Bachelor of Arts in Architecture

Rice Architecture's top-ranked undergraduate program consists of two consecutive degrees: the first four years of study result in a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture; students subsequently receive a Bachelor of Architecture professional degree after an additional two years, one of which includes the renowned Rice Architecture Preceptorship program. Preceptorship places our B.Arch. students in notable offices across the world where they gain a year's worth of mentored experience as paid employees.

The Rice Architecture B.A. is, decidedly, a liberal arts degree: our curriculum exposes students to the full breadth of architecture. The core curriculum coordinates courses in history/theory, technology, and design and organizes requirements in such a way as to optimize electives, permitting students to take advantage of course offerings across the university. The aim of this breadth is to ensure that Rice Architecture graduates will be ideally positioned as leaders in practice and other endeavors. In addition to the invaluable Preceptorship experience, fifth year students directly engage practice in the advanced Totalization studio in the fall semester of their final year; this unique program embeds distinguished consultants in the studios, emphasizing the intrinsic relationship of design to other fields, ranging from finance to fabrication. Finally, Rice Architecture emphasizes that architecture is a global practice that is as significant an issue in Houston (the fourth largest city in the United States) as it is in the European base of our Rice Architecture Paris program, and in our many courses that incorporate global travel.

Why Rice

We are the smallest professional degree program situated within a top research university, allowing individual attention with the breadth of study afforded by a major university.

Located in the nation’s fourth largest city, Rice University is a leading research institution committed to fostering a strong intellectual environment for the next generation of leaders and thinkers. Rice Architecture’s small, 5-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio encourages a close-knit community that provides both undergraduates and graduates with thoughtful instruction, particularly in the studio setting.

The school’s position within a top tier university allows us to draw extensively from other disciplines to forge new territories of speculative practice, as demonstrated by our faculty’s leadership role with Rice’s environmental studies interdisciplinary minor; our cross-listed courses with other schools and departments, particularly humanities, business, and engineering; and our collaborations with the other arts groups on campus and in the city.