Designing Your Future
The LSU School of Architecture, a member of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. The school offers a five-year undergraduate program leading to a Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) and a three-year graduate program leading to a Master of Architecture (MArch). The architecture programs at LSU are developed in accordance with the four goals outlined in the school’s strategic plan: reinforce a culture of diversity and innovation, discover and learn holistically, advance applied research, and enrich the world.
School of Architecture Strategic Plan
Learning Environment
When you come to the LSU School of Architecture, you benefit from the resources of a large State University and the close-knit feel of a smaller program. Undergraduate classes have a student faculty ratio of 20:1 during the first two years, and 16:1 in upper-level classes. Graduate studios and seminars have a student faculty ratio of 12:1. We are dedicated to providing attentive instruction and development to every student. At the LSU School of Architecture, you will find yourself surrounded by a community of familiar faces, where you can learn, create, and thrive together.
The rich cultural heritage and physical setting of southeastern Louisiana and the lower Mississippi Delta region provide an invaluable resource for the study of architecture. The investigation of this shifting and fluid context results in the construction of useful frameworks for grasping architectural issues that can have both local and global import. Faculty and students of the LSU School of Architecture engage in projects that use this ecologically, historically, and economically fertile environment as a context for design projects, service-learning activities, and research. By making these resources central to our endeavors, graduates are set on a course toward professional leadership in the Gulf South, nationally, and globally.
The Study of Architecture
Architects create structures and environments that enhance the way we live and work. Architecture is increasingly concerned with the social, ecological, technological, and health factors that affect our built environment. Becoming an architect requires sensitivity to spatial qualities, choice and use of materials, and a keen understanding of the relationship between people and their surroundings.
Along these lines, the architecture programs at LSU are developed in accordance with the four goals outlined in the School of Architecture Strategic Plan: reinforce a culture of diversity and innovation, discover and learn holistically, advance applied research, and enrich the world.
Learning Experiences
With a wide variety of travel opportunities and programs, you can tailor your studies to meet your particular interests. Field trips, class excursions, and study abroad programs provide opportunities for students to visit major architectural centers. Our approach affirms the value of the studio-based design educational model—active learning that emphasizes dialogue, collaboration, risk-taking, and learning by doing.
LSU School of Architecture students can also participate in a wide range of extracurricular activities, such as service-learning through volunteerism, entering design competitions, and joining one or more student organizations. Our graduate students may also apply for assistantships relative to their areas of interest within the school.
Design Paris
Offered during the fall semester, Design Paris is the first semester-long study abroad program hosted by the College of Art & Design based out of Paris, France.
Design Competitions
LSU architecture students have been awarded first place in an Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) National Design Competition & more.
Student Organizations
There are LSU chapters of the American Institute of Architects, the National Organization of Minority Architects, and Students for Historic Preservation. There’s no need to limit yourself to just one!
Professional Requirements
An architect may work as an individual practitioner, a collaborator, a researcher, a consultant, or a member of an architectural firm. A NAAB accredited degree in architecture prepares students to become a licensed architect. Upon graduating from the LSU School of Architecture’s NAAB accredited programs, students usually continue to work full-time at firms under licensed architects as paid employees. Graduates also pursue graduate degrees in architecture and urban design or related fields.
More career development information is available at: