General Information

Accreditation

The School of Architecture is a member of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.

In the United States, most 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 professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an eight-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established institutional standards.

Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a preprofessional undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:

• B. Arch. (161 undergraduate credits)
• M. Arch (preprofessional degree + 60 credits)
• M. Arch. (non-preprofessional degree + 96 credits)

Most recent accreditation visit for all programs: 2018. Next accreditation visit for all programs: 2026.

The Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture satisfy the registration requirements of the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners.

The Bachelor of Science in Interior Design satisfies the interior design registration requirements of the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners, and is also accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

The Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning is accredited by the American Planning Association.

Mission

The School of Architecture seeks to assist those who wish to develop knowledge, sensitivity, and skill in design, planning, and construction, so that as architects, interior designers, and planners they may improve the human environment. The curriculum offers opportunities for a broad education in professional subjects and in the arts and the humanities. Through avenues that stress solving actual and theoretical problems, the school seeks to enhance the knowledge and skill necessary to link understanding to experience, theory to practice, and art to science in ways that respond to human needs, aspirations, and sensibilities. Through its consortium of architects, interior designers, planners, and educators and scholars in these fields, the school provides a service to society and to the architecture, interior design, and planning professions by advancing the state of the art in design and technology.

History

The University began offering professional degrees in architecture in 1910 within the Department of Engineering. The School of Architecture was established in 1948 as a division of the College of Engineering and became an autonomous school of the University in September 1951. Graduate study in architecture began at the University in 1912. More than five thousand undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture and planning have been conferred.

Education in community and regional planning was first offered as an undergraduate study option in the School of Architecture from 1948 to 1957. The Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning was formally approved in October 1959; the Doctor of Philosophy, in April 1995.

Education in interior design was first offered in 1939 within the degree of Bachelor of Science in Home Economics. In 1992 the College of Natural Sciences created the Bachelor of Science in Interior Design degree program; in the fall of 1998 this program was transferred to the School of Architecture. The first interior design degrees were conferred by the school in May 2001.

Facilities

The School of Architecture is housed in four adjacent buildings at the heart of the campus: Battle Hall (1911) and Sutton Hall (1918, renovated in 1982), designed by the American architect Cass Gilbert; Goldsmith Hall (1933, expanded and renovated in 1988), designed by the French architect Paul Philippe Cret; and the West Mall Office Building (1961) by the Texas firm Jessen, Jessen, Millhouse, and Greeven.

The Architecture and Planning Library, a branch of The University of Texas Libraries, supports the School of Architecture by directly enhancing the value, relevance, and effectiveness of its teaching, research, and public service goals. The library, located in historic Battle Hall, also serves the public with ongoing exhibitions displayed in the grand reading room.

All students, faculty, and staff have convenient access to literature, information, and visual and digital resources that support education and research. While the library is located in close proximity to the school, its catalog, instructional guides, and digital content are web-based, allowing virtual discovery and access via the Internet. Staff provide expert information services that teach and develop research, as well as evaluative and critical thinking skills necessary for professional practice and lifelong learning. The Architecture and Planning Library is home to a large circulating collection, subject-specific journals, special collections of rare or unique publications, and the Alexander Architectural Archives, one of the largest such repositories in the country. Materials currently collected by the library and archive meet the curricular needs of the school’s programs and enable faculty and graduate students to undertake original research projects.

The Center for Sustainable Development, located in West Mall Building, supports sponsored research undertaken by the School of Architecture. The center is unique in its integration of diverse interests to develop creative, balanced, and achievable solutions to the physical and social challenges facing the planning, construction, and preservation of buildings, neighborhoods, landscapes, and regions. Its offices include space for Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) to work on projects.

The Center for American Architecture and Design, located in Battle Hall, supports scholarship and criticism on architecture and related professional disciplines through lectures, exhibitions, seminars, and symposia. Regular scholarly publications of the center include CENTER and Centerline book series.

Comparative Mobility for Competitive Megaregions, located in West Mall Building, leads a consortium of universities to provide research that supports legal and analytical frameworks for megaregion transportation planning. It is a United States Department of Transportation Tier 1 University Transportation Center.

The Technology Lab and Service Desk, located in Sutton Hall, supports a variety of services for teaching and research including access to scanning, printing, and plotting systems. In addition, students can check out digital cameras, digital video cameras, laptops, projectors, light meters, and other digital resources. The Service Desk provides assistance with advanced design and analysis applications. The Digital Fabrication Lab provides access to a variety of digital fabrication tools for 3D scanning, 3D printing, laser cutting, and CNC routing. The related Robotics Lab provides access and support to students and faculty who wish to pursue advanced digital workflows that produce physical results. The Lighting Studio provides an area with photographic backdrops and controlled lighting to photograph architectural models and other objects. The Virtual Reality Lab supports dedicated hardware and software for immersive representations. The computer classrooms in the West Mall Building provide 56 dedicated workstations that serve as open computer lab space when not in use for classroom instruction.

