Architecture

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Berkeley's undergraduate program in Architecture leads to the bachelor of arts (BA) degree. The program combines required courses in environmental design and architecture with opportunities for highly varied individual programs. Through its core courses, the program offers a broad introduction to the field of architecture, and through studies in the various areas it provides opportunities to prepare for specialization in the field in the areas of architectural design and representation; architectural technologies and building performance; and architectural history, society and culture. In addition to offering a sound and well-rounded education, undergraduate studies can also provide pre-professional competency for entry-level employment in architecture, the option for graduate work in architecture, or further studies in a related environmental design field.

Graduates go on to obtain professional degrees in architecture or in other related fields; many others work in architectural practice, construction, government, or industry. Employment opportunities exist also at the community level, particularly in those communities that traditionally have not been served by professional architectural practice. The overall aim of the undergraduate program is to establish a strong foundation for a range of careers and to provide for mobility and flexibility to suit changing individual opportunities.

Course of Study Overview

All undergraduates follow the same path through their junior year. In the first two years, students take a breadth of lower division courses and the introductory environmental design courses. The junior year is architecture-intensive. In the fall semester, students take a design studio and a history and humanities option. In the spring, the required courses include another studio, a course in history, and a technology option.

Program Tracks

During the spring semester of the junior year, students choose either a design research track or a studio track for the senior year.

• Research Track: The research track option explores a particular theme for both the fall and spring semesters of the senior year. This theme changes each year, and is taught by a group of faculty members on a subject of their shared interest. For the fall semester, students enroll in a project preparation seminar, and for the spring semester, students take a studio"led by the same faculty"in which they develop their research and explorations, culminating in a final project.
• Studio Track: The studio track option is studio intensive, with more architecture courses required in addition to a design studio each semester. Studio track students enroll in a structures course in the fall, and choose between an energy and environment or construction course in the spring.

Accreditation/Licensure

The BA degree is a preprofessional degree and provides the foundation for entry to a Master of Architecture program, the most widespread professional degree program in architecture in the United States. The BA degree can also be applied toward licensing requirements in the State of California. See the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) for more information on accreditation. See the California Architects Board and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) for more information on licensing.

Admission to the Major

Students must declare one of the CED majors at the time of application to the college; however, current UC Berkeley students may apply to change into CED. Transfer applicants must complete two years worth of lower division coursework to be considered for admission to CED. For information regarding admission to the major for freshman, transfer students, and current students who wish to change majors or colleges, please see the College of Environmental Design (CED) page in this Guide, or the CED website.

Architecture Minor

The Architecture minor introduces students to the conceptual, technical, and design aspects of architecture. A letter grade of C- or higher is required in ENV DES 1 to declare the minor. To declare, students must submit the CED Request to Add Minor Form, available on the CED website. When completing the final requirements for the minor, submit the CED Minor Completion Form. Other minors offered by the Department of Architecture are listed below:

Other Minors Offered by the Department of Architecture

Environmental Design and Urbanism in Developing Countries (Minor)
History of the Built Environment (Minor)
Social and Cultural Factors in Environmental Design (Minor)
Sustainable Design (Minor)

Visit Department Website

Undergraduate Student Learning Initiative (USLI)

The Undergraduate Student Learning Initiative (USLI) is a campuswide initiative to support departments in establishing educational goals and evaluation procedures for all undergraduate programs. As a result of the initiative, faculty and students have a shared understanding of the purpose of the major and what graduating seniors are expected to know or to be able to do at the end of their course of study. The initiative is in keeping with the fundamental principle at Berkeley that the evaluation of student achievement should be locally defined, discipline specific, and faculty-driven.

Department of Architecture Statement of Goals

The Underlying Goals of a Liberal Arts Undergraduate Education

In its recent curriculum discussions, the faculty strongly supports a liberal arts education for undergraduates that teaches students to develop their intellectual capacities: how to research topics independently, how to ask penetrating questions, how to analyze problems, how to construct arguments based on critical thinking, how to make well-founded judgments, how to identify issues of importance for the future. The intent of the department is that all courses are framed with this perspective. In addition to this goal, the department is introducing students to the discipline specific areas of knowledge that are needed by students who apply for graduate school in architecture.

The Discipline-Specific Knowledge of Architecture

The discipline of architecture covers a wide range of discipline-specific subject areas that are integrated in the process of design.

The goal of the undergraduate major is to make students familiar with and curious about engagement in and production of the built environment in historical, critical, technical, and social dimensions. The possibilities open to graduates in the major are broad, and this challenges the department to locate the terrain that is common to various aspects of the discipline as a formulation of the core lower division courses, and then to offer at the upper division a set of "streams" of study, each of which inspires and prepares students to pursue a future endeavor. As these future endeavors cover a wide range of possibilities, there are several ways to view the undergraduate major: as a liberal arts education through the lens of architecture, perhaps leading to another course of study; as preparation for work in the profession with only an undergraduate degree; and as preparation for follow-up study at the graduate level in the discipline of architecture. Acceptance into strong graduate architecture programs requires a high level of proficiency in the core areas of the curriculum. In recent debates on the undergraduate curriculum, the faculty decided that the undergraduate major should continue to provide courses appropriate for students on each of these paths.

