The USC School of Architecture is committed to offering its undergraduate and graduate students an immersive and diverse set of experiences throughout all stages of the curriculum. Students explore the latest technologies used in the design process, spanning digital software, fabrication techniques and robotics, each of which went into the development of the project shown in the photograph. Photo by USC School of Architecture.
The USC School of Architecture offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral education in architecture and architectural studies, landscape architecture, heritage conservation and building science. Its faculty is active in professional practice, in design research, in the supervision of programs at the Gamble House and Freeman House and in extended professional education.
Work in the school is conducted in an intellectual climate, which promotes inquiry, introduces principles and values and teaches the disciplines necessary to work in collaboration with other professionals to develop design and research excellence.
The school is located in the center of Los Angeles, the second largest urban region in the country, which offers a unique understanding of 21st century growth and change. In such an environment the possibilities for teaching and learning are extraordinary.
The school is highly selective in its admissions and enjoys the strong support of alumni and the professions it serves. The opportunity exists for students to have close contact with faculty, other students and practicing architects.
An architecture curriculum was initiated at USC in 1914. In 1919, a Department of Architecture was created and a separate School of Architecture was organized in 1925. The school shares Watt and Harris Halls with the USC Roski School of Art and Design and the Fisher Museum of Art.
USC School of Architecture
Watt Hall 204
(213) 740-2723
FAX: (213) 740-8884
arch.usc.edu
Administration
Qingyun Ma, MArch, Dean
Gail Peter Borden, MArch, Associate Dean, Discipline Head of Architecture Programs, Director, Graduate Architecture Programs
Douglas E. Noble, PhD, Chair, PhD Program, Discipline Head, Chase L. Leavitt Graduate Program of Building Science
Trudi Sandmeier, MA, Discipline Head of Heritage Conservation Programs
Kelly Shannon, PhD, Discipline Head of Landscape Architecture Programs
Hadrian Predock, MArch, Director, Undergraduate Architecture Programs
Edward R. Bosley, MBA, James N. Gamble Director of the Gamble House
Faculty
Della and Harry MacDonald Dean’s Chair in Architecture: Qingyun Ma, MArch
Jon Adams Jerde, FAIA Chair in Architecture: Thomas Phifer, FAIA, FAAR, MArch
MacDonald and Diane Rusling Becket Professor of Community Design: Charles A. Lagreco, MFA (Arch)
Judge Widney Professor of Architecture: Frank O. Gehry, FAIA, MArch
Nancy M. and Edward D. Fox Urban Design Critic: Wendell Burnette, FAIA
Professors: Kim Coleman, M.Arch.; Diane Ghirardo, PhD; John V. Mutlow, MArch (UD); Victor Regnier, M.Arch.*; Goetz Schierle, PhD; Marc Schiler, MS, ArchSci.; Kelly Shannon, PhD; James Steele, PhD; John Wilson, PhD
Associate Professors: Gail Peter Borden, MArch; Charles Lagreco, MFA (Arch); Graeme M. Morland, DiplArch; Amy Murphy, MFA; Douglas E. Noble, PhD
Assistant Professors: Rachel Berney, PhD; Kenneth Breisch, PhD; Anders Carlson, PhD; Joon-Ho Choi, PhD; Vittoria di Palma, PhD; David Gerber, D.Des.; Alison Hirsch, PhD; Alvin Huang, MArch; Victor Jones, MArch; Karen M. Kensek, MArch; Kyle Konis, PhD; Alex Robinson, MLArch; José Sanchez, MArch; Doris Sung, MArch.
Professor of the Practice of Architecture: Wesley Jones, MArch.