The Build Lab/Wood Shop, located in Goldsmith Hall, plays an integral role in the creation of design—ranging from models to full-scale applications—by providing equipment and training, primarily in wood, but also in metal, plastic, and glass.

The Thermal Lab, a testing facility of the Center for Sustainable Development, allows experimentation of building façade treatments with respect to direct and indirect use of energy.

The Materials Lab, located in West Mall Building, is dedicated to material investigation in design and maintains a circulating library of material samples. The collection consists of traditional building construction materials as well as emerging, innovative, and sustainable materials and technologies. Material education is further supported through exhibitions, workshops, field trips, and in-house research.

The Architectural Conservation Lab, located in West Mall Building, is home to the Materials Conservation course series. Additionally, the space allows the Historic Preservation Program to establish affiliations with related facilities on the University campus, including the School of Information Book and Paper Conservation Labs and the Conservation Department at the Harry Ransom Center. 

A variety of other facilities support students in their coursework and professional development. The school’s Career Services Center, located in Sutton Hall, assists students with finding internships, identifying employment prospects, and preparing for interviews and negotiations with potential employers. The Professional Residency Program (PRP) offers upper-level architecture students a unique opportunity to expand their education through work experience in the architectural profession. PRP has provided internship opportunities to honors students in the School since 1974 and, over the past 25 years, our students have been linked with 300 firms in 30 countries..

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, located south of the main campus, conducts applied research on sustainable landscapes and ecosystem services, develops comprehensive educational materials, and consults on landscape development projects of all sizes to capitalize on the ability of sustainable landscapes to improve communities. The site consists of 284 acres, including nine acres of cultivated gardens. 

The study of architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design draws upon the collections of the nearby Harry Ransom Center, which include china, clothing, decorative arts, furniture, silver, and textiles that contribute to the study of the interior; as well as original maps, texts, and drawings that supplement the teaching of landscape history. Historic rooms and suites on campus include the Willoughby-Blake Room, the John Foster and Janet Dulles Suite, the Republic of Texas Suite, the Office of the President, and the Esther Hoblitzelle Parlor. Other collections on campus include the 15,000 pieces of art, furniture, and accessories in the Elton and Martha Hyder collection and the collection of approximately forty chairs dating from the seventeenth through twentieth centuries that are housed in the Blanton Museum of Art.

The resources of the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies and the Benson Latin American Collection, and the proximity of Austin to Latin America, provide exceptional opportunities for the study of Latin American architecture and planning. School of Architecture faculty and students also collaborate with the Environmental Science Institute, the School of Social Work, the Center for Transportation Research, the Population Research Center, the Center for Research in Water Resources, the Bureau of Economic Geology, the Energy Institute, and other allied institutes.

Financial Assistance Available through the School

Scholarship funds established by individuals, firms, foundations, and the University are available to current undergraduates in the School of Architecture. These include:

Scholarships
Yvette Atkinson Memorial Scholarship in Architecture
Marvin E. and Anne Price Beck Endowed Scholarship
Carl O. Bergquist Endowed Scholarship
Myron Geer Blalock Endowed Presidential Scholarship
Hal Box Endowed Scholarship in Architecture
Children of John and Christine Boylan Endowed Scholarship in Architecture
George W. Brackenridge Scholarship Fund
C. William Brubaker/Perkins+Will Endowed Presidential Scholarship
John Buck Company and First Chicago Investment Advisors for Fund F Endowed Scholarship in Architecture
Matt Casey Memorial Scholarship in Architecture
John S. Chase Endowed Presidential Scholarship
Dick Clark Student Travel Fund
Fred W. and Laura Weir Clarke Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Architecture honoring Carl Bergquist
Fred W. and Laura Weir Clarke Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Architecture honoring Alan Y. Taniguchi
Cogburn Family Foundation Architecture and Urbanism Prize
Peter O. Coltman Book Prize in Architecture and Planning
Fred Winfield Day, Jr. Endowed Scholarship in Architecture
Jorge Luis Divino Centennial Scholarship in Architecture
Amy Dryden Endowed Scholarship
Snøhetta Endowed Scholarship in Architecture established by Craig Dykers and Elaine Molinar
William H. Emis III Traveling Scholarship in Architecture
Ford, Powell and Carson Endowed Scholarship
Ted Freedman Endowed Scholarship
Suzie Friedkin Endowed Scholarship in Interior Design
Adam Conrad Grote Memorial Scholarship in Architecture
The HDR Architecture Endowed Scholarship
Humphreys & Partners Endowed Scholarship in Architecture
The Janet C. and Wolf E. Jessen Endowed Presidential Scholarship
Henrietta Chamberlain King Endowed Scholarship
Lake/Flato Endowed Scholarship
LPA Endowed Scholarship for Sustainable Design
Lynne Brundrett Maddox Scholarship in Interior Design
Harvey V. Marmon, Jr. FAIA/Marmon Mok Scholarship in Architecture
Mike and Maxine Mebane Endowed Traveling Scholarship in Architecture
Jack H. Morgan Endowed Scholarship
Charles M. Nettles Endowed Presidential Scholarship
Oglesby Prize Endowment
Overland Partners Endowed Presidential Scholarship
Barbara and Donald Pender Endowed Scholarship
Edward J. Perrault Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Interior Design
Alma Piner Scholarship in Architecture
Boone Powell Family Prize in Urban Design
Debbie Ann Rock Scholarship in Interior Design
School of Architecture Faculty Fund for Student Domestic Travel
School of Architecture Scholarship and Fellowship Award Endowment
Brandon Shaw Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Overton Shelmire Scholarship in Architecture
Louis F. Southerland Endowed Scholarship
Lance Tatum Endowed Scholarship
Jack Rice Turner Endowed Scholarship in Architecture
University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture’s Advisory Council Women’s Endowed Scholarship
Wilmont “Vic” Vickrey Endowed Scholarship
Lily Rush Walker and Coulter Hoppess Scholarship in Architecture
Robert Leon White Memorial Fund—Architecture
Roxanne Williamson Endowed Scholarship
Trisha Wilson Endowed Professorship Fund

