In a world of changing conditions; social, cultural, economic, and technological, the central task of the architect remains to give meaningful form to the physical environment. These rapid changes, however, force today’s architects to not only concern themselves with traditional design issues like shelter, appropriateness, comfort, and beauty, but also to address emerging concerns like sustainability, resilience,  environmental conservation, rapidly expanding cities, adaptive uses and preservation of older buildings, providing built environments in a global market, and new means of producing architecture. The aesthetic revolution of the past few decades has also freed architects from the rigidity of earlier theory allowing for greater diversity and expressiveness in architectural design.

The School of Architecture has addressed the diversity of roles and responsibilities through its faculty and its curricula. Its distinguished faculty embrace a broad definition of the practice of architecture and is, therefore, free of a singular, dogmatic, or stylistic bias. This diversity is evident in the experience, areas of interest, national origins, and educational backgrounds of the faculty. The architecture curriculum balances mathematics, English, natural sciences, and humanities and integrates with architectural design studios and a rich selection of design support courses. The design studio, a working laboratory in which the student learns how to design buildings under the guidance of a professor, is central to the curriculum.

The undergraduate Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture is a pre-professional degree that stresses the education of the individual and serves as the foundation for advanced, professional study in the discipline. The first semester is spent on design fundamentals in a studio common to all students in the College of Design. Following this introductory experience students receive a broad introduction to architectural design, theory, history, technology, and design processes, while exploring educational opportunities within the university.

• Following the pre-professional program students may continue their studies in either of two professional programs: the one-year, post-graduate Bachelor of Architecture or two-year Master of Architecture program (see the Graduate Catalog for information on the latter program). Entry into both of these programs is competitive.
• Many students spend one or more years gaining professional experience in architecture firms or related fields before pursuing the advanced degrees. Educational enrichment is an important characteristic of the architectural program.
• The College of Design regularly presents public lectures by leading professionals and exhibitions of design and artwork.
• Electives are available in related disciplines- painting, sculpture, photography, landscape architecture, industrial design, and graphic design.
• Also available are field trips to buildings in urban centers of architectural interest, urban design studios, and a variety of foreign study programs including the NC State European Center in Prague.

Accreditation

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 conformance with established educational standards. Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree. The NAAB Conditions for Accreditation, including the required Student performance Criteria, can be viewed on the NAAB website.

The North Carolina State University School of Architecture offers the following NAAB accredited degree programs:

• B. Arch. (pre-professional degree + 30 in professional program)
• M. Arch. (pre-professional degree + 48 graduate hours)
• M. Arch (non pre-professional degree + 96 hours)

Next accreditation visit for all programs: 2026

For more information about this School, including contact information, visit our website.

Contact

David Hill, FAIA
Department Head and Professor of Architecture
919.515.8357
david_hill@ncsu.edu

Faculty

Plans