Architecture Major

Requirements for the Architecture Major (Beginning with students who enter Wellesley College in Fall 2026)

The Architecture major consists of 11 units.

Courses required of all tracks:

All courses are 1.0 units unless otherwise noted.

Architecture Major Track 1: History, Theory, and Design

The History, Theory, and Design (HTD) track acquaints students with the major problems and ideas in architectural history and design. Students apply interdisciplinary methodologies, critical theories, and professional ethical codes to interpreting architcture and urban form. The track may be weighted towards architectural history, studio investigation, or a balance between the two. The track provides an opportunity for advanced studio work for students who plan to apply to graduate programs in architecture. Selected Course 4 (Architecture) courses at MIT may count toward the major. In addition to ARTH 109, one other 100-level ARTH course may be counted toward the major.

Required courses:

In addition to the above: Three 200-level courses; Two 300-level courses; One additional course

Courses for Credit Toward the Architecture Major Track 1:

The following courses are recommended to students designing a program of study in the HTD track. Additional courses may be applicable and some courses are not offered yearly, so each student should develop her program of study in active consultation with her advisor.

History of Art 
ARTH 209 Ancient Nubia 1.0
ARTH 212 Modernism and Islamic Art 1.0
ARTH 216 Architecture of the Global Eighteenth Century 1.0
ARTH 227 Art in the Age of Crusades 1.0
ARTH 228 Modern Architecture 1.0
ARTH 231 Architecture and Urbanism in North America 1.0
ARTH 233 Architecture and Landscape in Latin America 1.0
ARTH 236 Arts of the Ancient Americas 1.0
ARTH 238 Chinese Art and Architecture 1.0
ARTH 239 / SAS 239 Art and Architecture of South Asia 1.0
ARTH 240 Asian Art and Architecture 1.0
ARTH 241 Egyptian Art and Archaeology 1.0
ARTH 242 Home by Design: Houses, Villas, and Palaces in the Roman Empire 1.0
ARTH 243 Building an Empire: Roman Architecture as Cultural Heritage 1.0
ARTH 247 Introduction to Islamic Art and Architecture 1.0
ARTH 249 Japanese Art and Architecture 1.0
ARTH 259 The Art and Architecture of the European Enlightenment 1.0
ARTH 267 / ES 267 Art and the Environmental Imagination 1.0
ARTH 288 Nineteenth-Century Architecture and Urbanism 1.0
ARTH 290 Pompeii 1.0
ARTH 301 Seminar: The Wellesley Campus: Landscape, Architecture and Art 1.0
ARTH 305 Seminar: The Modern Campus 1.0
ARTH 306 Seminar: Architectural Modernism in the Americas 1.0
ARTH 308 Seminar: The Architectural Manifesto 1.0
ARTH 309 Seminar: Spiritual Space: Modern Houses of Worship 1.0
ARTH 320 Seminar: Frank Lloyd Wright: Modern Architecture and New Ways of Living 1.0
ARTH 322 Seminar: The Bauhaus 1.0
ARTH 333 Architecture and Landscape in Latin America 1.0
ARTH 338 Arts of the Ancient Americas 1.0
ARTH 343 Seminar: Roman Monuments: Memory and Metamorphosis 1.0

 

Studio Art
ARTS 109 Two-Dimensional Design 1.25
ARTS 205 The Graphic Impulse: Mediated Drawing 1.25
ARTS 207 Sculpture I 1.25
ARTS 216 Spatial Investigations 1.25
ARTS 217 Life Drawing 1.25
ARTS 219
Mark, Matrix, Multiplicity: Lithography/Screenprint
1.25
ARTS 220 Print Methods: Intaglio/Relief 1.25
ARTS 221 Digital Imaging 1.25
ARTS 222 Print Methods: Typography/Book Arts 1.25
ARTS 223 Alternative Print Methods: Hand and Machine 1.25
ARTS 255 Dynamic Interface Design 1.25
ARTS 307 Advanced Sculptural Practices 1.25
ARTS 314 Advanced Drawing 1.25
ARTS 317H Advanced Independent Senior Projects 0.5
ARTS 318H Advanced Independent Senior Projects 0.5
ARTS 321 Advanced New Media 1.25
ARTS 322 Advanced Print Concepts 1.25
ARTS 323 Advanced Graphic Projects 1.25
ARTS 336 From Mark to Sound, From Sound to Mark: Music, Drawing, and Architecture 1.25
ARTS 366 Advanced Projects in Film and Architecture 1.25

 MIT

The following introductory courses (200-level) may be taken for credit toward the major:

The following advanced courses (300-evel) may be taken for credit toward the major (one unit only):

Other MIT Course 4 (Architecture) and Course 11 (Urbaon Studies & Planning) courses may be approved for credit in the major. Students should speak with their advisor and petition the Director of Architecture for approval. 

