USC
University of Southern California
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USC School of Architecture

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Qingyun Ma, an internationally-acclaimed architect, educator and founder of the Shanghai architectural firm, MADA s.p.a.m., was appointed dean and holder of the Della and Harry MacDonald Dean's Chair in Architecture in January.

The USC School of Architecture offers undergraduate and graduate education in architecture and architectural studies, landscape architecture, historic preservation and building science. Its faculty is active in professional practice, in design research, in the supervision of programs at the Gamble House and Freeman House and in extended professional education.

Work in the school is conducted in an intellectual climate, which promotes inquiry, introduces principles and values and teaches the disciplines necessary to work in collaboration with other professionals and to develop the common vocabulary essential to effective teamwork in later years.

Significantly, the school is located in the center of the second largest urban region in the country, which offers a unique understanding of 20th century growth and change. In such an environment the possibilities for teaching and learning are extraordinary.

The school is highly selective in its admissions and enjoys the strong support of alumni and the professions it serves. The opportunity exists for students to have close contact with faculty, other students and the practicing architects who assist them in their apprentice training.

An architecture curriculum was initiated at USC in 1914. In 1919, a Department of Architecture was created and a separate School of Architecture was organized in 1925. The school shares Watt and Harris Halls with the USC Roski School of Fine Arts and the Fisher Gallery.

USC School of Architecture
Watt Hall 204
(213) 740-2723
FAX: (213) 740-8884
arch.usc.edu

Administration

Qingyun Ma, M.Arch. Dean

Douglas E. Noble, Ph.D. Associate Dean

Scott Johnson, M.Arch. Director, Master of Architecture Program

Sara Loe, M.Arch. Assistant Director, Master of Architecture Program

Marc Schiler, LC, M.S.Arch.Sci. Director, Master of Building Science Program

Kenneth Breisch, Ph.D. Director, Historic Preservation Program

Robert S. Harris, M.F.A. (Arch.) Director, Landscape Architecture Program

Edward R. Bosley, M.B.A. James N. Gamble Director of the Gamble House

Faculty

Della and Harry MacDonald Dean's Chair in Architecture: Qingyun Ma, M.Arch.

MacDonald and Diane Rusling Becket Professor of Community Design: Charles A. Lagreco, M.F.A. (Arch.)

Professors: Kim Coleman, M.Arch.; Frank Dimster, M.Arch. (U.D.); Diane Ghirardo, Ph.D.; John V. Mutlow, M.Arch. (U.D.); Victor Regnier, M.Arch.*; Goetz Schierle, M.Arch., Ph.D.Arch.; Marc Schiler, M.Arch.Sci.; Roger Sherwood, M.S.Arch., M.C.R.P.; James Steele, Ph.D.

Associate Professors: Charles Lagreco, M.F.A. (Arch.); Graeme M. Morland, Dipl.Arch.; Amy Murphy, M.F.A.; Douglas E. Noble, Ph.D.

Assistant Professors: Brian D. Andrews, M.Arch.; Kara Bartelt, M.Arch.; Thomas Spiegelhalter, Dipl. Arch.

Visiting Professor: Gail Peter Borden, M.Arch.

Associate Professors of the Practice of Architecture: Kenneth Breisch, Ph.D.; Karen Kensek, M.Arch.

Assistant Professors of the Practice of Architecture: Janek Tabencki Dombrowa; Christoph Kapeller, M.Arch.; Gerald Knowles, M.Arch.; Michael Lehrer, M.Arch.; Sara Loe, M.Arch.; Lee Olvera, M.Arch.; Susanna Seierup, M.Arch.; Paul Tang, M.Arch.; Selwyn Ting, M.Arch.

Adjunct Professors: Scott Johnson, M.Arch.; Stefanos Polyzoides, M.Arch., M.U.P.

Adjunct Associate Professors: Arthur Golding, M.Arch.; T. Jeff Guh, Ph.D.; James Tyler, B.F.A., B.Arch.; Edwin Woll, Ph.D.; Dimitry Vergun, M.S.

