Architecture
What is architecture?
Architecture students at Virginia Tech are preparing to shape the built environment in thoughtful, innovative ways. Our comprehensive program embraces the full spectrum of architectural practice, incorporating work and practitioners who lean toward the sciences, the humanities, or a blend of both. Through immersive studio experiences and interdisciplinary coursework, students develop the creative vision, technical expertise, and problem-solving skills needed to address complex design challenges. The curriculum also emphasizes community engagement and human-centered design. Graduates are well-prepared to pursue careers in architectural practice, design innovation, or advanced study in related fields.
Why study architecture at Virginia Tech?
- Earn a Bachelor of Architecture in the only five-year, STEM-designated professional degree program in Virginia that can lead to licensure.
- Settle into your own dedicated desk in a studio with 24/7 access where collaboration, creativity, and hands-on learning happen daily — no shared or “hot” desks here.
- Take advantage of makerspaces like the wood shop, metal shop, LaserCAMM cutting room, 3D printing lab, ceramics lab, silk screen printing studio, darkrooms, and more.
- Spend a semester away from campus in your fourth year, either studying abroad or working on real-world projects in an Integrative Design Lab course.
- Choose from global and regional learning experiences — study in Switzerland at the Steger Center, explore cities through the European Travel Program, or participate in the Appalachian Futures Lab.
- Complete your Integrative Design requirement in at the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center, the Chicago Studio, or Boston’s Center for Design Research Open Lab.
- Learn from more than 50 faculty members who bring a wide range of experience and connections to industry.
- Get personalized support from academic advisors who specialize in architecture and are committed to helping you succeed — both inside and outside the classroom.
- Deepen your interests through a fifth-year thesis project that allows you to explore a topic of your choice and showcase your design voice.
- Skip the portfolio requirement for admission. You’ll build a professional portfolio as part of the program, with plenty of expert guidance along the way.
What courses will I take?
To learn more about the courses you’ll take as an architecture major, review the Program Curriculum and course descriptions in the university catalog. You’ll be able to personalize your degree with electives and Pathways courses.
Meet an alum
Brian Krause, '01
"Virginia Tech played an enormous role in shaping not just my career, but who I am as a person today. It helped shape the way I think. The School of Architecture taught me to appreciate the details of good design and understand their significance in the built environment. There is an energy and sense of community that every Hokie possesses that is a big part of who I am today."
What can I do with a degree in architecture?
- Architectural designer
- Architectural drafter
- Construction estimator
- Design coordinator
- Field engineer
- Occupancy planner
- Project designer
What graduate programs could I pursue?
- Architecture
- Building construction
- Computer science
- Interior design
- Product design
- Real estate
- Urban planning
