Architecture & Urban Studies

Overview

The College of Architecture and Urban Studies is comprised of two Schools and three Departments. The School of Architecture + Design includes accredited undergraduate and graduate programs in architecture, industrial design and interior design. The School of Public and International Affairs includes undergraduate programs in public and urban affairs and environmental policy and planning and graduate programs in public administration, public and international affairs, and urban and regional planning; and Ph.D. programs in public administration and public affairs and environmental design and planning. The Department of Landscape Architecture offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in Landscape Architecture. The Department of Building Construction offers an undergraduate degree with two options: the Construction and Design Option and the Development, Real Estate, and Construction Option. They also offer a graduate degree in Construction Management. The Department of Art and Art History offers a Bachelors of Art degree in Art History, and Bachelors of Fine Arts in both Graphic Design and Studio Art.

These programs share a common purpose - each is concerned with the social, political, economic, design and construction processes, which together bring order, vitality, and form to our surroundings. Each program treats parallel general educational and professional dimensions of study of art, design, construction, planning, policy, and management.

Research and outreach programs supplement instructional efforts and are carried out through college centers and laboratories. Specialized study centers offer students and faculty members opportunities for concentrated investigations in such areas as History and Theory of Art and Architecture, Housing, Metropolitan Studies, Information Technology, Computer-Aided Design, and Public Policy and Management.

The college offers a range of advanced digital technologies, including an array of rapid prototyping devices and a wide range of computing and graphic equipment in support of the instructional and research programs of the college. The Environmental Systems Laboratory and Research and Demonstration Facility (RDF) are available to faculty members and students for the conduct of research, in-depth investigations of environmental systems, prototype development, and industrial, graphic and product design. To support these endeavors, the College's Virtual Environments Laboratory (VE Lab) and the Visual Design Studio for Education, Research, Exhibition and Outreach (VDS4) are Located at RDF.

The Art and Architecture Library, a branch of the University Libraries, is located in Cowgill Hall and houses more than 60,000 volumes, 200 periodicals and 65,000 architectural slides. The college also provides media facilities - VTR systems, photographic, darkroom, print making, ceramic, and cinematographic space and equipment.

The college's Washington-Alexandria Center in Old Town Alexandria provides an opportunity for architecture undergraduate and graduate students to spend one or more semesters in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area examining the range of design and planning problems found in large urban centers. The Research in Representation and Architectural Education and Planning streams of the college Ph.D. program in Environmental Design and Planning are also located at the center. In addition to classes, studios, and curricula at the undergraduate and graduate levels, the center offers research and continuing education opportunities for students, faculty members, and alumni, and facilitates participation in the rich educational and cultural opportunities of the Washington, D.C. area.

The Europe Studio, based at the university's Center for European Studies and Architecture in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland, provides undergraduate and graduate study opportunities for design students. Studios, seminars, and organized travel are offered for students and alumni. The college also sponsors an array of additional study abroad opportunities including study-travel programs in Europe and Latin America.

Students who wish to combine degree options within the college or with related disciplines within the university should contact the major school or department regarding special undergraduate and graduate program requirements.

A Summer Qualifying Design Lab in Architecture and Interior Design is required for Virginia Tech students wishing to change from other Virginia Tech colleges and majors and for students transferring from other colleges into the Architecture, Industrial Design and Interior Design degree programs.