Lecturers: Richard Abramson, M.Arch.; Annie Allison, M.F.A.; Jeffrey Allsbrook, M.Arch.; Michael Arden, M.A.; Valery Augustin, M.Arch.; Tigran Ayrapetyan, M.S.; Aaron Bentley, MSAAD; Mark Bittoni, M.Arch.; Dan Brunn, M.Arch.; Pamela Burton, M.Arch., ASLA; Mina Mei-Szu Chow, M.Arch.; Annie Chu, M.S. (Arch.); Michael Chung, M.Arch.; Richard Corsini, M.Arch.; John R. Dale, S.M.Arch.Sci.; Katherine Diamond, B.Arch.; Arminda Diaz, B.Arch.; Don Dimster, M.Arch.; Liz Falletta, M.Arch.; Hunter Fleetwood, B.Arch.; Susan Fleiss, M.Arch.; Miller Fong, B.A.Arch.; Mark Gangi, B.Arch.; Arianne Groth, M.Arch.; Yo-Ichiro Hakomori, Ph.D.; Peyton Hall, M.E.D.; Michael Hricak, M.Arch.; Ali Jeevanjee, M.Arch.; Jennifer Lanski, M.F.A.; Steffen Leisner, M.Arch.; Andrew Liang, M.Arch; Rebecca Lowry, M.Arch.; Erik Mar, M.Arch.; David C. Martin, M.Arch.; Leonard Marvin, M.B.A.; Christy Johnson McAvoy, M.A.; Melanie Moossaian, M.L.Arch.; Jade Satterthwaite, M.L.Arch.; Janice Shimizu, M.Arch.; Niloofar Shokoohy, B.Arch.; Joe Sturges, B.F.A.; Doris Sung, M.Arch.; Sam Watters; Li Wen, M.Arch.; Kulapat Yantrasast, Ph.D.; Eui-Sung Yi, M.Arch.

Emeritus Professors: James Ambrose, M.S.; Robert Harris, M.F.A. (Arch.); Samuel T. Hurst, M.Arch.; Ralph Knowles, M.Arch.*

*Recipient of university-wide or school teaching award.

Degree Programs

The School of Architecture offers curricula leading to the following degrees.

Bachelor of Architecture: a five-year undergraduate accredited professional degree program.

Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies: a four-year undergraduate non-professional architectural studies degree program providing specialization in related fields and an alternative path to graduate studies in architecture and other design fields.

Bachelor of Landscape Architecture: a four-year undergraduate degree program concentrating on design of spaces in the urban environment.

Minor in Architecture: provides the flexibility of complementing a student's major with an area of specialization. Not available for architecture majors.

Minor in Landscape Architecture: provides students with the ability to integrate the natural and cultural profession of landscape architecture into their course of study. Not available for architecture majors.

Minor in Urban Neighborhood Studies: an interdisciplinary program with a focus on neighborhoods as the fundamental building blocks of cities.

Master of Architecture (two tracks): The first track is a 48-unit, three-semester program for students who hold a first professional degree from an accredited school of architecture. The second track is a 64-unit, two-year accredited degree for students holding a pre-professional degree with a major in architecture.

Master of Historic Preservation: a 48-unit program designed to prepare individuals to work in a wide variety of fields in both the private and public sectors including: architecture, planning, historical consultation, real estate development, construction and conservation.

Master of Landscape Architecture: a 48-unit, three-semester program for students who hold a first degree in architecture or landscape architecture.

Master of Building Science: a 48-unit, two-year program for applicants who hold a Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Architectural Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Engineering or Physics degree from an accredited school of architecture or engineering. Students with five-year professional degrees in architecture and a minimum of five years of experience may be given advanced standing.

Dual Degree in Architecture and Planning: a 72-unit program leading to the Master of Architecture and the Master of Planning degrees. Admission to both degree programs is required.

Dual Degree in Landscape Architecture and Planning: a 66-unit program leading to the Master of Landscape Architecture and Master of Planning degrees. Admission to both degree programs is required.

Certificate in Building Science: This program is intended as a supplementary credential for students enrolled in graduate course work in architecture, landscape architecture, historic preservation, urban planning or related disciplines, and also for practicing design and planning professionals with undergraduate or graduate degrees and related experience.

Certificate in Historic Preservation: This program is directed at practicing professionals who wish to obtain an academic credential for their involvement in historic preservation projects and at graduate students who wish to obtain a complementary credential to a degree.

Certificate in Landscape Architectural Studies: This program provides an opportunity for the designers of the built environment to obtain expertise in issues related to the spaces that surround buildings and the open public spaces of the city.

Certificate in Urbanism and the Built Environment: The focus of this program is on the architecture and urban environment in cities throughout the world where conditions of increasing density require design initiatives that support amenity, sustainability and cultural meaning.

National Architecture Accrediting Board Statement

In the United States, most state 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 U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees, the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a six-year, three-year or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its degree of conformance with established educational standards.

Master's degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree, which, when earned sequentially, comprise an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

The USC School of Architecture Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture "+2" programs are accredited by the National Architecture Accrediting Board.