Anthropology
ANTH 278

Machines for Living and Structures of Feeling: Anthropological Approaches to Design and Architecture

1.0
Biological Sciences
BISC 108 Environmental Horticulture 1.25
Classical Studies
CLCV 227 Wintersession in Naples 0.5
Engineering
ENGR 120 Making a Difference Through Engineering 1.0
Environmental Studies  
ES 102 Environmental Justice: A Community-Centric Approach 1.0
Mathematics  
MATH 115 Calculus I 1.0
MATH 116 Calculus II 1.0
MATH 120 Calculus IIA 1.0
MATH 205 Multivariable Calculus 1.0
Note: More advanced Math courses may also be counted toward the major.   
Physics  
PHYS 104 Fundamentals of Mechanics with Laboratory 1.25 
PHYS 107 Principles and Applications of Mechanics with Laboratory 1.25 
Theatre Studies  
THST 109 Essentials of Design for Beginners 1.0
THST 209 Scenic Design 1.0

 

Architecture Major Track 2: Urban Histories and Futures

The Urban Histories and Futures (UHF) track introduces students to methods of understanding cities and intervening in their development. Students become familiar with major issues in urban planning, history, and policy; the ways that the city has been represented in art and literature; and the special role of the city as a locus of cultural expression and change. Students planning graduate work in urban design are encouraged to include Studio Art courses in their program of study. Selected Course 11 (Urban Studies and Planning) courses at MIT may count toward the major. In addition to ARTH 109, one other 100-level ARTH course may be counted toward the major.

 Required courses:

In addition to the above: Three 200-level courses; Two 300-level courses; One additional course

Courses for Credit Toward the Architecture Major Track 2:

The following courses are recommended to students designing a program of study in the UHF track. Additional courses may be applicable and some courses are not offered yearly, so each student should develop her program of study in active consultation with her advisor.

History of Art 
ARTH 228 Modern Architecture 1.0
ARTH 231 Architecture and Urbanism in North America 1.0
ARTH 233 Architecture and Landscape in Latin America 1.0
ARTH 243 Building an Empire: Roman Architecture as Cultural Heritage 1.0
ARTH 288 Nineteenth-Century Architecture and Urbanism 1.0
ARTH 290 Pompeii 1.0
ARTH 305 Seminar: The Modern Campus 1.0
ARTH 306 Seminar: Architectural Modernism in the Americas 1.0
ARTH 333 Architecture and Landscape in Latin America 1.0
ARTH 343 Seminar: Roman Monuments: Memory and Metamorphosis 1.0

 

Studio Art
ARTS 105 Drawing I 1.25
ARTS 113 Three-Dimensional Design 1.25
ARTS 216 Spatial Investigations 1.25
ARTS 313 / CAMS 313 Virtual Form 1.25
ARTS 314 Advanced Drawing 1.25
ARTS 321 Advanced New Media 1.25
ARTS 366 Advanced Projects in Film and Architecture 1.25

 

MIT
11.024 Modeling Pedestrian Activity in Cities 1.0
11.029 Mobility Ventures: Driving Innovation in Transportation Systems 1.0
11.101 Introduction to Urban Design and Development 1.0
11.108 Undergraduate Planning Seminar 0.5
11.116 The Once and Future City 1.0
11.123 Big Plans and Mega-Urban Landscapes 0.75 
11.188 Introduction to Spatial Analysis and GIS Laboratory 1.0 

 

Africana Studies 
AFR 295 / ENG 295 The Harlem Renaissance 1.0
AFR 306 Urban Development & Underclass 1.0 
American Studies 
AMST 231 / FREN 231 Americans in Paris (English) 1.0
AMST 258 / ENG 258 Gotham: New York in Lit & Art 1.0 
Anthropology 
ANTH 231 / PEAC 231 Anthropology In and Of the City 1.0
ANTH 278

Machines for Living and Structures of Feeling:

Anthropological Approaches to Design and Architecture

1.0 
Biological Sciences 
BISC 108 Environmental Horticulture 1.25
Classical Studies 
CLCV 227H Wintersession in Naples 0.5
Comparative Literature 
CPLT 222 / FREN 236 Colonial Legacies Paris  1.0
Economics 
ECON 328 / ES 329 Environment and Development  1.0
English 
ENG 289 London in Literature  1.0
Environmental Studies  
ES 202 Environmental Justice: A Community-Centric Approach 1.0
ES 206 GIS: Spatial Inquiry in Practice 1.0 
ES 235 / PHIL 235 Environmental Aesthetics 1.0
ES 251 Future of Energy 1.0
French  
FREN 228 The Paris of Balzac and Zola (French)  1.0 
FREN 309 Sem: Francophone Boston (French)  1.0 
German  
GER 237 Berlin: From Cabarets to Communists (German)  1.0 
History  
HIST 276 The City in Modern South Asia  1.0 
HIST 377 Sem: The City in Latin America  1.0 
Italian Studies  
ITAS 104 or ITAS 104Y Cities of Italy  1.0 
ITAS 220 Landscape of Italian Poetry (English)  1.0 
Japanese  
JPN 290 Geisha, Samurai and the Birth of Tokyo (English)  1.0 
Medieval/Renaissance Studies  
MER 248 / SPAN 248 Cordoba: City and Myth (Spanish)  1.0 
Philosophy  
ES 235 / PHIL 235 Environmental Aesthetics  1.0 
Political Science  
POL2 310 Sem: Politics of Community Development 1.0 
Religion  
REL 244 Jerusalem: The Holy City  1.0
REL 261 Cities in the Islamic World 1.0 
Sociology  
PEAC 219 / SOC 209 Social Inequality: Race, Class and Gender  1.0 
SOC 226 Building Community in Theory and Practice 1.0 
Writing  
WRIT 157 Europe in Hollywood  1.0 

 

Architecture Major Track 3: Land, Economics, and Power

Taking the interdependence of the built environment and capitalism in the US (and much of the world) as its point of departure, the Land, Economics, and Power (LEP) track integrates historical, theoretical, and quantitative methods to investigate architecture's relationships to economic and social structures and the earth. Courses from multiple programs and departments in the humanities focus on the histories and imagery of land and labor; in those on policy and economics students analyze architecture's connecctions to other structures of power. The track is intended especially for students considering graduate work in architectural history, geography, public policy, and real estate development. Selected Course 11 (Urban Studies and Planning) and Course 15 (Sloan School of Management) courses at MIT may count toward the major. In addition to ARTH 109, one other 100-level ARTH course may be counted toward the major.

Required courses:

In addition to the above: Three 200-level courses; Two 300-level courses; One additional course

Courses for Credit toward Architecture Major Track 3:

The following courses are recommended to students designing a program of study in the LEP track. Additional courses may be applicable and some courses are not offered yearly, so each student should develop her program of study in active consultation with her advisor.

History of Art 
ARTH 216 Architecture of the Global Eighteenth Century 1.0
ARTH 233 Architecture and Landscape in Latin America 1.0
ARTH 267 Art and the Environmental Imagination 1.0
ARTH 288 Nineteenth-Century Architecture and Urbanism 1.0
ARTH 301 Seminar: The Wellesley Campus: Landscape, Architecture and Art 1.0
ARTH 306 Seminar: Architectural Modernism in the Americas 1.0
ARTH 308 Seminar: The Architectural Manifesto 1.0
ARTH 333 Architecture and Landscape in Latin America 1.0
ARTH 343 Seminar: Roman Monuments: Memory and Metamorphosis 1.0

 

Studo Art
ARTS 307 Advanced Sculptural Practices 1.25
ARTS 314 Advanced Drawing 1.25

 

MIT
11.021 Environmental Law, Policy, and Economics: Pollution Prevention and Control 1.0
11.067 Land Use Law and Politics: Race, Place, and Law 1.0
11.107 Economic Development Planning and Policy 1.0
11.113 The Economic Approach to Cities and Environmental Sustainability 1.0
11.401 Introduction to Housing, Community, and Economics Development 1.0
12.387 People and the Planet: Environmental Histories and Engineering 0.75
15.401 Managerial Finance 0.75

 

Africana Studies
AFR 223 Narrating the Black Atlantic 1.0 
AFR 312 Sem: Natural Resources in Africa 1.0 
AFR 390 Sem: Racism in the North 1.0 
American Studies
AMST 274 / WGST 274 Gender & Race in Westerns 1.0 
Anthropology
ANTH 278

