Architecture

Architecture

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Bachelor of Architecture

Top 5 Reasons to Study

01

The School of Architecture at Mississippi State University values collaboration across majors. As an architecture student, you could work with building construction science, interior design, art or landscape architecture peers on projects.

02

The program strives to maintain smaller class sizes where you will receive one-on-one time with professors and instructors.

03

As a student, you will benefit from professional exposure and career networking opportunities during guest lectures, portfolio and resume workshops, and professional critiques in the classroom.

04

Beyond the studio, the architecture program is part of a larger creative college culture with student organizations, design competitions and collaborative projects that allow you to build community and leadership skills.

05

Fifth-year architecture students have the unique opportunity to study in an urban learning environment at our Jackson Center, located in Jackson, Mississippi.

Core
Skills

  • Enhance critical and creative thinking
  • Foster creativity and research
  • Develop community engagement
  • Experience a supportive educational environment
  • Advance sustainable and resilient practices

Sample
Jobs

  • Licensed Architect
  • Sustainability Consultant
  • Architectural Historian
  • Urban/City Planner
  • Architectural Lawyer

Successful Career Outcomes

96% of graduates are employed or pursuing graduate degrees within 6 months of graduation.

Top
Employment
Industries

  • Architecture
  • Design
  • Community Planning
  • Construction
  • Preservation

Brag
Points

  • The program is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board, NAAB, as a professional architecture degree and is designed to prepare students for licensed practice.
  • The school offers semester-long study abroad options in Morocco and Rome (coming soon).
  • The School of Architecture hosts an internal career fair each spring with 60+ design firms or companies attending to recruit architecture majors.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

Each spring semester the program partners with the Design Leadership Foundation to host a portfolio and resume building workshop open to architecture, interior design and landscape architecture students. The DLF's goal is to provide access and opportunity to design students who need support, providing them with tools and experiences that will help them become thriving professionals in the design industry. At the 2026 workshop, a dozen industry professionals from across the nation joined the event to provide mentorship and feedback to the 400+ students.

Spotlight

Senior interior design major Tyler Rutland of Jackson and junior architecture student Elvis Scott of Greenville, pictured to the left, were invited to attend a Design Leadership Network Summit in Mexico City to give a presentation about their summer experiences in New York. Read the full story about their experience.

Architecture

2025-2026 Major Map

Bachelor of Architecture

Get the Courses You Need

1st Year

First-year design studios focus on the fundamental principles and elements of architecture and work to instill in you an understanding of how people experience architecture through scale and sequence.

Curriculum outline

1st Summer

First-year design studios are offered in the summer term as an entry option for transfer and wait-listed students to fast-track into the second year. 

Summer Entry Curriculum Outline

2nd Year

Second-year design studios build upon the skills you acquired in the first year and begin to address issues of site and user needs. The second year of study synthesizes the foundational knowledge necessary to be an architect.


 

3rd Year

The third-year of study moves into architecture’s technical requirements, addressing such concepts as systems, materials, assemblies, building codes and adaptive reuse.


 

4th Year

Fourth-year studios synthesize the technical issues of the third year with the experiential concerns of the first and second year in what is called "integrative studio" in the fall. In the spring semester, you are encouraged to begin developing independent research agendas or participating in exchange opportunities.


 

5th Year

The fifth-year studios introduce students to urban issues and professional practice, culminating in the design of a thesis project.


 

Explore the World

1st Year

A regional field trip is planned for your fall and spring terms to locations like Dallas, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; or New Orleans, Louisiana. Visit some of the best-designed museums in the U.S., including Louis Kahn’s Kimbell Art Museum or Richard Meier’s High Museum.

2nd Year

You may enjoy trips to Washington, D.C.; Kansas City, Missouri; and Fayetteville, Arkansas. Experience firsthand L’Enfant’s plan for our nation’s capital, buildings by Steven Holl or several of Fay Jones' beautiful chapels.

3rd Year

A trip to Chicago, Illinois, is always on the agenda for you as a third-year student. See examples of Frank Lloyd Wright's residential and commercial designs and visit a few design firms in the city. 

3rd Summer

Two scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to travel abroad to destinations of their choice based on their research proposal.

4th Year

The final destination on the national field trip circuit typically lands in New York City, New York. Visit several design firms, tour the Guggenheim Museum and Grand Central Station. 

5th Year

While wrapping up studies at the Jackson Center, fifth-year students take a 10-day trip to Rome and Florence or other destinations in Italy. The fall 2025 trip included explorations of Milan, Lake Como, Venice and Verona.

Launch Your Career

1st Year

Start curating your portfolio as soon as you finish your first semester of design studio. 

Attend the School of Architecture's annual career fair in the spring to begin familiarizing yourself with firms that recruit from MSU. 

2nd Year

Continue to add your best studio work to your portfolio. 

Attend the School of Architecture's annual career fair in the spring with a resume and portfolio in hand. 

3rd Year

By this point, your portfolio should contain several significant projects. 

Attend the School of Architecture's annual career fair in the spring with a resume and portfolio in hand with the expectation of securing a few interviews for summer internships. Make connections with firms you would like to explore as future employment options. 

4th Year

Sharpen your portfolio and resume, and include any summer internships you previously secured. 

Attend the School of Architecture's annual career fair in the spring, and connect with recruiters you have networked with at previous events. Consider the option of a co-op experience between your fourth- and fifth-years of study. 

5th Year

Have a resume and comprehensive portfolio of your best work ready to send out upon request. 

Follow up with previous internship supervisors about potential openings in their firm. 

Attend the School of Architecture's annual career fair in the spring to connect with previous employers or recruiters you have spoken with at previous events. 

Student
Testimonial

"My experience at Mississippi State University was transformative both academically and personally, shaped by a collaborative studio culture, faculty mentorship and opportunities in research and leadership development. These experiences strengthened my design perspective and motivated me to grow as a more thoughtful and driven designer. The education and training I received at MSU prepared me for graduate studies in the Master of Urban Design program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte."

Arturo Hernandez, fifth-year architecture student

Hometown: Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Learn More

CurriculumCompetitive Application ProcessDesign Discovery Summer CampApply to MSU