Associate Professors of the Practice of Architecture: Alice Kimm, MArch; Lee Olvera, MArch; Hadrian Predock, MArch; Trudi Sandmeier, MA; Selwyn Ting, MArch
Assistant Professor of the Practice of Architecture: Lauren Matchison, MA
Adjunct Professors: Mark Cigolle, MArch.; Peyton Hall, MED; David C. Martin, MArch; Lorcan O’Herlihy, MArch; Robert Perry, MLA; Lawrence Scarpa, MArch; Patrick Tighe, MArch; Dimitry Vergun, MS
Adjunct Associate Professors: T. Jeff Guh, PhD; Yo-ichiro Hakomori, PhD; Michael Hricak, MArch; Andrew Liang, MArch; Travis Longcore, PhD; Jennifer Siegal, MArch; Warren Techentin, MArch; Olivier Touraine, Dipl Ing (Arch); Edwin Woll, PhD
Adjunct Assistant Professors: Valery Augustin, MArch; Tigran Ayrapetyan, MS; Mario Cipresso, MArch; Janek Dombrowa, BS (Arch); Eric Haas, MArch; Aaron Neubert, MArch
Senior Lecturers: Michael Arden, MA; Miller Fong, BAArch; Sophia Gruzdys, MArch; Gary Paige, BArch; Susanna Seierup, MArch
Lecturers: Carlo Aiello, MS (Arch); Marwan Al-Sayed, MArch; Charles Anderson, MLA; Victoria Turkel-Behner, PhD; Leigh Ann Belloli, BS (LArch); Rob Berry, MArch; Vinayak Bharne, MArch; Biayna Bogosian, MS (Arch); Justin Brechtel, MS (Arch); Laurel Broughton, MArch; Nefeli Chatzimina, MS (Arch); Tina Chee, MLA; Mina Mei-Szu Chow, MArch; Victoria Coaloa, M.Arch.; Tony Cocea, MS; Lauren Dandridge Gaines, BS; Stephen Deters, MArch; Ian Dickenson, BS (Arch); John Dutton, MArch; Steven Ehrlich, MArch; Maria Esnaola, MArch; Liz Falletta, MArch; John Frane, MArch; Emily Gabel-Luddy, MLA; Aroussiak Gabrielian, MLA, MArch; Richard Gooding, MArch; Ryan Gutierrez, MLA; Katherine Harvey, MLA; Jerry Hastings, BS; Kathryn Horak, MHP; Ying-Yu Hung, MLArch; Karen Janosky, MLA; Erin Kasimow, MArch; Jason Kerwin, MArch; Jeffrey Kim, MS; Tim Kohut, MArch; Andy Ku, MArch; Manyan Lam, MArch; Jeffrey Landreth, MS; John Lesak, MArch; Lisa Little, MArch; David Maestres, MArch; Esther Margulies, MLArch; Scott Mitchell, MArch; Eric Nulman, MArch; Jay Platt, MS; Mary Ringhoff, MA; Michele Saee, MA (Arch); Marcos Sánchez, MArch; Lee Schneider; Brendan Shea, MArch; Colin Sieburgh, MArch; Takako Tajima, MLA; Brian Tichenor, MLArch; David Ulin, MFA; John Uniack, BArch; Scott Uriu, BArch; Elizabeth Valmont, MBS; Geoffrey von Oeyen, MArch; Roland Wahlroos-Ritter, DiplIng; Andrew Watkins, MLA; Takashi Yanai, MArch
Emeritus Professors: James Ambrose, MS; Frank Dimster, MArch; Robert S. Harris, MFA (Arch); Samuel T. Hurst, MArch; Ralph Knowles, MArch*; Roger Sherwood, MSArch, MCRP
*Recipient of university-wide or school teaching award.
Degree Programs
The School of Architecture offers curricula leading to the following degrees.
Bachelor of Architecture: a five-year undergraduate accredited professional degree program.
Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies: a four-year undergraduate non-professional architectural studies degree program providing specialization in related fields and an alternative path to graduate studies in architecture and other design fields.
Minor in Architecture: provides the flexibility of complementing a student’s major with an area of specialization. Not available for architecture majors.
Minor in Landscape Architecture: provides students with the ability to integrate the natural and cultural profession of landscape architecture into their course of study. Not available for architecture majors.
Master of Advanced Architectural Studies: a 48-unit, three-semester program for students who hold a first professional degree from an accredited school of architecture.
Master of Architecture: a 102-unit, three-year accredited degree for students who have completed a bachelor’s degree with a major other than one of the design professions; a 64-unit, two-year accredited degree for students holding a pre-professional degree with a major in architecture.
Master of Heritage Conservation: a 48-unit program designed to prepare individuals for work in heritage conservation and its allied disciplines, including architecture, urban planning, cultural resource management, real estate development, construction and materials conservation.
Master of Landscape Architecture: a 96-unit, six-semester curriculum for students with no prior degree in architecture, landscape architecture or environmental design; a 64-unit, four-semester curriculum for students who hold a first non-accredited degree in architecture, landscape architecture or environmental design; a 48-unit, three-semester curriculum for students who hold an accredited Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree or the equivalent.
Master of Building Science: a 48-unit, two-year program for applicants who hold an architecture, engineering or science-related degree (e.g., Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Architectural Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Environmental Studies, Physics or Mathematics). Students with five-year professional degrees in architecture and a minimum of five years of experience may be given advanced standing.
