Bachelor of Architecture
The bachelor’s degree program begins intensively with architectural studies in the first year and provides for a mix of architectural and general university studies throughout the program. The curriculum includes two cycles of development. The first cycle of five semesters provides a foundation in understanding architecture, concluding with integrative studies after two years of introductory work. The second cycle, also five semesters, provides the opportunity to explore many aspects of architecture and to develop individual strengths and interests. The second cycle, and the program, concludes with a comprehensive project of the student’s choice and initiative.
Admission as a First Year Student
All applicants to the School of Architecture must first complete the university application form and return it to the USC Office of Admission along with all Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or other test scores. All architecture applicants, including all transfer students and all international students, are required to submit SAT or the American College Testing (ACT) assessment.
Admission with Advanced Placement
It is possible, in selected instances, that a transfer student from an accredited junior college, community college or other university may be eligible for advanced placement at the second year level or above if previous work includes a minimum of 32 semester units of acceptable academic credit in a pre-architecture program. The academic credit must include eight 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 portfolio to the School of Architecture prior to the application deadline.
Summer Transfer Studio
A seven-week summer design studio allows highly qualified students transferring from community college programs to be evaluated for advanced placement in the fall semester. Applicants must submit a portfolio by May 1. During the summer studio, transfer students must demonstrate significant design and drawing skill to justify advanced placement. Successfully completing this summer transfer studio allows students to reduce the required 10-semester design sequence by two semesters, reducing USC residency to four years. For information about qualifying for this program, contact the school at (213) 740-2420.
Transfer students who are admitted with fewer than 32 units of college level work and who have only limited drawing or design skills will usually be placed in the first year of the five-year design sequence. Previous academic work may in part be applied toward required and elective courses for the five-year Bachelor of Architecture program.
Advisement
The School of Architecture maintains an advisement service for the benefit of all students in the school. Soon after being accepted, new students are advised by mail of an appointment for preregistration advisement. A complete record is kept of the progress of each student while in attendance. Appointments for interviews 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 is not considered sufficient for a professional degree. Students must receive a grade of C (2.0) or above in each semester of design (ARCH 102abL, 202abL, 302L, 402abcdL, 502L) in order to continue in the design sequence and to graduate. Students will be required to repeat the course until such a grade is achieved.
Transfer Limit for Design Studio Credit
School of Architecture majors enrolling for a semester of study off campus are limited to the transfer of only one design studio course within the ARCH 402abcdL sequence. Approval of transfer credit will be dependent upon portfolio review by an appointed faculty review committee.
Pass/No Pass Courses
Architecture students are permitted to take a maximum of 24 units of non-architecture electives, exclusive of the writing requirement, MATH 108 and PHYS 125aLg, on a pass/no pass option. No more than four units of pass/no pass courses may be applied to general elective requirements; no more than four 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.
Acceleration
Students in upper division (ARCH 402abcdL) may accelerate by one semester in the design sequence by completing a summer studio course with the grade of C or higher.
Time Limits
While there are no specific time limits for completing the bachelor’s 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.
