BA in Architecture

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Lehigh University

Program Overview

The BA in Architecture at Lehigh University is a four-year, pre-professional program combining architectural design studios with art, architectural history and theory, building technology, and digital modeling. It suits students who want to develop creative and technical design skills while exploring the social, cultural, material, and spatial dimensions of the built environment.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students establish their design and visual foundations through ART 001 Art and Architecture History: Ancient to Medieval, ART 003 Two-Dimensional Design, and ART 004 Three-Dimensional Design, alongside ARCH 002 History of Architecture. They also begin developing digital representation skills through ARCH 034 Digital Drawing and 3D Modeling, which introduces architectural drawing, rendering, and 3D modeling.

Year 2: Students progress into architectural studio work with ARCH 043 Architectural Design I and ARCH 143 Architectural Design II, exploring composition, spatial concepts, precedent, materials, detail, light, color, drawing, and model-making. ARCH 157 Architectural Technology I introduces building materials, components, and systems and connects technical knowledge with architectural design.

Year 3: The program advances students into ARCH 243 Architectural Design III, where they investigate space, form, materiality, structure, representation, and the process of making, followed by ARCH 158 Architectural Technology II, which continues the study of building systems and construction. Students can also pursue ARCH 123 Visualization and Fabrication in Architecture, developing advanced diagramming, model-making, conventional and digital representation, and experimentation with architectural materials.

Year 4: Students complete the advanced studio sequence with ARCH 343 Architectural Design IV, which focuses on the design of buildings and building groups with an emphasis on urban design and the city. Senior-level work can also include ARCH 311 Architectural Portfolio, which develops portfolio preparation through software workshops and feedback, while the major's capstone options include the portfolio, ARCH 389 Honors Project, or DES 385 Fusion: Topics in Design Practice.

Focus Areas

Architectural design, spatial composition, digital drawing and 3D modeling, architectural history, design theory, building materials and technology, visualization and fabrication, materiality, structure, urban design, professional portfolio development, interdisciplinary design.

Learning Outcomes

Technical and creative architectural design proficiency, critical thinking, interdisciplinary integration, visual and spatial analysis, design communication, awareness of social and cultural contexts, and the ability to develop solutions responding to real-world sites and program requirements.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

Pre-professional pathway: Lehigh describes the BA in Architecture as a pre-professional program and states that it is the first step in a sequence of educational and apprenticeship requirements leading toward professional registration. The university does not identify the BA Architecture as a NAAB-accredited professional architecture degree; students intending to pursue professional registration may continue to graduate architecture education.

Reputation (Employability Rankings)

Career outcomes: Lehigh reports that 92% of the Class of 2025 were employed, continuing education, or engaged in other pursuits within six months of graduation, while 88% completed an internship or experiential-learning opportunity. These are university-wide figures rather than BA Architecture-specific statistics.

Career recognition: Lehigh was ranked #23 in the U.S. in LinkedIn's 2026 Top Colleges ranking, a university-wide career-focused ranking. The university's Architecture department also reports alumni pathways into firms and organizations including SOM, Zaha Hadid, HDR, Knoll, and other design and built-environment employers.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The BA Architecture at Lehigh University is strongly practice-oriented, with students developing architectural skills through design studios, visualization, fabrication, technology, and project-based work. Students have access to extensive studio, laboratory, workshop, and digital resources at the Mountaintop Campus, along with the Lehigh University Design Labs and the Small Cities Lab, where architectural learning can connect with interdisciplinary and community-focused research. The curriculum also provides opportunities to apply classroom skills through internships, collaborative design projects, and advanced individual research:

