Architecture studios represent the backbone of the major. Three parallel streams support the studios: development of skills in hand-drawing and painting; education in the theory and history of architecture; and, studies of traditional and time-tested techniques of building technology.

A rising sophomore may petition the architecture faculty to accept an extraordinary portfolio from an approved summer program as substitute for required freshman architecture and art courses. 

Transfer students are accepted into the Architecture major at the discretion of the Architecture Department Chair and must complete a minimum of 60% of the ARCH courses required for the major at Benedictine College with course equivalencies and placements in the major determined by the Department Chair.

The course fees for the Sophomore, Junior, Senior, and Capstone studios provide studio materials, fund visiting professional critics and lecturers, and defray costs for field studies, workshops, and technology.

Sophomore architecture students purchase the Studio Kit comprising essential tools for the architecture program curriculum and for career use; see the Architecture Program website, under Studio Kit, for more information.

Admission to the major is competitive. The following are the minimum criteria to apply (They do not guarantee admission.)—as well as remain in the major in good standing: 

• ​Submit a successful Petition for Acceptance to a Major Program
• Submit transcripts (including any transferred credit) with the completed Petition for Acceptance 
• Submit a portfolio for review by architecture faculty at the end of March of freshman year
• Earn a minimum grade of C in each Architecture course (or a retake is required)
• Sustain a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA by, and beyond, midterm of the spring semester of sophomore year

Program Mission

The mission of the Architecture Program is to engage the millennia of classical architecture design traditions from ancient Egypt and the Middle East up to the present day through research and emulation, and promotes the Christian understanding of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful as necessary to train students to design all types of buildings, and their settings and ornaments, from concept to detail. This process prepares students to continue in formal studies to earn the Master of Architecture degree or to enter the profession or related fields as an intern or designer.

Program Outcomes

1. Graduates will be able to read, comprehend, and explain classical facades and buildings.
2. Graduates will be able to design and render a public monumental classical facade and building, including plans, sections, elevations, perspectives, and detail drawings.
3. Graduates will have a comprehensive understanding of classical architecture from its archaic roots to its modern expressions, as well as defend its timeless applications.
4. Graduates will be able to use the history, theories, and canons of classical architecture to engage with diverse cultures in both domestic and international applications of the study of the art of building.

Program Requirements

Suggested Sequence of Courses for a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Architecture