Architecture

For the last decade, our NAAB accredited Bachelor of Architecture program has been ranked in the top twenty architecture programs nationally by DesignIntelligence. Established in 1907, our program is one of the first in the nation, and the first in the South. Auburn Architecture teaches design and planning, creativity, social responsibility, historical perspective, technical competence, and global environmental consciousness. We have a strong reputation for the abilities of our graduates and the quality of our faculty. With the student-to-professor ratio of 16-to-1, students have individualized attention in studios while in the setting of a large university. With the program’s experiential learning approach allowing students to apply their education toward solving real-world problems, this results in a comprehensive portfolio of their designs and creations to present to potential employers.

Our program is unique in that students do not need to submit a portfolio for admission to Auburn as a Pre-Architecture student. Students compete for their spot in the Professional Architecture curriculum through coursework taken in their first three semesters of college. Because of this, no design background is needed as an incoming student. Pre-Architecture students will be taught design principles and concepts through project-based learning and are selected for the professional program based on their performance on the projects completed in the first-year curriculum.

The Architecture program at Auburn offers many programs unique to the college experience, from experiential learning to study abroad. In their 3rd and/or 5th year, students have the opportunity for the Rural Studio and Urban Studio. Students seeking to expand their viewpoints and connect with critical issues of the world have the opportunity to Study Abroad. Some previous Study Abroad trips have been to Rome, Scandinavia, and Japan.

You know, when I think about the Architecture program here at Auburn University, I don't really think about it as a traditional program-- I think about it as a program steeped in history-- a program that has roots deep into the culture of Alabama-- a program that is nationally recognized year after year, after year. But I would characterize it as constantly forward thinking. So traditional isn't really a word I would use to describe our program.

Our Architecture program was founded in 1907. It's actually the oldest architecture program in the south. We start by not focusing on the computer, we learn how to do things by hand. You learn how to build models, and then once you sort of understand that and the basics of architecture, then we move into the computer aided drafting that most architects use and know in practice. So at Auburn, we have competition projects, and these are friendly competitions where you're competing against your peers. So the winners get a variation of prizes. Sometimes it's books, sometimes it's a scholarship and it's all sponsored.

During your third year of school, you have the option to go off campus to a couple different places. So we have the rural studio, which is a design build studio out in West Alabama. We have the urban studio, which is in Birmingham, Alabama.

We also have study abroad options, and we have a dual-degree program with interior architecture.

One of the really important ways that architecture students learn within the program is through the public defense of their projects. So we call that critique or a jury or review. This is also how firms work and how professional practice works.

In many ways, we're the studios of proxy for how students will learn when they are-- and how they work in a professional setting. You're always working on teams. You're working with others within a project you have to receive input about what could be better about your project, but also then have voice that contributes to making the project better.

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Landscape Architecture