Five-Year Curriculum for the Bachelor of Architecture Degree
First Year, First Semester ARCH 102aL Architectural Design I 4 ARCH 105L Fundamentals of Design Communication 2 ARCH 114 Architecture: Culture and Community 2 General Education Social Issues 4 MATH 108* Introductory College Mathematics, or WRIT 140* Writing and Critical Reasoning 4 ____ 16
First Year, Second Semester Units ARCH 102bL Architectural Design I 4 ARCH 211 Materials and Methods of Building Construction 3 PHYS 125aL** Physics for Architects 4 General Education, or WRIT 130* Analytical Writing 4 ____ 15
Second Year, First Semester Units ARCH 202aL Architectural Design II 6 ARCH 213a Building Structures and Seismic Design 3 ARCH 214a History of Architecture 4 General Education 4 ____ 17
Second Year, Second Semester Units ARCH 202bL Architectural Design II 6 ARCH 213b Building Structures and Seismic Design 3 ARCH 214b History of Architecture 4 General Education 4 ____ 17
Third Year, First Semester Units ARCH 215 Design for the Thermaland Atmospheric Environment 3 ARCH 302L Architectural Design III 6 ARCH 313 Design of Building Structures 3 General Education 4 ____ 16
Third Year, Second Semester Units ARCH 315 Design for the Luminous and Sonic Environment 3 ARCH 402aL Architectural Design IV 6 ARCH 411 ArchitecturalTechnology, or ARCH 412 Architecture Technology in Europe General Education 4 ____ 16
Fourth Year, First Semester Units ARCH 314 Theory and Criticism: Recent Trends and Developments 3 ARCH 402bL Architectural Design IV 6 ARCH 520 Professional Practice: Pre-Design 2 Electives 4 ____ 15
Fourth Year, Second Semester Units ARCH 402cL Architectural Design IV 6 ARCH 523 Professional Practice: Project Documentation 2 WRIT 340 Advanced Writing 4 Electives 4 ____ 16
Fifth Year, First Semester Units ARCH 402dL Architectural Design IV 6 ARCH 501 Thesis Preparation 2 ARCH 522 Professional Practice: Project and Office Administration 2 Electives 6 ____ 16
Fifth Year, Second Semester Units ARCH 502L Architectural Design V 6 ARCH 521 Professional Practice: Legal and Economic Context 2 Electives 8 ____ 16 *All students must enroll in WRIT 140 in the fall except those who are required to take MATH 108. These students must take WRIT 130 the following spring.
**PHYS 125aL fulfills the General Education requirement in Category IV.
Core Requirements
In order to take advantage of elective opportunities in the advanced program, students must complete the following courses before the end of the special integrative semester (third year, first semester): ARCH 102abL, 105L, 202abL, 302L, 114, 211, 214ab, 213ab, 215; MATH 108 (or equivalent); PHYS 125aL (or equivalent); and WRIT 140 or WRIT 130.
Allocation of Elective Units
A total of 22 units of electives is included toward completion of the 160 units for the degree.
Professional Electives
A minimum of 10 units in architecture is required.
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 new program requires six courses in different categories, plus writing and diversity requirements, which are described in detail here.
All students who (1) enter the School of Architecture as freshmen in the summer of 1997 or later; or (2) begin college elsewhere in the summer of 1997 or later; or (3) began college earlier but transfer to USC in the summer of 2000 or later, must satisfy the requirements of the new general education program. Other students whose schedules permit are encouraged to follow the new program as well. However, continuing and transfer students who began college full-time before summer 1997 and enter USC before summer 2000 may elect to satisfy a "transitional" plan instead.
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.
Free Electives
An additional 12 units in any category of professional courses, humanities, social sciences and communication and natural sciences. Natural sciences include astronomy, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, geological sciences, mathematics (excluding MATH 108 or equivalent) and physics (excluding PHYS 125aL or equivalent).
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
By pursuing degrees in landscape architecture, students develop their ability to critically examine and creatively respond to the wide array of environmental problems. The development of young professionals who can take on the challenge of working in interdisciplinary fields, mediating between the goals and desires of diverse groups while soliciting their participation and pressing for creative solutions, requires certain fundamental skills. The program will encourage and develop the following skills and abilities in students so that they can flourish in a professional setting:
• Knowledge of the physical world and the interrelationships between humans and the biological systems of which they are part.
• The ability to delineate the critical issues affecting a site through an inventory and analysis of physical, social and cultural factors; and recognition of the hidden tradeoffs inherent in such an evaluation.
• The ability to use their knowledge and experience to creatively respond to the problems that confront them and to have the determination to make their ideas a reality.
• The ability to effectively communicate with peoples of diverse backgrounds through both words and images.
