Bachelor of Architecture

5 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Tulane University

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Architecture at Tulane University is a five-year professional degree combining intensive architectural studios with architectural history and theory, technology, digital media, urban studies, and liberal-arts education. It suits students seeking comprehensive preparation for professional architecture, with opportunities for research, international study, design/build work, and advanced architectural thesis development.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students establish their architectural foundation through ARCH 1011 Architecture Studio, ARCH 1110 Intro to Architecture, and ARCH 2311 Design Media I, developing skills in formal, spatial, and material thinking alongside visual and digital representation. The year also introduces ARCH 2212 Materials and Methods and PHYS 1050 Physics for Architects, connecting creative design with materials, construction, and building science.

Year 2: Students progress into more developed architectural design through ARCH 2021 Architecture Studio and ARCH 2022 Architecture Studio, while ARCH 2211 Site Strategies introduces site-based design thinking. ARCH 2213 Building, Climate, Comfort and ARCH 3312 Design Media II strengthen students’ understanding of environmental conditions, building performance, and digital design techniques.

Year 3: The curriculum advances toward integrated architectural systems through ARCH 3031 Architecture Studio and ARCH 3032 Architecture Studio, supported by ARCH 3214 Structural Systems and ARCH 3215 Integrated Building Systems. Students also study ARCH 3511 Professional Concerns I and ARCH 4512 Design Media III, bringing structural, technological, professional, and advanced representation skills into increasingly complex design work.

Year 4: Students undertake ARCH 4041 Advanced Studio Elective / Research and ARCH 4042 Advanced Studio Elective / Research, supported by ARCH 3130 Architectural Research Methods and architecture electives. The year emphasizes advanced design research, architecture’s relationship with urban environments, and opportunities for study through urban design, housing, design/build, international programs, and research studios.

Year 5: Students complete ARCH 5051 Advanced Studio Elective / Research, followed by ARCH 5980 Thesis Preparation and ARCH 5990 Thesis Studio. The final year focuses on developing an advanced architectural thesis through research, analysis, and design within one of Tulane’s four curricular streams, allowing students to bring their professional and research interests together in a substantial final project.

Focus Areas

Architectural design, design media, architectural history and theory, materials and methods, site strategies, building technology, climate and comfort, structural systems, integrated building systems, urban studies, digital media, professional practice, architectural research, design/build, and thesis development.

Learning Outcomes

Architectural design, visual and digital communication, material and technological knowledge, structural understanding, environmental design, site analysis, architectural research, integrated building design, professional practice, critical thinking, and advanced thesis development.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

NAAB accreditation: Tulane's Bachelor of Architecture is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), with the latest accreditation visit conducted in 2023 and the next visit scheduled for 2031. The program requires 157 total credit hours, typically comprising 117 architecture credits and 40 non-architecture credits, aligning the professional degree with NAAB requirements.

Reputation (Employability Rankings)

DesignIntelligence: Tulane reported that its undergraduate architecture program ranked No. 16 in the 2018–19 America's Top Ranked Architecture & Design Schools “Most Admired Architecture Schools” category. The ranking surveyed more than 6,000 industry hiring professionals regarding schools they admired and hired from and how graduates were performing in key areas. This is a historical school-level architecture ranking rather than a current B.Arch-specific employability ranking.

Recent recognition: In 2026, four Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment graduating students were selected for Metropolis Future100, including two B.Arch candidates; the Future100 recognizes 100 graduating architecture and interior-design students in the United States and Canada.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Bachelor of Architecture at Tulane gives students substantial hands-on experience through design studios, architectural making, digital fabrication, model production, and research. Students work in Richardson Memorial Hall, where teaching, reviews, exhibitions, computer-aided design, and fabrication are brought together, while specialized labs allow students to move from digital concepts to physical prototypes and material experimentation. The program's practical learning is supported by these dedicated resources and opportunities:

Digital Fabrication Lab: Students can use 3D printers, laser cutters, large-format printers and scanners for architectural models, prototypes, and design projects. The lab includes 16 Bambu Labs 3D printers, 3 Form 3 resin printers, three Trotec laser cutters, and one Universal laser cutter.
Architecture Shop: Students can develop physical fabrication skills by working with wood, metal, concrete, and other materials for academic assignments and independent projects.
CNC Fabrication: The Millhaus CNC Lab provides access to a 4' × 8' Multicam CNC router, allowing students to translate digital designs into precisely fabricated components.
Robotics & 3D Scanning: The Robot Lab includes a 6-axis Universal Robot 5e (Urie) and an Artec 3D scanner. Through RoboDK, students can connect directly with the robot for research and fabrication projects, including generative-design experimentation.
Digital Ceramics: The Digital Ceramics Lab provides two Potterbot Super 10 XL clay 3D printers and supports architecture students exploring parametric design, material behavior, and ecological applications through digitally fabricated ceramics.
Design Software: The Mintz Computer Classroom supports computer-aided design, 3D modeling, rendering, animation, imaging, student projects, and architectural research, with access to Rhinoceros, AutoCAD, ARGUS, Revit, Maya, Adobe Suite, and Microsoft Office.
Architecture Studios & Reviews: Richardson Memorial Hall provides small and large seminar rooms, lecture and exhibition halls, pin-up spaces, review areas, and digital displays, giving students dedicated environments for presenting and discussing design work.
On-Site Learning: During the renovation of Richardson Memorial Hall, architecture students were able to observe construction phases on site, including foundations, structural systems, mechanical facilities, internal partitions, cores, assemblies, and materials, connecting classroom learning with an actual building project.
Research & Material Exploration: The school's fabrication facilities support research as well as coursework, with students able to experiment with robotics, digital fabrication, parametric design, 3D printing, materials, and generative design.
Library Resources: Architecture students have access to architecture and built-environment resources distributed across Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, the Latin American Library, and the Southeastern Architectural Archive.
Gallery & Exhibitions: Richardson Memorial Hall includes a dedicated Gallery for exhibitions of student, faculty, and alumni work, giving students an additional setting to engage with and present architectural work.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Bachelor of Architecture at Tulane University is a five-year professional degree designed to prepare students for architectural practice through an integrated education in design, technology, history/theory, and liberal arts. Graduates can enter architecture and related built-environment fields, while the NAAB-accredited professional degree also provides an educational foundation for pursuing architectural licensure, subject to the requirements of the jurisdiction where they seek licensure.

Typical career roles: Architect, architectural designer, project designer, design/construction professional.

Career development and employment support:

Individual advising: Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment provides one-to-one career advising covering resumes, cover letters, portfolios, job and internship searches, and access to alumni/industry contacts.
Jobs and internships: Students and recent alumni receive access to Handshake, where the School posts architecture jobs, internships, fellowships, and competitions.
Career Days: The School's annual Career Days brings architecture, design, landscape architecture, real estate, preservation, sustainable urbanism, and related employers to campus, with career fairs, virtual employer sessions, and dedicated interview opportunities.
Mentoring: The Alumni Mentorship Program matches students with alumni and local professionals according to program, career goals, interests, and location, with activities including career preparation and mock interviews.
Employment and salary data: Tulane's Career Services provides an Architecture & Design career-data platform powered by Lightcast, covering employment trends, top employers, job titles, technical skills, and annual earnings. The university does not publish a specific B.Arch graduate employment rate or starting-salary figure on the official pages reviewed, so a program-specific salary figure is not stated.
Industry connections: Career Days gives students direct access to employers and firms recruiting for internships and entry-level positions, while Tulane's alumni network connects students with practicing professionals in architecture and related fields.
Community and professional projects: Through initiatives such as the Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design and URBANbuild, Tulane faculty and students work with community organizations on planning, design, and construction-related projects.
Graduation and professional preparation: The B.Arch is NAAB-accredited, with Tulane's latest accreditation visit in 2023 and the next visit scheduled for 2031. Tulane also states that its School of Architecture has been above the national average in every area of the Architectural Registration Examination (ARE) for the past five years.
Licensure pathway: The NAAB-accredited B.Arch is one of the educational requirements used for initial architectural licensure in most U.S. jurisdictions, while individual jurisdictions may additionally require experience and examination. Students can begin the NCARB Architectural Experience Program (AXP) while enrolled in a NAAB-accredited professional architecture degree.
International graduate employment: The B.Arch is classified under Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology (CIP 04.0902), making eligible international graduates potentially eligible for the U.S. STEM OPT extension, allowing up to 36 months of practical training in the field, subject to applicable requirements.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the B.Arch, students can continue into Tulane's Master of Architecture for advanced professional study, or pursue the Master of Science in Architectural Research and Design for post-professional research and academic pathways; Tulane also offers graduate study in Historic Preservation and related built-environment disciplines.