Dual Degree in Architecture and Planning: a 72-unit program leading to the post-professional Master of Architecture and the Master of Planning degrees. Admission to both degree programs is required.
Dual Degree in Heritage Conservation and Planning: a 60-unit program leading to the Master of Heritage Conservation and Master of Planning degrees. Admission to both degree programs is required.
Dual Degree in Landscape Architecture and Planning: a 66-, 82- or 108-unit program leading to the Master of Landscape Architecture and Master of Planning degrees. Admission to both degree programs is required.
Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture: This program is designed to prepare individuals for university level teaching and professional research and for leadership positions in industry and professional architectural practice.
Certificate in Architecture: The focus of this program is on understanding the broad and complex role of architecture within the urban and cultural context. Studies focus on cities and architecture throughout the world where conditions of increasing density, environmental challenges and cultural complexity require design initiatives that support amenity, sustainability and cultural meaning. The certificate is open to graduate students not pursuing a Master of Architecture degree.
Certificate in Building Science: This program is intended as a supplementary credential for students enrolled in graduate course work in architecture, landscape architecture, historic preservation, urban planning or related disciplines, and also for practicing design and planning professionals with undergraduate or graduate degrees and related experience.
Certificate in Heritage Conservation: This program is for those who wish to augment their current work in heritage conservation, and for graduate students who wish to obtain a complementary specialization in conjunction with their degree.
Certificate in Landscape Architecture: This program provides an opportunity for professionals and graduate students to develop understandings and skills related to the basic subjects inherent in the field of landscape architecture.
Certificate in Sustainable Design: This certificate provides students with the tools necessary to understand and quantify sources of energy use in buildings and landscapes and to use design of natural and man-made systems to reduce their energy use. Environmental, economic and socially responsible solutions will be explored through the course work.
National Architecture Accrediting Board Statement
In the United States, most registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an eight-year, three-year or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.
Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a pre-professional undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
The University of Southern California School of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:
Bachelor of Architecture (160 undergraduate credits)
Master of Architecture (pre-professional degree + 64 graduate credits)
Master of Architecture (non-professional degree + 102 graduate credits)
Next accreditation visit for all programs: 2022
National Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board Statement
The USC Master of Landscape Architecture first professional curricula (three-year and two-year curricula) are accredited by the American Society of Landscape Architects Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB). The LAAB conditions of accreditation (including the student performance criteria) are posted on the ASLA Website, asla.org/AccreditationLAAB.aspx.
Undergraduate Degrees
Global Programs and Other Enrichment Opportunities
Each year, a set of different global programs are offered to our fourth-year undergraduate students during their topic studio semesters. There are typically one to two programs offered each semester (fall, spring and summer), with recent locations being in Italy, China, France and Spain.
Each offering consists of a coordinated 17-unit, full semester program which includes a studio course in design and required seminars in history and theory; technology; and cultural studies. Students must be in good academic standing to be considered and to participate.
Some examples of recent programs include:
Spring Program in Italy: Milan-Como
For many years, selected students have been able to participate in the Anthony A. Marnell II Italian Architecture Studies Program, located in Milan, a city at the forefront of Italian modern architecture and the center of Italian design. Students are housed and have classroom and studio space in Como, a small and pleasant lakeside town about 30 miles from Milan. The Milan-Como Program is one of only two U.S. school of architecture programs in this part of Italy. Strong relationships are fostered with the place, its people and its culture. Visits are planned within Italy and throughout Europe to expose the students to the full range of historical and contemporary architecture.
Fall Program in Spain: Barcelona
The School of Architecture’s study abroad program in Barcelona provides a place for fourth year architecture students in a course of study in urbanism and architecture of the city. The goal is to provide a broad overview of that city’s major urban and architectural sites, topography and systems of urban organization. Students will be immersed in the issues of urban design and architecture that have shaped the city, and will develop critical thinking and methodologies of analysis by designing in the urban context. The course of study will examine this fascinating culture that is committed to design and architectural practices that engage and challenge European traditional and modernist orthodoxies.
Barcelona is both a modern and historical site, beginning as a small Roman colony from the time of Augustus, and surviving Visigothic, Moorish and Frankish invasions. Its political and economic history has shaped the city, with the most forceful expression of its national aspiration occurring in the 19th century, the time most associated with the architect Antonio Gaudí. It is city committed to a culture of visual design that has realized many ambitious urban plans, growing from its commitment to representing national pride. It is a dynamic site for the study of ancient and contemporary urbanism as it has achieved word-class status among cities as a locus for new world architecture. The program will combine field work, precedent analysis and discussions with the broader design community in Barcelona.