• The ability to deal with individuals, community groups, public agencies or large corporations, and to work in concert and manage conflict through development.
• Familiarity with new technologies, their impacts and their potential for the profession of landscape architecture and land planning.
• Awareness of the constant evolution of knowledge and a commitment to continually re-examine assumptions.
The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture is a four-year program of lectures, seminars and studio courses. Through academic research, personal participation and group endeavor, the program will introduce students to historic and contemporary issues in landscape architecture. Projects will concentrate on the design of spaces in the urban landscape. This emphasis derives from our location in Southern California, at the very heart of an exuberant and dynamic metropolitan area.Each semester, the design studio will be paired with courses that develop technical skills, expand the students’ working knowledge of plant materials and natural systems, and explore the history and theory of design. A component of each studio project will be performed collaboratively to develop the students’ ability to work collectively.
Each semester, the design studio will be paired with courses that develop technical skills, expand the students’ working knowledge of plant materials and natural systems, and explore the history and theory of design. A component of each studio project will be performed collaboratively to develop the students’ ability to work collectively.
Curriculum
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 General Education* Social Issues 4 WRIT 140* Writing and Critical Reasoning 4 ____ 16 *Taken concurently
First Year, Second Semester Units ARCH 102bL Architectural Design I 4 ARCH 211 Materials and Methods of Building Construction 3 General Education 8 ____ 15
Second Year, First Semester Units ARCH 202aL Architectural Design II 6 ARCH 304x Intensive Survey: Pre-History to the Present 4 ARCH 361 Ecological Factors in Design 3 General Education 4 ____ 17
Second Year, Second Semester Units ARCH 260 Landscape Architecture Design I 6 ARCH 362 Landscape Architecture Construction 3 ARCH 363 Plant Material Identification: Horticulture 4 ARCH 365 History of Landscape Architecture 4 ____ 17
Third Year, First Semester Units ARCH 360a Landscape Architecture Design II ARCH 364 Materials and Methods of Landscape Architecture 3 ENST 345 Conservation of Natural Resources, or GEOG 477 Water Resources 4 WRIT 340 Advanced Writing 4 ____ 17
Third Year, Second Semester Units ARCH 207a Computer Applications in Architecture 2 ARCH 360b Landscape Architecture Design II 6 ARCH 463 Plant Material Identification: California Plant Communities 4 General Education 4 ____ 16
Fourth Year, First Semester Units ARCH 366 Nature Landscapes and Gardens in Non-Western Cultures 4 ARCH 460 Landscape Planning Studio 6 PLDV 100 Los Angeles, The Enduring Pueblo 4 General Education 4 ____ 18
Fourth Year, Second Semester Units ARCH 461 Landscape Architecture Comprehensive Project 6 ARCH 522 Professional Practice: Project and Office Administration 2 ARCH 523 Professional Practice: Project Documentation 2 Electives 4 ____ 16 Total units required: 130
Minor in Architecture
The minor in architecture provides the flexibility of complementing a student's major with an area of specialization. Taking a minor in architecture is a unique opportunity for a student to stimulate his or her imagination and learn creative approaches to problem solving. The requirements for the minor include three required courses (8 units) and a minimum of 12 units of upper division courses.
Minor in Architecture
Required courses Units ARCH 106x Workshop in Architecture 2 ARCH 114 Architecture: Culture and Community 2 ARCH 304x Intensive Survey: Prehistory to the Present 4 Students may elect to take the upper division courses in an area of specialization, such as architectural history and theory, historical preservation, computers and design, visual communication, landscape architecture, public places – urban spaces, housing or practice management.
Spring Semester in Italy: Milan-Como Anthony A. Marnell II, Italian Architecture Study Program
The School of Architecture has a study-abroad program in Milan, a city in the forefront of Italian modern architecture and the center of Italian design. Students are housed and have classroom and studio space in Como, a small and pleasant lakeside town about 30 miles from Milan.