The curriculum exposes students to five aspects of architecture and the broader field of environmental design:

1. The Language of Architecture
   In essence, the language most particular to architecture is a graphic vocabulary that is the currency of exploration in the design studio. The mastery of this language, like the learning of any language, begins with vocabulary and grammar, and then moves on to the construction of meaning. This latter aspect is rigorously pursued in the design studio, and for those planning to go on to graduate study in architecture, a number of these upper level studios offer an increasingly complex set of design challenges.
   In the Language of Architecture, students should learn to:
   • Understand the conventions of plan, section, elevation, and axonometric and their relationship to each other;
   • Understand and become proficient in hand drawings and the use of digital media in the production of these conventions;
   • Understand and become proficient in three or four digital programs that allow a facile exploration of design ideas;
   • Become proficient in the production of design iterations; and
   • Apply critical discussion to design solutions and representation.
2. The History and Theory of Architecture
   Courses in history and theory are intended to familiarize students with the development of the built environment in both western and eastern traditions, and to introduce recent and current theories of local and global importance. The introductory surveys in architectural history test students to both recognize and classify architectural styles; these courses are complemented by others that focus on the intersection of history and theory, and for which the writing of papers is the primary means of evaluation.
   In the History and Theory of Architecture, students should learn to:
   • Articulate the theoretical concepts within the design studio projects;
   • Understand the major periods and styles in architectural history;
   • Understand the modern period, and its current debates; and
   • Write critical papers comparing and contrasting both buildings and ideas.
3. The Humanistic Applications of Architecture
   Many students enter this field of study in hopes of improving the conditions of the built environment as it relates to the daily life of individuals and communities. An emphasis in these aspects of the major can lead to graduate work in other disciplines, including environmental studies, law, global development and planning, and anthropology, or to a PhD program in architecture.
   In the Humanistic Applications of Architecture, students should learn to:
   • Understand the roles and responsibilities of the environmental professions;
   • Understand the art and science of interpreting the social context of design;
   • Identify the major issues of environmental design in the national and global setting; and
   • Recognize the value of addressing sustainability at all levels of design.
4. The Science and Technology of Architecture
   How buildings stand up, how they operate to distribute and control light and air, and the materials and connections with which they are made bring the understanding of the discipline from its paper representations of design and theory into the physical world. A set of core courses introduces students to the fundamentals of these areas, and a set of upper division seminars allows more in-depth explorations of aspects of each, including the testing of structural ideas through design, current attitudes and goals for a sustainable building culture, and construction practices particular to certain materials or cultures. 
   In the Science and Technology of Architecture, student should learn to:
   • Evaluate building performance through modes of calculation;
   • Familiarize themselves with the major groups of construction systems;
   • Integrate these concepts into the design studio; and
   • Familiarize themselves with the major debates in the literature of these areas.
5. Research Methods
   Students should become proficient in the processes of academic research, learning to:
   • Undertake library and on-line research and follow source threads to both books and periodicals;
   • Construct bibliographies to academic standards;
   • Document various methods of research; and
   • Understand taxonomies of knowledge and organize information.

• finish secondary school and
• earn a certificate of completion, which allows admission to a university in their home country or country of graduation

In addition:

Students who have completed the IGCSE or O-level exams have not yet met the requirements for admission at UC Berkeley. The university requires further study, either completion of the two-year A-level program with a minimum of three academic exams, the IB diploma program, or another similar academic curriculum.

Students from countries requiring entry into military service upon completion of secondary education should not submit an application until the obligation has been met. UC Berkeley cannot defer admission to a later term.

Students may have to meet additional admission requirements and follow certain guidelines for filling out the undergraduate application, depending on country or educational system.

Berkeley Connect in Architecture

Berkeley Connect in Architecture pairs students with architecture graduate student mentors in a one semester, 1-unit program that includes individual advising, small group discussions, special events and excursions. Through this program, you will become part of a community of like-minded faculty, mentors, and students that will provide a supportive environment in which to exchange and discuss ideas and goals. Berkeley Connect will help you to make the most of your time at the University as you learn more about the major in Architecture. For further information, please see the Berkeley Connect website.

Student Groups and Organizations

The college provides opportunities for students to be involved in student chapters of professional organizations, such as the American Institute of Architects (AIAS), as well as other student groups like the Chican@/Latin@ Architecture Student Association (CASA), Global Architecture Brigades, and more. For information regarding  student groups, please see the Getting Involved page of the CED website.

Study Abroad

The College of Environmental Design (CED) encourages all undergraduates in the college to study abroad. Whether you are interested in fulfilling general education requirements, taking courses related to your major/career, or simply living and studying in a country that is of interest to you, we will work with you to make it happen. For information about Study Abroad programs, please see the Berkeley Study Abroad website.

CED Career Services

At the CED Career Services Center (CSC), we offer personalized career counseling, a yearly CED Career Fair, and a wide variety of professional-development workshops on topics such as licensure, internships, and applying for graduate school. For further information, please see the CED Career Services website.

Prizes and Awards

CED offers a number of annual prizes, awards, scholarships, fellowships, and grants to its currently enrolled students. Some of these prizes and awards are college-wide, and some are geared toward students in specific majors. For general information regarding CED prizes and awards, including application instructions and a deadline calendar, please click here.

CED Events and Exhibits Calendar

CED and Wurster Hall is home to a variety of events, lectures, and exhibitions that welcome professors, professionals, and friends to the college to discuss and celebrate the community and professions. Through events and media CED is constantly creating ways to keep the college connected and up-to-date. To view this calendar, please click here.

CED on Facebook

CED Lecture Series

The Departments of Architecture, City and Regional Planning, and Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning each sponsor lecture series, which offer students the opportunity to hear internationally-acclaimed speakers. These speakers often also participate in classes and seminars as part of their visit to campus. For a schedule of speakers and events in these lecture series, please see the CED website.

Apply to Berkeley by filling out the UC application. You can begin working on the application as early as August 1, and must submit the application November 1-30. You can apply to as many UC campuses as you like with one application, and each campus will receive your application and official test scores. If you have difficulties, contact the UC Application Center at [email protected] or (800) 207-1710.