Architectural Design Studios: Students progress through ARCH 043 Architectural Design I, ARCH 143 Architectural Design II, ARCH 243 Architectural Design III, and ARCH 343 Architectural Design IV, developing design solutions from fundamental spatial concepts through building groups and urban design.
Digital Design & Software: ARCH 034 Digital Drawing and 3D Modeling provides project-based instruction using AutoCAD, SketchUp, Revit, V-Ray, and Photoshop, giving students experience with industry-relevant digital representation and rendering tools.
Visualization & Fabrication: ARCH 123 Visualization and Fabrication in Architecture introduces advanced architectural diagramming, model-making, conventional representation, and digital fabrication, allowing students to translate design concepts into physical and digital forms.
Fabrication Facilities: Mountaintop facilities include a woodshop, metal shop, printshop, 3-D printing, and digital fabrication resources, supporting hands-on architectural models, prototypes, and creative projects.
Digital Labs: The PC Lab provides high-end design software and large-format printing, while flexible architectural studios allow students to work and learn collaboratively across classes.
Design Labs: The Lehigh University Design Labs provide tools for developing physical prototypes, including a CNC router, CNC plasma cutter, CNC laser cutter, 3-D printers, laser cutters, waterjet, woodshop, and metal fabrication facilities.
Internships: ARCH 375 Architecture Internship provides practical in-field experience in a professional setting, with the internship's work responsibilities and educational objectives approved by the instructor and host.
Collaborative Projects: Fusion: Design Practice allows students to apply classroom skills to real-world projects, frequently working collaboratively with university and community partners from research and design through construction and production.
Research Experience: The Small Cities Lab is a College of Arts and Sciences research center founded within the department that conducts partnered research into challenges and opportunities facing small cities across the United States.
Capstone & Honors: Junior and senior students can pursue Portfolio, Capstone, Honors Project, and Fusion: Design Practice experiences, supporting individual and collaborative research. The ARCH 389 Honors Project can culminate in a research paper, design project, or exhibition.
Art & Design Resources: Students have access to the Lehigh University Art Galleries (LUAG), including a teaching classroom for direct observation of artworks, providing an additional visual and cultural resource for architectural study.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The BA Architecture at Lehigh can lead to early-career roles across architecture, design, preservation, construction, and real estate, while also providing a foundation for professional graduate architecture education. Lehigh's Art, Architecture and Design department reports alumni working with organizations including SOM, Zaha Hadid, HDR, Knoll, and WFC Architects, alongside graduates entering leading graduate programs.

Typical career roles: Architectural Designer, Interior Designer, Historic Preservation Specialist, Construction/Real Estate Development Coordinator.

Career services & employment support:

Career coaching: Lehigh's Center for Career & Professional Development provides career pathway coaching, skill-development workshops, networking support, and assistance with internship and job searches.
Internships: Students can access internships, co-ops, research placements, and project-based opportunities; Lehigh Connects also provides short-term, alumni-sponsored projects during academic breaks.
Architecture alumni network: The Art, Architecture and Design department's alumni network has concentrations in design and the built environment, with alumni supporting students through mentoring, internship recruitment, and early-career employment opportunities.
Experiential opportunities: The Mountaintop Experience has supported AAD student workshops and faculty collaborations involving design-build architecture, building-materials laboratories, and other hands-on projects.

Employment statistics & salary: Lehigh's Class of 2025 recorded 92% successful outcomes within six months, including employment, continuing education, military service, or volunteer service; the university reported an average starting salary of $77,000, with 88% of graduates completing an internship or experiential-learning opportunity. These figures are university-wide rather than specific to BA Architecture graduates.

University–industry connections: Lehigh's AAD alumni network includes professionals at firms and organizations such as SOM, Zaha Hadid, HDR, Knoll, Google, Amazon, and Urban Outfitters, while the department specifically notes that alumni help recruit students for internships and early-career employment.

Professional value: Lehigh describes the architecture major as a comprehensive undergraduate education and the first step in a series of educational and apprenticeship requirements leading to professional registration. The BA therefore provides foundational preparation, but the university does not describe this undergraduate degree itself as a professional architecture credential that independently completes the registration pathway.

Graduation outcomes: Recent architecture graduates have continued to graduate study, including Olivia Nunamaker '24, who entered Yale's Master of Architecture program. The department also reports graduates progressing to Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Michigan, University of Maryland, Washington University, Pratt, Parsons, Penn, RISD, and the School of Visual Arts.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the BA Architecture, students can pursue a Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) or related graduate programs in architecture, design, preservation, urbanism, or the built environment. Lehigh's architecture alumni have progressed to graduate architecture programs at Yale, Penn, UVA, Washington University, Columbia, Carnegie Mellon, Michigan, and other institutions, providing a pathway toward the additional professional education required for architectural registration.