The program was initiated in summer 1989 and is held in the spring semester. A full semester of study includes courses in design; history and theory; technology; and cultural studies. Third- and fourth-year students and graduate students are eligible for the program.
The Milan-Como Program is the only U.S. school of architecture program in this part of Italy. Strong relationships are fostered with the place, its people and culture.
Visits are planned to Rome, Florence, Siena and Venice, and there are opportunities for travel and study in Austria, Switzerland, France and Germany.
Semester in France
The school also offers a study abroad program in Saintes, France. The goal of the 16-unit semester program in France is to provide a place for 12 outstanding fourth and fifth year architecture students to extend the boundaries of their architectural studies beyond the USC campus. Students develop an understanding of the relationship between architecture and the culture that influences it, which serves to build a broader, more thoughtful, critical framework for their own work. Students experience first-hand significant architectural built work from Medieval times to the present day in a variety of European locations. They compare the development of architecture in Europe, especially France, with that which has occurred in the United States.
The city of Saintes has provided a 5,800 square foot building in the historical medieval section of the city for the program. The facilities include housing for students and faculty, kitchen and dining area, and studio work space as well as a model shop, library, computer center and garden. The new Sarah Campbell Blaffer Gallery is an important part of the partnership with the local community and is used for displaying student and faculty work and other significant projects.
Summer Studio in Los Angeles
Upper division students at USC and students at any level from other accredited schools of architecture may enroll in summer design studies for design credit. Special project opportunities are arranged to encourage full use of Los Angeles as an excellent architectural laboratory.
The Building Science Program in Civil Engineering
The Department of Civil Engineering offers an undergraduate program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, with an emphasis in building science. The curriculum includes most of the work which is required for the major in structures, plus 30 units in architectural studies offered by the School of Architecture. See the School of Engineering section of this catalogue for further information.
Exploration of Architecture Summer Program for High School Students
Each year, the School of Architecture offers special one-, two- and three-week programs to help high school students explore the possibilities of careers in architecture.
Living on campus in a USC residence hall, students participate in studio classes with professional critics and design a small building. They present their designs in a special review attended by parents and friends. They visit some of the most dramatic and worthwhile examples of architecture in the Los Angeles area and talk to some of the architects who designed them. They attend lectures and films on architecture as well as several social events with faculty and students of the School of Architecture.
The workshop is open to all individuals interested in exploring architecture education and practice. Some tuition scholarships are available. A non-residential program is available for older, local students.
For additional information, contact the School of Architecture office at (213) 740-2420.
Exhibits of Student Work
From time to time students are given the opportunity to show work in class and in exhibitions. Students provide such work voluntarily and at their own risk. Work that is lost, damaged or stolen is not the responsibility of the school.
Field Trips
Field trips are organized each year in support of various aspects of the academic program. During the past several years, the second-year class has made trips to La Jolla to see the Salk Institute and to Catalina Island in connection with a studio project. In addition, students regularly visit sites of significance in the Los Angeles area.
Lectures and Exhibitions
The school provides significant service to the community and profession through public programs and by the participation of faculty members in community and professional activities.
With the support and cooperation of the Architectural Guild, the school generates a vigorous program of lectures, exhibitions and tours.
During the past several years a large number of the worldÕs most distinguished architects have lectured at USC. These include Frank Gehry, Frei Otto, Aldo Rossi, Joseph Esherick, Fritz Neumeyer, Peter Eisennman, Henry Cobb, Klaus Herdeg, Ricardo Legorreta, Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito, Fumihiko Maki, Raphael Moneo, Mario Botta, Roland Ranier, Anthony Vidler and Richard Meier.
The school also provides the Helen Lindhurst Architecture Gallery for major architectural exhibitions. Recent shows have included important international architects such as Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, Renzo Piano, Santiago Calatrava, Herman Hertzberger, and Alvaro Siza, as well as USC faculty, students and alumni.
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