Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies
Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies
In addition to the professional degree in Architecture (M. Arch), the KU Department of Architecture also offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architectural Studies (B.A. in Arch Studies). The B.A. in Arch Studies degree is offered only to students accepted to the Master of Architecture Track I (5-year) program. The degree is awarded to the architecture students upon completion of the first four years of KU CORE courses and professional courses in the Architecture program. To be eligible for the B.A. in Arch Studies degree, the students must attain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 and 136 credit hours of enrollment. The B.A. in Architectural Studies does not qualify students to take licensure exams or allow students to be recognized as registered architects.
Activity Courses
The School of Architecture and Design does not accept physical education activity courses to fulfill graduation requirements.
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Architectural Studies (B.A. in Arch Studies) doesn’t directly admit students to the program. Prospective students should apply to the Master of Architecture Track I (5-year) program.
Bachelor of Arts in Architecture Degree Requirements
The Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies degree is offered only to students accepted to the Master of Architecture Track I (5-year) program. The degree is awarded to the architecture students upon completion of the first four years of KU CORE courses and professional courses as prescribed in the B.A. in Architectural Studies degree plan. To be eligible for the B.A. in Arch Studies degree, the students must attain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 and 136 credit hours of enrollment.
Credit hours in the 4-year Bachelor of Arts in Architecture curriculum are distributed as follows:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Design/Synthesis (51 hours) | ||
| ARCH 108 | Architectural Foundations I | 6 |
| ARCH 109 | Architectural Foundations II | 6 |
| ARCH 208 | Form and Function | 6 |
| ARCH 209 | Sustainability, Site, and Context | 6 |
| ARCH 508 | Material and Tectonics | 6 |
| ARCH 509 | Designbuild | 6 |
| ARCH 608 | Urban Dwelling | 6 |
| Capstone Course | ||
| ARCH 609 | Integrated Design | 9 |
| Architecture Support Courses (51 hours) | ||
| ARCH 103 | Introduction to Architecture | 3 |
| ARCH 110 | Introduction to Computing | 3 |
| ARCH 510 | Architectural Detailing | 3 |
| ARCH 541 | Global History of Architecture II: From Industrial Revolution to Present (1700 CE-Present) | 3 |
| ARCH 524 | Structures I | 3 |
| ARCH 624 | Structures II | 3 |
| ARCH 530 | Environmental Systems I | 3 |
| ARCH 531 | Environmental Systems II | 3 |
| ARCH 552 | Ethics and Leadership in Professional Practice | 3 |
| ARCH 558 | Programming and Pre-Design Issues | 3 |
| ARCH 605 | Visualizing Site and Natural Environmental Systems | 3 |
| ARCH 626 | Building Technology I: Construction Systems and Assemblies | 3 |
| ARCH 627 | Building Technology II: Culture of Building Technology | 3 |
| ARCH 620 | Theory of Urban Design | 3 |
| ARCH 630 | Theory of Architecture | 3 |
| Architecture and Professional Electives | 6 | |
| General Education Courses (ARCH Core Requirement) | ||
| ARCH 340 | Global History of Architecture I: Origins to Industrial Revolution (3500 BCE-1700 CE) | 3 |
| PHSX 114 | College Physics I | 4 |
| General Education Courses (KU Required Core Courses) | 27 | |
| Total Hours | 136 | |
Prescribed Curriculum
B. A. in Architectural Studies
A minimum of 136 hours is required for students admitted to the Department of Architecture M. Arch Track I program to be eligible for the B.A. in Architectural Studies degree.
Students are in Undergraduate Status for enrollment in the first 4 years and begin Graduate Status enrollment in the M.Arch Track I (5-year) program.
