Bachelor of Science in Engineering - Program in Architectural Studies

Students in Tufts’ BSE in Architectural Studies gain practical exposure by combining architectural design and art-history study with engineering-focused work on the technical aspects of buildings and structural systems. The program is jointly offered by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of the History of Art and Architecture, while Tufts’ wider maker and fabrication resources provide opportunities to turn digital and physical design ideas into prototypes and models.

These opportunities include:

• Architectural Design: The program allows students to take a greater concentration of art-history and studio courses while building technical knowledge of structural systems, creating a multidisciplinary foundation for architecture and design.
• Digital Fabrication: Tufts’ Digital Fabrication Studio includes an Epilog Fusion M2 laser cutter, Ultimaker FDM 3D printers, Formlabs SLA 3D printers, a CNC pen plotter, and Shopbot CNC router, allowing students to translate digital designs into physical objects.
• Fabrication Studio: The Mission Hill Fabrication Studio provides woodworking and metalworking equipment, saws, routers, a vacuum former, hand tools, and measuring tools, with training and safety certification available to students using the space.
• Maker Facilities: The Nolop FAST Facility provides 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC routers, power drills, table saws, and other equipment for iterative design and fabrication projects.
• Collaborative Making: The Bray Lab offers a machine shop, mechatronics lab, build space, materials lab, and testing lab, providing additional opportunities for interdisciplinary design, fabrication, and testing.
• Engineering Integration: Because the BSE is jointly delivered with Civil and Environmental Engineering, students develop architectural knowledge alongside engineering concepts relevant to buildings and structural systems.
• Studio Resources: Tufts’ SMFA facilities include computer labs, digital fabrication, woodworking, metals, installation, drawing, photography, and multimedia spaces, giving students access to a broad range of creative and technical resources.
• Research Facilities: Engineering students can also access Tufts’ research infrastructure, including materials characterization and fabrication facilities, although the university does not specifically identify these as dedicated facilities for the BSE Architectural Studies program.
• International Study: Tufts’ architectural studies offerings have included opportunities connected with the Tufts-in-London program and the Bartlett School of Architecture, providing an international dimension to architectural study. 

The BSE in Architectural Studies at Tufts combines architectural design and history with engineering, mathematics, and science, creating a foundation for professional work related to architecture as well as further graduate study. Because the program is jointly offered by the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and History of Art and Architecture, graduates can pursue architecture-related careers while also developing a strong technical understanding of buildings and structural systems.

Typical career roles: Architectural Designer, Architectural/Engineering Project Assistant, Design Researcher, Urban Planning or Built-Environment Analyst.

• Career Services & Employment Support: Tufts Career Center provides engineering students with internship and recruiting support, including the annual Tufts Career Fair, Engineering Internship Fair, Engineering Student-Alumni Networking Night, employer events, and access to Tufts Handshake for job and internship listings.
• Internship & First-Destination Outcomes: Tufts reports that 86% of the Class of 2025 completed at least one internship, while 65% completed two or more; Tufts also maintains destination dashboards that allow outcomes to be examined by academic program, including employment, graduate school, and internship destinations.
• Salary Information: Tufts' official Architectural Studies and BSE-Architectural Studies pages do not publish a program-specific graduate salary figure or median salary, so no salary number is stated here.
• University–Industry Connections: Students have access to Tufts' employer recruiting network through Handshake, career fairs, internship fairs, employer events, and alumni networking. The Career Center also publishes employer opportunities and facilitates recruitment of Tufts Engineering students.
• Professional Preparation: The program is specifically designed to provide a coherent foundation for graduate work in architecture or design, while its combination of engineering, studio, architectural history, and built-environment study supports multiple professional directions.
• Accreditation Value: The BSE in Architectural Studies is not listed by Tufts among its ABET-accredited engineering programs. Tufts specifically identifies its Civil, Environmental, Electrical, Mechanical, and Computer Engineering programs as ABET-accredited, while Architectural Studies is listed separately as a flexible BSE program. Therefore, ABET accreditation should not be claimed for this degree.
• Graduation Outcomes: Tufts describes the Architectural Studies programs as preparation for graduate study and/or professional careers in architecture, with the BSE providing a particularly strong technical and interdisciplinary foundation.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the BSE, students interested in becoming professional architects can pursue an M.Arch.; Tufts specifically states that Architectural Studies majors are eligible for M.Arch. programs and notes that professional first-degree architecture programs typically require additional study. Students can also pursue related graduate pathways in areas such as art history, museum studies, creative practice, or other built-environment fields depending on their career goals.