Overview

School of Architecture undergraduate students are admitted to the School of Architecture without a declared degree program. By the end of the second year, students must select either the B.A. or the Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) degree program. The student’s first-year advisor, faculty mentors, and head provide mentoring and information to guide the student in selecting their degree option.

In the first year, the B.A. program begins with the same studio-based curriculum as the B.Arch program, but then begins to diverge in terms of opportunities and outcomes. The B.A. only requires a minimum of 4 studios, which can be spread out over the four years of the program. As a 4-year degree program, the B.A. allows those who are interested to go on to specialize in other fields in graduate school, including the 2-year professional Master of Architecture (M.Arch) degree program (often called a 4+2 degree).

For students seeking a non-professional degree integrating architecture with another field of study, Carnegie Mellon also offers the BXA Intercollege Degree Programs. BXA students graduate with a Bachelor of Humanities and Arts, a Bachelor of Science and Arts, or a Bachelor of Computer Science and Arts degree.