Examples of public space and architecture from antiquity to the 21st century will be studied as part of the context of a city that has successfully projected its future without neglecting its past and present. Visits are planned within Spain and throughout Europe to expose students to the full range of historical and contemporary architecture.
Fall Program in Asia: Emphasis on China and Urbanism
The Asian Architecture and Landscape Urbanism program provides participating students the opportunity to engage and comprehend the full depth and global ramifications of the rapid changes that are taking place in China and other cities in Asia. The complex and multiple factors that inform urbanism and define the built environment will be explored and analyzed both in terms of historical cultural source and contemporary manifestation. Participants in these academic engagements will include regional as well as international professionals, academics, historians, economists and local inhabitants through direct engagements required of the course curriculum. Students will bring this knowledge and point of view back to the school after their semester away to expand the discussion of urbanism to the larger community of students and faculty at the School of Architecture.
Summer Semester in South America: Emphasis on Architecture and Development
The School of Architecture offers a summer program based at the Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP), which includes travel throughout Mexico, Argentina and Peru before arriving at São Paolo at the midterm point. USC students work on a studio project in collaboration with students from the FAAP and the Universidad Iberoamericana.
The purpose of this program is to offer students the opportunity to:
- work on a real project in a country where development is a prime goal of the government and where opportunities for architecture students to complete internships and gain employment after graduation are expanding;
- work with the physical requirements, governmental regulations and economic situations that affect the design of projects that can be realized;
- become familiar with local practitioners in order to learn about architectural practice in these areas; and
- expand appreciation of the importance of the rising status of Brazil as a world power in the current market and introduces USC students to current practitioners there.
Summer Graduate Studies Abroad
The School of Architecture offers programs for summer graduate study abroad. The purpose of the programs is to offer graduate architecture students the opportunity to study the built fabric of another culture firsthand and engage in a focused urban studies problem in that culture. The programs also strive to expand appreciation of the importance of development in the current world market and show practitioners USC graduates’ ability to engage in and contribute to international development.
Exhibits of Student Work
Throughout the year, selected students are given the opportunity to show work in organized exhibitions, as well as to be included in our ongoing student work publication INDEX. The school seeks multiple formats and opportunities to have student work shown in the community at large and at cultural institutions throughout the city and the world, with recent exhibits in Shanghai, France, Italy and Washington, DC.
Field Trips
Many field trips are organized each year in support of various aspects of the academic program. During the past several years, students have made trips to locations in the larger California region (such as San Francisco, La Jolla to see the Salk Institute) as well as throughout the United States, including New Orleans and other important cities. In addition, students regularly visit the many sites of significance in the local Los Angeles area on an almost weekly basis for their general course work and personal interest.
Lectures and Exhibitions
The school provides significant service to the community and profession through public programs, and the participation of faculty members in community and professional activities. With the support and cooperation of the Architectural Guild, the school generates a vigorous program of lectures, exhibitions and tours.
Some of the world’s most distinguished and emerging architects, landscape architects and designers have lectured at USC. These include Frank Gehry, Mario Botta, Yona Friedman, Peter Cook,Yung Ho Chang, Thom Mayne, Michael Maltzan, Hitoshi Abe, Mia Lehrer, Fumihiko Maki, Jean Nouvel, Will Bruder, Francois Roche, Enrique Norten, Adriaan Geuze, Kazuyo Sejima, Ai Wei Wei, Rem Koolhaas, Shigeru Ban, Hans Hollein, Charles Waldhem, Nader Tehrani, Cesar Pelli, Javier Sanchez, Laurie Olin, Eric Owen Moss and Pei Zhu.
The school also provides the Helen Lindhurst Architecture Gallery for major architectural exhibitions. Recent shows have included important international architects such as Christoph Kapeller, Renzo Piano, Santiago Calatrava, Herman Hertzberger and Alvaro Siza, as well as USC faculty, students and alumni.
Other Programs
Exploration of Architecture Summer Program for High School Students
The School of Architecture offers two- and four-week programs for high school students (must have completed ninth grade by the start of the program) who have no previous experience but are interested in architecture. The program, which began in 1983, is particularly rewarding for students who are contemplating a career in architecture. However, all students find the exposure to the unique problem-solving methodologies of architecture a benefit regardless of their final career choice. Living on campus in a USC residence hall, high school students experience what it is like to be a university student. They participate in studio classes with professional critics and present their ideas in reviews attended by parents and friends.
