty, professional guest critics, and visiting faculty, who collectively advance individual student learning while encouraging our graduates to discover their own path and pursue their passions. Degree Options Master of Architecture Master of Heritage Studies & Public History Master of Science in Architecture Metropolitan Design Track Master of Science in Architecture Applied Research in Practice Track Master of Science in Architecture Sustainable Design Track Design PhD: Architecture Related Minors & Certificates Heritage Studies & Public History Graduate Minor Lighting Design Graduate Minor Metropolitan Design Graduate Certificate Student Work Our graduates become practicing architects but also find careers in government, academia, public service, business, urban design, historic preservation, interior architecture, furniture design, digital design, public art, building fabrication, and the construction industry. In professional practice, they become designers, project managers, firm leaders, and research specialists. Graduate and Undergraduate Student Work Faculty Research Our distinguished faculty includes experts in a range of interrelated architectural fields: design; urban and rural design; building technology; design/build; sustainable building design; resilient and regenerative infrastructures; housing; heritage studies and public history; critical practice and representation; history, theory, and criticism; and research embedded in practice. Recent Faculty Presentations Faculty Work Biophilic Net-Positive Design Design for Youth Related Labs and Centers Center for Sustainable Building Research Center for World Heritage Studies Digital Design Center Minnesota Design Center MS-RP Research Consortium Architecture in the Twin Cities Ingenuity and industry connections Located just across the Mississippi River from downtown Minneapolis, the School of Architecture is in the heart of a dynamic metropolitan area of 3.5 million people with an internationally regarded arts and design community. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul have a long history of supporting innovative architecture, evident in numerous architectural landmarks and public spaces designed by significant international architects, including Steven Holl (designer of our facilities in Rapson Hall), Marcel Breuer, Jean Nouvel, Maya Lin, Eero and Eliel Saarinen, Jacques Herzog/Pierre de Meuron, Frank Gehry, and internationally renowned regional architects including Cass Gilbert, Ralph Rapson, Clarence W. Cap” Wigington, Elizabeth Scheu Lisl” Close and Winston Close, and Frank Lloyd Wright. We are an integral part of one of the largest and most active design communities in the country with more than 250 firms working locally and internationally. Our reciprocity with local practitioners who mentor, teach, and frequently hire our students dates back to Ralph Rapson, who led the architecture department (then part of the Institute of Technology) for 30 years. The Twin Cities is home to a vibrant design culture that produces some of the most ground-breaking, thoughtful, as well as nationally and internationally recognized architecture projects across the country. With a thriving professional network that extends over a wide range of allied design disciplines, the school benefits from its place in an architecture community that values and supports progressive design. Meet Our Faculty and Staff Our faculty have a wealth of experience in both traditional and boundary-pushing architectural practice. Faculty and Staff Architecture Student Organizations American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS) Women in Architecture Student Organization (WIASO) Architecture Professional Organizations American Institute of Architects (AIA) American Institute of Architects – Minnesota (AIA-MN) Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA) Association for Women in Architecture (AWA) National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) National Organization of...