Students must follow the degree curriculum stated in the B.A. in Architectural Studies and M. Arch Track I program degree plan. Substitutions in the prescribed curriculum may be made only by petition to the department.
| Year 1 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| ARCH 108 | 6 | ARCH 109 | 6 | ||
| ARCH 103 | 3 | ARCH 110 | 3 | ||
| ENGL 101 (Core 34: English (SGE) )010** | 3 | PHSX 114 (Core 34: Natural and Physical Sciences (SGE))040*** | 4 | ||
| MATH 101, 104, 115, 125, or 145 (Core 34: Math and Statistics (SGE))030 | 3 | ENGL 102 (Core 34: English (SGE))010** | 3 | ||
| Core 34: Social and Behavior Science (SGE)050 | 3 | ||||
| 15 | 19 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| ARCH 208 | 6 | ARCH 209 | 6 | ||
| ARCH 605 | 3 | ARCH 620 | 3 | ||
| ARCH 524 (Prerequisite PHSX 114) | 3 | ARCH 624 (Prerequisite ARCH 524) | 3 | ||
| ARCH 340 (Core 34: Arts and Humanities (SGE))060*** | 3 | ARCH 541 | 3 | ||
| Core 34: Communications (SGE)020 | 3 | ||||
| 15 | 18 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||
| ARCH 508 or 509 | 6 | ARCH 509 or 508 | 6 | ||
| ARCH 630 | 3 | ARCH 510 (Arch 510 must be taken with Arch 509) | 3 | ||
| ARCH 530 | 3 | ARCH 531 | 3 | ||
| ARCH 626 | 3 | ARCH 627 | 3 | ||
| Core 34: Arts and Humanities (SGE)060 | 3 | Core 34: Social and Behavior Science (SGE)050 | 3 | ||
| 18 | 18 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer | Hours |
| ARCH 608 | 6 | ARCH 609 (Capstone Course) | 9 | B.A. Architecture Studies Degree Conferred. Graduate Status student enrollment Final Year | |
| ARCH 552 | 3 | Architecture Elective (Up to six credits of Graduate Level Architecture electives (600+) can be taken during the Spring semester of 4th year to count towards Graduate Credits.) | 3 | ||
| ARCH 558 | 3 | Architecture Elective (Up to six credits of Graduate Level Architecture electives (600+) can be taken during the Spring semester of 4th year to count towards Graduate Credits.) | 3 | ||
| Core 34: US Culture (SGE)070 | 3 | ||||
| Core 34: Global Culture (SGE)070 | 3 | ||||
| 18 | 15 | 0 | |||
| Total Hours 136 | |||||
NOTE: Students admitted to the Master of Architecture degree prior to 2023 will follow the curriculum in place at the time of their admission (see the KU Archived Academic Catalogs).
- Limit of 75 transfer credits used from Community Colleges.
- HSES Activity courses do not count for this degree plan.
- Studios are strictly sequenced and should be taken in the listed semester. Only 509 and 510 can be taken at either Fall or Spring of the third year. KU Core Goal courses outside Architecture and Undergraduate level ARCH Elective can be taken out of sequence. Consult an advisor prior to enrollment each semester to ensure proper course sequencing and fulfillment of requirements.
- Study Abroad is a required component of the M.Arch Degree. Students can study abroad as soon as the Winter Break of their second year. Consult your major's check sheet and your advisor if considering internships, study abroad, etc.
- Students should plan to complete all KU Core courses by the summer after 4th-year.
- The Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies may be awarded to students who fulfill the requirements of all 136 credits of the first four years' courses as outlined in the degree plan, meet all KU Core course requirement, and apply after completing the Spring semester of Year 4.
Notes:
* - This course is a Required major course and is also part of Core 34: Systemwide General Education. If this course is not taken to fulfill the Core 34:SGE requirement, it must be taken in place of elective hours.
** - This course is a Recommended Core 34: Systemwide General Education course. This specific course is not required but is recommended by the program’s faculty.
*** - This course is a Required Core 34: Systemwide General Education course. This program is approved by the Kansas Board of Regents to require this specific Core 34:Systemwide General Education course. If a student did not take this course it must be taken in addition to other degree requirements.