Undergraduate Degrees
Bachelor of Science, Architectural Studies
The Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies program begins
intensively with architectural studies in the first two years and provides
a mix of architectural and general university studies throughout the
program. The curriculum includes a core program in the first two years
identical to the Bachelor of Architecture professional degree program. The
last two years provide the opportunity to explore many aspects of
architecture and related fields and to develop individual strengths and
interests. Students take an introductory course in specialization in the
second year, which provides an introduction to related fields and
alternative degree options. Students can elect to move into the four-year
non-professional B.S. in Architectural Studies program with a degree plan
identifying electives fulfilling an area of concentration. The program is
concluded with a seminar with all degree candidates, allowing for
collaborative work on areas of common interest.
Admission as a First Year Student
All applicants to the School of Architecture must complete the university
application and submit it to the USC Office of Admission along with
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or other test scores. All applicants,
including international students, must submit a portfolio.
Admission with Advanced Placement
It is possible, in selected instances, that a transfer student from an
accredited community college or other university may be eligible for
advanced placement at the second-year level if previous work includes a
minimum of 32 semester units of acceptable academic credit in a
pre-architecture program. The academic credit must include 8 semester
units in architectural design or environmental design. Students accepted
for advanced placement must still comply with all requirements for the
degree.
Advanced placement applicants are required to submit a design portfolio
to the School of Architecture.
Summer Transfer Studio
A summer design studio allows highly qualified students transferring from
community college or other university programs to be evaluated for
advanced placement in the fall semester. Applicants must submit a
university application and portfolio by February 1 for consideration.
During the summer studio, transfer students must demonstrate significant
design and drawing skill to justify advanced placement. Transfer students
who are admitted with fewer than 32 units of college level work and who
have only limited drawing or design skills may be considered for placement
in the first year of the four-year program. Previous academic work may in
part be applied toward required and elective courses for the four-year
B.S. in Architectural Studies program. For more information about this
program, contact the school at (213) 740-2420.
Advisement
The School of Architecture maintains student advisors for the benefit of
all students in the school. Soon after being accepted, new students are
advised to make an appointment for pre-registration advisement. A complete
record is kept of the progress for each student while in attendance.
Appointments with an advisor may be scheduled at any time during the
academic year.
Design Studio Grade Point Average Requirement
Less than average work in design studio is not considered sufficient for a
continuation in the design studio sequence. Students must receive a grade
of C (2.0) or above in each semester of design in order to continue in the
design sequence. Students in the first two years of the program are
required to repeat the course until such a grade is achieved.
Pass/No Pass Courses
Architecture students are permitted to take a maximum of 24 units of
non-architecture electives, exclusive of the writing requirements, MATH
108 and PHYS 125L, on a pass/no pass option. No more than 4 units of
pass/no pass courses may be applied to general education requirements; no
more than 4 units may be taken in one semester. Students who have taken
non-architecture courses pass/no pass in the past (i.e., before admission
to architecture) may count such pass/no pass courses toward, but not in
addition to, the maximum of 24 units.
Time Limits
While there are no specific time limits for completing the B.S. in
Architectural Studies degree (except in the case of discontinued programs)
the School of Architecture may require additional course work of students
who remain in the degree program beyond six years.
Four-Year Curriculum for the Bachelor of Science in Architectural
Studies Degree
| FIRST YEAR, FIRST SEMESTER | Units |
|---|
| ARCH 102aL | Architectural Design I | 4 |
| ARCH 105L |
Fundamentals of Design Communication | 2 |
| ARCH 114 |
Architecture: Culture and Community | 2 |
| MATH 108* | Precalculus, or |
| WRIT 140* | Writing
and Critical Reasoning | 4 |
| General Education | Social Issues | 4 |
| | 16 |
| FIRST YEAR, SECOND SEMESTER | Units |
|---|
| ARCH 102bL | Architectural Design I | 4 |
| ARCH 214a | History of
Architecture | 4 |
| PHYS 125L** | Physics
for Architects | 4 |
| WRIT 130 | Analytical
Writing, or General Education | 4 |
| | 16 |
| SECOND YEAR, FIRST SEMESTER | Units |
|---|
| ARCH 202aL | Architectural Design II | 6 |
| ARCH 213a | Building
Structures and Seismic Design | 3 |
| ARCH 214b | History of
Architecture | 4 |
| General Education | 4 |
| | 17 |
| SECOND YEAR, SECOND SEMESTER | Units |
|---|
| ARCH 202bL | Architectural Design II | 6 |
| ARCH 211 | Materials
and Methods of Building Construction | 3 |
| ARCH 213b | Building
Structures and Seismic Design | 3 |
| ARCH 270 |
Introduction to Architectural Studies | 2 |
| Elective | | 2 |
| | 16 |
| THIRD YEAR, FIRST SEMESTER | Units |
|---|
| ARCH 215 | Design for
the Thermal and Atmospheric Environment | 3 |
| ARCH 313 | Design of
Building Structures | 3 |
| WRIT 340 | Advanced
Writing, or |
| General Education | 4 |
| Professional electives | 6 |
| | 16 |
| THIRD YEAR, SECOND SEMESTER | Units |
|---|
| ARCH 315 | Design for
the Luminousand Sonic Environment | 3 |
| ARCH 411 | Architectural Technology | 3 |
| General Education | 4 |
| Professional electives | 6 |
| | 16 |
| FOURTH YEAR, FIRST SEMESTER | Units |
|---|
| ARCH 314 | History of
Architecture: Contemporary Issues | 3 |
| ARCH 525 | Professional Practice: Pre-Design, Project and Office
Administration | 3 |
| General Education | 4 |
| Professional electives | 6 |
| | 16 |
| FOURTH YEAR, SECOND SEMESTER | Units |
|---|
| ARCH 526 | Professional Practice: Legal and Economic Context, Project
Documentation | 3 |
| ARCH 470 | Capstone
Seminar | 4 |
| General Education | 5 |
| Professional electives | 3 |
| | 15 |
Total minimum units required: 128
Requirements for B.S. in Architectural Studies degree
A total of 25 units of professional electives, including ARCH 470 Capstone
Seminar, are required in an area of specialization, which must be selected
from the accepted professional elective offerings in the School of
Architecture. This is in addition to the core, elective and general
education requirements of the Bachelor of Architecture degree, which are
identical for the first two years of the Bachelor of Science in
Architectural Studies.
In the third and fourth year of the program, the requirements for the
Bachelor of Architecture design studios, ARCH 302abL and ARCH 402ab — 24
units — are changed to the professional electives requirement. The full
degree requirements are described above.
Core Requirements
Students must complete the following core courses as a prelude to the
upper division professional electives and degree requirements: ARCH
102abL, ARCH 105L, ARCH 114, ARCH 202abL, ARCH 211, ARCH 213ab, ARCH
214ab, and ARCH 270, MATH 108 (or equivalent), PHYS 125L (or equivalent),
and WRIT 140 or WRIT 130.
General Education Requirements
The university's general education program provides a coherent, integrated
introduction to the breadth of knowledge you will need to consider
yourself (and to be considered by other people) a generally well-educated
person. This program requires six courses, in different categories, plus
writing and diversity requirements, which together comprise the USC Core.
See
USC Core and
General Education Program for more information. Students who are required to
take MATH 108 during the freshman year may take their Social Issues course
in the fall and WRIT 130 separately in the spring. Others will take WRIT
140 in the fall and will have one additional free elective (4 units).
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