Machines for Living and Structures of Feeling: Anthropological Approaches to Design and Architecture

1.0 
Biological Sciences
BISC 108 Environmental Horticulture 1.25 
Classical Studies 
CLCV 227H Wintersession in Naples  0.5
Economics 
ECON 228 / ES 228 Environmental & Resource Economics 1.0 
ECON 229 Women in the Economy 1.0 
ECON 241 / LAST 241 Poverty & Inequality in Latin America 1.0 
ECON 321 Corporate Finance 1.0 
Environmental Studies 
ES 102 Environment and Society: Addressing Climate Change 1.0 
ES 206 GIS: Spatial Inquiry in Practice 1.0 
ES 235 / PHIL 235 Environmental Aesthetics 1.0 
ES 251 Future of Energy 1.0 
ES 299 U.S. Environmental History 1.0 
ES 328 Sem: Naturecultures: Feminist Futures & Environmental Justice 1.0 
EXTD  
EXTD 123 Water Resources Planning and Management  1.0 
History  
HIST 244 History of the American West: Manifest Destiny to Pacific Imperialism 1.0 
HIST 245 The Social History of American Capitalism from Revolution to Empire 1.0 
HIST 251 Roads to Power: The Transformation of Space in 19th Century North America 1.0 
HIST 266 The Indian Ocean as African, Arab, and South Asian History 1.0 
Peace and Justice Studies  
PEAC 312 De-center and Re-centering: Social Theory Across the Globe 1.0 
Political Science  
POL2 310 Sem: Politics of Community Development 1.0 
ES 381 / POL1 381 U.S. Environmental Politics 1.0 
POL2 391 Sem: Settler Colonialism & Indigenous Politics 1.0 

 

Honors in Architecture

Departmental honors in Architecture is earned by the demonstration of excellence in both coursework and in a self-directed thesis. Students have a choice of pursuing a thesis project in history/theory or pursuing a studio-based project. In either case, the student will complete two units of independent study/thesis (ARCH 360/370) in the Fall and Spring of their senior year. Students interested in pursuing a senior thesis should refer to the requirements and guidelines posted on the Architecture major page of the Art Department website under "Thesis & Independent Study."

 

Requirements for the Architecture Major (for students who entered Wellesley College prior to Fall 2026)

The Architecture major consists of 11 units, which may be weighted toward architectural history or studio investigation.

The following courses are required:

Learning Outcomes

Architecture majors will:

  1. acquire knowledge of the historical, political, economic, and cultural contexts that have shaped architecture and urban form across time and in diverse cultures and geographies.
  2. demonstrate an understanding of historically and geographically specific design and construction methods and building typologies.
  3. apply interdisciplinary methodologies, critical theories, and professional ethical codes to interpreting architecture and urban form.
  4. acquire first-hand experience of studio practice in architecture whether or not they intend to specialize in this aspect of the profession.
  5. develop the skills of visual, formal, material, and spatial analysis.
  6. conduct research in primary and secondary sources and be able to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources.
  7. demonstrate mastery of this knowledge and these skills in persuasively argued and clearly written essays and presentations and in studio investigations.

Notes:

Courses in Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy, and Women’s and Gender Studies may also apply. Consult your advisor. MIT and Olin College courses may also be applicable to the major. See Department of Art intranet website for recommended courses at Wellesley, MIT, and Olin.

Honors in Architecture

Departmental honors in Architecture is earned by the demonstration of excellence in both coursework and in a self-directed thesis. Students have a choice of pursuing a thesis project in history/theory or pursuing a studio-based project. In either case, the student will complete two units of independent study/thesis (ARCH 360/370) in the Fall and Spring of their senior year. Students interested in pursuing a senior thesis should refer to the requirements and guidelines posted on the Architecture major page of the Art Department website under "Thesis & Independent Study."

Transfer Credit in Architecture

Although courses at MIT are not required for the major, the MIT-Wellesley exchange provides a unique opportunity for students to elect advanced courses in design and construction. Students are also encouraged to consider travel or international study as important aspects of their education in architecture. Normally, no more than three units of transfer credit—two units at the 200 level and one unit taken at MIT at the 300 level—may be applied toward the minimum requirements for the major.

Courses for Credit Toward the Architecture Major

The following courses are recommended to students designing a program of study in architecture. Additional courses may be applicable and some courses are not offered yearly, so each student should develop her program of study in active consultation with her advisor.

