School of Architecture, University of Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame School of Architecture Undergraduate Programs

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Welcome to Walsh Family Hall The School of Architecture presents a unique opportunity for socially conscious, civic-minded individuals who do not want to compromise their values or individuality. Undergraduate students immerse themselves in the fundamental principles of architecture and how they apply in the modern world. That means learning more than the basics of design and construction. Our curriculum is dedicated to addressing the defining challenges of our time – e nvironmental, health, social and economic.

Students spend their entire third year in Rome, exploring traditional European urbanism and how classical architecture helps facilitate a humane setting for a community. However, the cultural connections don’t end in Italy; issues of regionalism and cross-cultural values are further explored by means of projects that involve contrasting topographic, cultural and ethnic settings.

Our graduates are in demand for their ability to not only design enduring buildings, but for their consideration of the entire built environment to create sustainable communities for future generations.

Come experience the Notre Dame School of Architecture by visiting Walsh Family Hall and meet the faculty and students designing the communities of tomorrow.

First Year: Establishing the Foundation

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First-year architecture students often begin the year with no drawing experience at all, but by the end of the second semester they are able to visually articulate complex concepts and effectively use watercolors.

In addition to two introductory graphics courses, students adopt the vocabulary of architecture and learn key principles they will carry throughout their careers, such as spatial aware ness, material strength and the connection between theory and craft.

Second Year: Building a Bridge

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As sophomores, the focus is on “how we build,” where ideas of permanence, sustainability, longterm utility, physical accessibility, beauty and legibility are given high priorities. These criteria are examined from environmental, health, social and economic perspectives. Students also focus on the tension between the continuity through and circumstance of time and place.

The concept of the typological spectrum that contains the urban, building, and structural elements of the city and its architecture is at the heart of the design studio’s philosophical direction.

The relationship of nature to human endeavors and habitat is examined through environmental concerns, as well as nature’s role in providing common reference points for architectural expression through time and place.

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Third Year: Pack Your Bags for Rome Undergraduate students in the School of Architecture spend their entire third year in Rome. By exploring classic European cities, students learn how architecture can facilitate a humane setting for a community. They live within the cultural framework of an urban center that exemplifies one standard of human existence in pursuit of a higher standard of living. Students authentically experience the complementary relationship between culture and the built environment.

The layering of millennia within one city provides the best evidence possible of the relationship of things enduring with things circumstantial. The students explore the interconnected network of streets, squares and blocks, and study how this network allows the citizens of Rome to use the fabric of the city in their everyday lives.

With courses ranging from drawing classes to design studios, watercolor to architectural history and theory, the program’s emphasis is on urbanism and the traditional city; an in-depth analysis and exploration of classical architecture and contemporary design inspired by it, following the precedents of Vitruvius, Palladio, Borromini and Bernini.

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Fourth Year: The Return Returning to the home campus, fourth-year students learn about the American city and its architecture. That process begins with “Between Two Capitols,� a studio travel experience led by fourth-year professors that takes the class through historic Virginia, Washington, DC and Philadelphia. Emphasis in the fourth year is initially on regional characteristics of traditional architecture in the United States and exemplary American urban contexts.

Issues of regionalism and cross-cultural values are examined by means of projects that involve contrasting topographic, cultural, and ethnic settings. Projects in Mumbai, Kyoto, Isfahan and other sites around the world are explored along with the importance of cross-cultural understanding.

Students gain further immersion into the core of the technical coursework, integrating structures, environmental systems and computer-aided design into the development process. Also, fourth-year students are invited to choose a concentration in Furniture Design, Preservation and Restoration or Architectural Practice and Enterprise.

Fifth Year: Bringing it All Together (The Culmination)

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In their final year, students explore the perceived paradox between the natural and technological worlds. In the fall semester, students are invited to choose from diverse studio options, often including domestic or international travel.

In their final semester, students develop and carry out a self-designed thesis project. With the assistance of a studio professor, students craft their designs and address challenges facing the built environment.

Many projects are counter-proposals to existing sites, while others are entirely new construction.

Fifth-year students take a course on professional practice to further prepare for careers post-graduation and the pursuit of licensure. Students are encouraged to take part in the annual Career and Internship Fair that attracts firms from all across the country.

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.

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 + 90 credits) Next accreditation visit for all programs: 2024

More information on the School of Architecture, including examples of student work, is available at our website: architecture.nd.edu