Students are encouraged to contact Texas One Stop for scholarship information.

Additionally, there are scholarships provided by the American Architectural Foundation, the American Institute of Architects, the Texas Architectural Foundation, the Texas Society of Architects, and the Texas American Planning Association. Incoming students may wish to contact local chapters of the American Institute of Architects, the American Society of Interior Designers, the International Interior Design Association, the University’s Texas Exes, and other civic organizations about scholarship opportunities.

Student Services

Academic Advising

In the School of Architecture, the Student Affairs dean’s office, located in Goldsmith Hall 2.116, and the Undergraduate Office, located in Sutton Hall 2.126, are responsible for providing information and advice to undergraduate students. An important aspect of the advising system is the portfolio requirement described in the section Portfolio Review Requirement later in Admission and Registration. The student should also consult Degree Audit in the Graduation section.

Career Services

The Career Services office, located in Sutton Hall 3.128, serves the students and alumni of the School of Architecture by offering career development and job search resources, connecting them to employers and key professionals.

Student Organizations

The Undergraduate Architecture Student Council (UASC) represents all School of Architecture undergraduate students through the promotion and development of an awareness of the built environment and serves as a nucleus for student activities. The UASC acts as a liaison between students and faculty members as well as administrators.

Alpha Rho Chi (APX) is a professional and social co-ed fraternity for architecture and the allied arts that promotes the artistic, scientific, and practical proficiency of its members and the profession. The Dinocrates Chapter at The University of Texas at Austin unites students from various years and studies through philanthropic and professional activities.

American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) is a professional organization whose mission is to promote excellence, appreciation, and advancement of architecture, and to enrich communities in a spirit of collaboration. AIAS strives to provide a sense of community and a forum for sharing different views.

Ampersand (&) is a student organization that combines the student chapters of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), provides students with networking opportunities, and promotes involvement within the interior design community.

The National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS) is The University of Texas at Austin Student Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects. The organization strives to enhance education and professional networking as well as engage solutions to ensure a healthy living and working environment for the community at large.

The Society of Engineering and Architecture Students (SEAS) focuses on providing academic and social support to students in the Bachelor of Architecture/Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering dual degree program.

Tau Sigma Delta is an honors society for advanced students pursuing architectural study and the allied arts. The national chapter originated in 1913, and the School of Architecture established its own chapter, Mu, in 1931. In 2013, the 100th year anniversary of the original honors society, the School of Architecture reactivated the Mu chapter. This organization recognizes the significant level of academic achievement present in The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture.

Study Abroad and Internship Opportunities

The School of Architecture encourages first-hand experiences of diverse peoples, places and cultures, nationally and internationally, so that we might better engage the world in which we live. Educational travel experiences can be integrated into degree plans in several ways, including, but not limited to, the following:

The Architecture in Europe Program is a semester of study that emphasizes a broad and integrated experience covering the buildings and landscapes as well as the urban fabric across Europe. With a unique itinerary every fall, the program gives students special study opportunities with regard to design, history, and visual communication in each city visited.

Studio Mexico is a biennial advanced studio for architecture and landscape architecture students that explores the rich cultural and built environment of Mexico. During a nine-day trip to Mexico, students visit a project site and other significant places, and enjoy rich interaction with Mexican students working on the same project. Students participating in the studio are encouraged to take the Mexican architecture class taught by Professor Juan Miró, either concurrently with the studio or in the previous year.

The Professional Residency Program provides upper-level architecture students with a unique opportunity to expand their education through work experience in the architectural profession. The program has provided work experience to honors students in the school since 1974, and over the past decades our students have been linked with over 300 firms in 30 countries.