History of Art

ARTH 200 Architecture and Urban Form

1.0

ARTH 203 Iraq's Antiquities, Then and Now

1.0

ARTH 209 Art and Architecture of Ancient Nubia

1.0

ARTH 217 Historic Preservation: Theory and Practice

1.0

ARTH 228 Modern Architecture 1.0
ARTH 231 Architecture and Urbanism in North America

1.0

ARTH 233 Architecture and Landscape in Latin America

1.0

ARTH 238 Chinese Art and Architecture

1.0

ARTH 239 / SAS 239 Art and Architecture of South Asia

1.0

ARTH 240 Asian Art and Architecture

1.0

ARTH 247 Introduction to Islamic Art and Architecture

1.0

ARTH 249 Japanese Art and Architecture

1.0

ARTH 259

The Art and Architecture of the European Enlightenment

1.0

ARTH 267 / ES 267 Art and the Environmental Imagination

1.0

ARTH 288 Nineteenth-Century Architecture and Urbanism

1.0

ARTH 289 Nineteenth-Century European Art

1.0

ARTH 305 Modern Campus

1.0

ARTH 306 Architectural Modernism in the Americas

1.0

ARTh 308 The Architectural Manifesto

1.0

ARTH 317 Seminar: Historic Preservation: Theory and Practice

1.0

ARTH 320 Seminar: Frank Lloyd Wright: Modern Architecture and New Ways of Living

1.0

ARTH 321 Seminar. Making Space: Gender, Sexuality and the Design of Houses

1.0

ARTH 322 Seminar: The Bauhaus

1.0

ARTH 333 Architecture and Landscape in Latin America

1.0

ARTH 376 Seminar: Local Stories: Research in Boston-Area Museums and Libraries

1.0

 

Studio Art

ARTS 105 Drawing I 1.25
ARTS 109 Two-Dimensional Design 1.25
ARTS 113 Three-Dimensional Design 1.25
ARTS 205 The Graphic Impulse: Mediated Drawing 1.25
ARTS 207 Sculpture I 1.25
ARTS 216 Spatial Investigations 1.25
ARTS 217 Life Drawing 1.25
ARTS 219 Mark, Matrix, Multiplicity: Lithography/Screenprint 1.25
ARTS 220 Print Methods: Intaglio/Relief 1.25
ARTS 221 / CAMS 239 Digital Imaging 1.25
ARTS 222 Print Methods: Typography/Book Arts 1.25
ARTS 255 / CAMS 255 Dynamic Interface Design 1.25
ARTS 307 Advanced Sculptural Practices 1.25
ARTS 314 Advanced Drawing 1.25
ARTS 317H Advanced Independent Senior Projects 0.5
ARTS 318H Advanced Independent Senior Projects 0.5
ARTS 321 / CAMS 321 Advanced New Media 1.25
ARTS 322 Advanced Print Concepts 1.25
ARTS 336 / MUS 336 From Mark to Sound, From Sound to Mark: Music, Drawing, and Architecture 1.25
ARTS 366 / CAMS 366 Advanced Projects in Film and Architecture 1.25

 

MIT

The following introductory courses (200-level) may be taken for credit toward the major:

4.021* Design Studio: How to Design or 4.02A (an IAP version of the same course)

4.022* Design Studio: Introduction to Design Techniques and Technologies

4.401   Environmental Technologies in Building

4.500   Design Computation: Art, Objects and Space

The following advanced courses (300-level) may be taken for credit toward the major (one unit only):

4.023   Architecture Design Studio I

4.024   Architecture Design Studio II

4.411   D-Lab Schools: Building Technology Laboratory

4.440J  Introduction to Structural Design

*Note: courses marked with * are counted “within the Department of Art”; all others are counted as courses outside the department.

Other MIT Course 4 (Architecture) and Course 11 (Urban Studies & Planning) courses may be approved for credit in the major. Students should speak with their advisor and petition the Co-Directors of Architecture for approval.

 

Olin

ENGR 2141 Engineering for Humanity

 

Mathematics

MATH 115 Calculus I

1.0

MATH 116 Calculus II

1.0

MATH 120 Calculus IIA

1.0

MATH 205 Multivariable Calculus

1.0

Note: More advanced courses may also be counted toward the major.

 

Physics

PHYS 104 Fundamentals of Mechanics with Laboratory

1.25

PHYS 107 Principles and Applications of Mechanics with Laboratory

1.25

 

Theatre Studies

THST 209 Scenic Design

1.0