University of Virginia, BS, Architecture

The architectural content of the liberal education, in the pre-professional program at UVA, synthesizes the ambition of educating open minds, responsible citizens, innovative explorers and cultivated intellects. The pre-professional program focuses in architecture as the critical step towards a high level architectural practice, but also as the holistic education described by Steiner that prepares the student for intellectual and ethical success in any possible direction of his or her professional life. The four years pre-professional degree at the University of Virginia rounds the education of an architect with the addition of liberal arts and other fields content to the core architectural curriculum. With the Bachelor of Science Architecture, our graduates receive advance placement in the professional Masters degree program, a typical 4+2 years education sequence. Our graduates also have the added value of professional work experience in between the two degrees as well as typically the added experience of education in two different institutions. The opportunity for professional practice after the undergraduate degree fosters maturation and certainty about the direction of the professional life, and the choice of a different institution often adds an entire new dimension to a student’s educational experience.