The program also exposes them, through case studies, sketching exercises and field trips, to some of the most dramatic and impressive historical and modern architecture of Los Angeles. International students have especially appreciated the opportunity to pursue this summer program of study that is not highly dependent on English language skills. Limited financial assistance is available.
Obtain program details by visiting the School of Architecture Website or by calling (800) 281-8616.
Summer Program in Heritage Conservation
This program offers three weeks of classes with noted experts from Southern California and the United States. Taken together the courses act as a general introduction to the field of heritage conservation. In addition to examining the history and philosophy of the conservation movement as it has evolved during the past century, lectures and field trips to historic sites throughout the Los Angeles area will introduce students to a broad range of legal, economic, aesthetic and technical issues associated with the documentation, conservation and interpretation of historic structures, landscapes and communities.
For more information, call (213) 821-2168.
The Building Science Program in Civil Engineering
The Sonny Astani Department of Civil Engineering offers an undergraduate program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, with an emphasis in building science. The curriculum includes most of the work which is required for the major in structures, plus 30 units in architectural studies offered by the School of Architecture. See the USC Viterbi School of Engineering , Civil Engineering section of this catalogue for further information.
Graduate Programs
The school offers interrelated graduate programs in architecture, landscape architecture, building science and historic preservation as well as two dual degree programs with the USC Price School of Public Policy.
Admission to Graduate Programs
Credentials for admission must include a complete record of all previous college or university work. The applicant must request the registrar of each college or university attended to forward official transcripts of record directly to the Office of Admission.
Following are the basic requirements for admission to the graduate programs: (1) the appropriate degree from an accredited college or university; (2) satisfactory scores on the verbal, analytical and quantitative portions of the aptitude test of the Graduate Record Examinations; (3) intellectual promise and clear study intentions that indicate an ability to do acceptable graduate work; (4) a portfolio of design work*; (5) strong personal qualifications.
All students must speak and write English. Foreign students must demonstrate such ability by taking the TOEFL or IELTS test before leaving their home countries, and, if necessary, by further tests upon arrival on campus.
International students may be required to enroll in American Language Institute (ALI) English courses, based on scores on the English Placement Tests. The cost of these additional courses is the responsibility of the student. In addition, international students should be aware that they may have to defer enrollment in some major courses because of the ALI courses, extending the number of semesters required to complete the program and increasing the overall tuition expense. International students are urged to read with care all information sent to them about English requirements and to take as many English language courses as possible prior to coming to the United States.
*The Master of Building Science and Master of Heritage Conservation programs accept computer programs, papers and other work as portfolio work.
Correspondence with the dean or individual faculty members does not constitute admission to the Graduate School or to the School of Architecture. Only a letter from the Director of Admissions grants official admission.
Graduate Program Policies
Graduate students are expected to complete between 12 and 16 units per semester, spring and fall, depending on the program in which they are enrolled.
A minimum grade of C (2.0) is required in a course to receive graduate credit. A grade point average of at least B (3.0) on all units attempted at USC toward a graduate degree is required for graduation. A total grade point average of at least a B (3.0) in all courses applied toward completion of a certificate is required prior to being awarded a particular certificate. Course work taken on a pass/no pass basis cannot be applied toward a graduate degree or a certificate. If a student does not meet these minimum grades the faculty member should meet with the student to provide timely advisory reviews.
Failure to complete program course work on schedule will result in the loss of financial awards from the School of Architecture and/or may result in suspension from the program upon recommendation from the program director and approval by the Dean of the School of Architecture and the Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Programs. Additional semesters may be taken to complete the thesis or directed design research when appropriate.
All appeals will be reviewed initially by the director(s) of the appropriate graduate program and then by a committee consisting of all graduate program directors (with the exception that design courses will be reviewed by the design review committee). Their recommendation(s) will be forwarded to the dean for consideration and action, and then forwarded to the Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Programs. All communications must be in writing.
Thesis Committees
In the School of Architecture’s master’s programs, thesis committees must include a minimum of three members. The chair will be a full-time faculty member in the student’s discipline in architecture. The second member must be a full- or part-time USC faculty member, not necessarily from the School of Architecture. The third member may be either a USC faculty member or a practitioner with a special expertise in the field; she or he may be full-time or part-time, tenure track, non-tenure track, or a non-academic practitioner. Thesis committees are ultimately subject to approval by the school dean.
Bachelor’s Degree
Minor
Master’s Degree
University Certificate
Dual Degree
Doctoral Degree
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