Bachelor of Science in Architecture

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Tulane University

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Science in Architecture (BSA) at Tulane University is a four-year, 120-credit pre-professional degree that integrates liberal arts with architecture, emphasizing design as a cultural expression and preparing students for graduate professional study or careers across architecture and related fields. It suits students who want a flexible architecture education with opportunities for double majoring, specialized concentrations, internships, research studios, and progression into areas such as architecture, planning, preservation, real estate, landscape architecture, law, or business.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students establish their architectural foundation through ARCH 1011 Architecture Studio, ARCH 1110 Intro to Architecture, and ARCH 1111/1112 Topics in Architecture History/Theory. The year also combines architectural study with MATH 1150 Long Calculus I and PHYS 1050 Physics for Architects, building the analytical and historical knowledge needed for subsequent design work.

Year 2: Students progress into more developed architectural design through ARCH 2021 Architecture Studio and ARCH 2022 Architecture Studio, while ARCH 2311 Design Media I develops design-media skills. Technical understanding expands through ARCH 2211 Site Strategies, ARCH 2212 Materials and Methods, and ARCH 2213 Building, Climate, Comfort, connecting design decisions with site, materials, environmental conditions, and building performance.

Year 3: Students undertake ARCH 3031 Architecture Studio, where they advance their design capabilities while beginning to shape an individual area of concentration through architecture and concentration electives. Students can also choose ARCH 4041 Advanced Studio Elective / Research as an alternative in the studio sequence, allowing additional emphasis on research and specialized architectural investigation.

Year 4: The final year provides flexibility for students to deepen their interests through Architecture Electives and Concentration Electives, with possible concentration areas including technology, history/theory, urban studies, or another selected subject area. Students intending to pursue graduate architecture study are encouraged to take an additional research studio, while professional internship experiences can contribute up to six academic credits during the degree.

Focus Areas

Architectural design, design media, architecture history and theory, site strategies, materials and methods, building climate and comfort, structural systems, technology, urban studies, architectural research, liberal arts, interdisciplinary study.

Learning Outcomes

Architectural design development, visual and design-media communication, architectural history and theory, site analysis, material and construction knowledge, environmental and building-performance understanding, research, interdisciplinary thinking, and preparation for graduate professional architecture study.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

Pre-professional degree: The BSA is not a NAAB-accredited professional architecture degree. Tulane identifies its B.Arch. and M.Arch. as NAAB-accredited professional degrees; BSA graduates seeking architectural licensure would typically continue into an accredited graduate professional architecture program.

Reputation (Employability Rankings)

DesignIntelligence: Tulane reported that its undergraduate architecture program ranked No. 16 in the 2018–2019 America’s Top Ranked Architecture & Design Schools “Most Admired Architecture Schools” category, based on a survey of more than 6,000 industry hiring professionals. This is a historical school-level/undergraduate architecture ranking and is not a current BSA-specific employability ranking.

Professional exposure: Tulane's School of Architecture and Built Environment provides career advising, portfolio and resume guidance, internship and job listings through Handshake, alumni mentoring, and annual Career Days where employers recruit for internships and entry-level positions.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Bachelor of Science in Architecture at Tulane University is strongly studio-based, giving students practical experience through design projects, physical model-making, digital modeling, fabrication, reviews, and collaborative work. Students have access to the newly renovated Richardson Memorial Hall, dedicated architecture studios, review spaces, computer facilities, and an extensive fabrication system that combines traditional making with 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC routing, robotics, and other digital technologies.

Key experiential opportunities and resources include:

Design Studios: Architecture students are assigned individual desks in dedicated studios, which remain accessible 20 hours a day for design and course work. Studios support the program's studio-based learning model, including design development, presentations, pin-ups, and faculty/student critiques.
Digital Design Software: The Mintz Computer Classroom provides workstations configured for computer-aided design, 3D modeling, rendering, animation, imaging, and architectural research, with access to Rhinoceros, AutoCAD, ARGUS, Revit, Maya, Adobe Suite, and Microsoft Office.
Digital Fabrication: The Digital Fabrication Lab provides 16 Bambu Lab 3D printers, three Form 3 resin printers, three Trotec laser cutters, one Universal laser cutter, PageWide 5000 XL printing/scanning, and an HP DesignJet Z3200 fine-art printer, allowing students to turn digital designs into physical models and prototypes.
Wood, Metal & Concrete Making: The Architecture Shop enables students to work with wood, metal, concrete, and other materials, and students are encouraged to use the facility for academic assignments and independent projects.
CNC Fabrication: Millhaus, Tulane's CNC Lab, provides access to a 4' × 8' Multicam CNC router, giving students experience with computer-controlled fabrication and large-scale design production.
Robotics & 3D Scanning: The Robot Lab includes a 6-axis Universal Robot 5e (Urie) and an Artec 3D scanner. Students can use RoboDK to connect with the robot for research and fabrication projects, including generative-design experimentation.
Digital Ceramics: The Digital Ceramics Lab gives architecture students access to two Potterbot Super 10 XL clay 3D printers for exploring parametric design, material behavior, ecological applications, and digitally fabricated ceramics through an interdisciplinary collaboration with Tulane's Newcomb Art Department.
Collaborative Studio Culture: Tulane's studio model emphasizes collaboration, community engagement, critical inquiry, and collective feedback, with students developing ideas through dialogue and reviews with peers and faculty.
Exhibitions & Reviews: Richardson Memorial Hall includes dedicated review rooms, pin-up spaces, seminar rooms, and the Gallery, where student, faculty, and alumni work is exhibited, giving students opportunities to present and discuss their design work in a professional setting.
Tools & Equipment: The School provides loaner tools and camera equipment for school-related courses, studios, projects, exhibitions, publications, and student organizations, with requests managed through the Fabrication Labs.
Architecture Resources: Students can access architecture and built-environment resources through Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, the Latin American Library, and the Southeastern Architectural Archive, supporting research alongside studio and fabrication work.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Bachelor of Science in Architecture at Tulane is designed as a pre-professional degree that prepares graduates for architectural and related offices while also providing a foundation for graduate study in architecture, real estate, planning, preservation, landscape architecture, business, or law. Tulane specifically notes that students who want to become licensed architects would typically continue into a two-year graduate professional architecture degree after completing the BSA.

Typical Career Roles: Architectural Designer, Architectural Assistant, Design Professional, Real Estate/Development Professional.

Career Development & Employment Support:

Career advising: Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment provides one-to-one career advising, resume and cover-letter reviews, portfolio guidance, interview preparation, professional contacts, and job/internship search support.
Handshake: Students and recent alumni receive access to Handshake, where architecture-related internships, full-time positions, fellowships, and competitions are posted.
Career Days: The school's annual Career Days connects students with employers from architecture, design, landscape architecture, real estate development, historic preservation, sustainable urbanism, and social innovation, with dedicated interviews for summer and full-time positions.
Employment examples: Current Tulane career postings include architectural internships with firms such as Corgan and DNA Workshop, giving students opportunities to work on professional projects and develop skills in areas such as Revit, construction documentation, detailing, materials, renderings, and models.

Employment & Salary Data:

Career data: Tulane's Architecture & Design career portal provides employment trends, top employers, education levels, annual earnings, technical skills, competencies, and job titles using labor-market data sourced from Emsi/Lightcast and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The university does not publish a specific BSA graduate employment rate or graduate salary figure on the program page, so a program-specific percentage or median salary is not stated.
Internship salary example: A current 2026 Corgan architectural internship listed through Tulane Career Services reports hourly ranges of $24–$31, depending on location; this is an internship posting rather than a BSA graduate salary.

University–Industry Connections:

Employer network: Tulane's Career Days brings architecture and built-environment firms to campus for networking, recruitment, internships, and interviews.
Professional engagement: Tulane-affiliated students and faculty participated in the 2026 AIA New Orleans Design Awards alongside architects, designers, industry partners, clients, and community leaders, with 12 awarded projects involving Tulane-affiliated teams.
Industry competitions: Tulane students have also worked with faculty on professional-facing competitions such as the ACSA Concrete Masonry Competition, conducted in partnership with the Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association.

Long-Term Accreditation Value: The BSA itself is a pre-professional degree and is not NAAB-accredited. Tulane's B.Arch. and M.Arch. are the school's NAAB-accredited professional degrees; therefore, students intending to pursue architectural licensure can use the BSA as preparation for subsequent professional graduate study.

Graduation Outcomes: Tulane states that BSA graduates enter architectural or related offices, while others continue into fields including law, business, real estate, preservation, planning, and landscape architecture. Students seeking architectural licensure typically continue into an accredited professional architecture degree, after which education, experience, and examination requirements apply according to the relevant jurisdiction.

Further Academic Progression: After the BSA, students can pursue Tulane's 2-year Advanced Standing Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) pathway, which specifically recognizes substantial prior architectural education such as a BSA. The school also offers a 3.5-year M.Arch. for students entering with a bachelor's degree in another field, while the BSA can also provide a foundation for graduate study in areas such as real estate development, historic preservation, planning, landscape architecture, or related disciplines.