The Architectural Studies Program emphasizes not the techniques of architecture, but rather the ideas behind it. Students choose among courses in areas such as sustainable design, urban planning and architectural history, theory and criticism.
Architectural Studies is among the newest majors on campus, and it is one of few undergraduate programs in the nation to bring the study of architecture into the liberal arts curriculum.
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Our majors develop an individualized, interdisciplinary course of study. In effect, they plan their own curricular path through the major.
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Amherst students who major in Architectural Studies earn their B.A. from Amherst while taking courses at three colleges: Amherst, Mount Holyoke and Hampshire.
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We encourage majors to take advantage of the numerous opportunities to study away during all or part of their junior year.
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Amherst has a long history of graduates who became architects, architectural historians, urban planners and architectural critics.
Learn MoreThrough a series of experimental projects that build on each other, this hands-on design studio will foster innovation as it guides students through the development of conceptual architecture.
This course traces the history of modern cartography from the integration of indigenous map-making techniques to the use of GIS software to create detailed images of foreign and domestic territories.
This course will consider the role of the ruin in the history of art, including paintings, prints, photographs, films, sculpture, and architectural remains, making extensive use of the exhibition “Architectural Ghosts” at the Mead Art Museum.