Requirements

The Core: 32 Hours

All majors at Harding are required to complete the 47-hour Core Liberal Arts  program. The following Core requirements are met within the content of the major: 

• Mathematics and Physics satisfy 6 hours of Inquiry, Investigation, and Reasoning.
• HUM 2730  taken during international travel satisfies either 6 hours from Historical and Literary Perspective or 3 hours of Historical and Literary Perspective and 3 hours of Self and Society.
• ART 1010  satisfies 3 hours of Aesthetics and the Creative Spirit.

Undergraduate Component: 92 Hours

Students must pass the Second-year Portfolio Review (see explanation below)

• ARCH 1010 - Intro to the Built Environment Credit Hours: 2
• ARCH 1020 - Architectural Graphics I Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 1060 - Architectural Graphics II Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 1080 - Human Behavior & Built Environment Credit Hours: 2
• ARCH 2210 - Architectural Graphics III Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 2500 - History and Theory of Architecture I Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 2610 - Architecture Studio I Credit Hours: 4
• ARCH 2700 - History and Theory of Architecture II Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 2780 - Architecture Studio II Credit Hours: 4
• ARCH 2800 - Structural Systems I Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 3200 - Environmental Systems Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 3400 - Structural Systems II Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 3500 - Regulatory Codes Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 3610 - Architecture Studio III Credit Hours: 5
• ARCH 3780 - Architecture Studio IV Credit Hours: 5
• ARCH 3820 - History and Theory of Architecture III Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 4100 - Architectural Travel Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 4200 - Building Envelope Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 4320 - Professional Practice Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 4800 - Building Systems Integration Credit Hours: 3
• ART 1010 - Art Appreciation Credit Hours: 3
• ART 1600/1600L - 2D Design Foundations Credit Hours: 3
• ART 3750 - Visual Aesthetics and the Biblical Perspective Credit Hours: 3
• HUM 2730 - World Civilization/Humanities Credit Hours: 2-6

• (Should be taken for 6 hours to earn either 6 hours from Historical and Literary Perspective or 3 hours of Historical and Literary Perspective and 3 hours of Self and Society.)

• MATH 1300 - Mathematics for Architecture and Construction Credit Hours: 4

• (This requirement may be met with MATH 1320  and MATH 1340 , or MATH 1330  and MATH 1340 , MATH 2300 , or MATH 2350 .)

• PHYS 2000 - Structural Physics Credit Hours: 3

• or PHYS 2010 - College Physics I Credit Hours: 3  

• 6 hours of electives from ARCH, CVLE, IDA, COSC, or the Paul R. Carter College of Business Administration.

Remaining Bible/Electives: 7 Hours

ART 3750  is required in the major and will count as Bible in the semester taken.

See Bible Class Enrollment policy here. 

Graduate Component: 10 Hours

• ARCH 5610 - Advanced Architecture Studio I Credit Hours: 5
• ARCH 5780 - Advanced Architecture Studio II Credit Hours: 5

Undergraduate Completion: 141

Remaining Graduate Component: 27 Hours

• ARCH 5820 - Building Technology Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 5870 - Architecture Internship Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 6500 - Design Research Credit Hours: 3
• ARCH 6610 - Advanced Architecture Studio III Credit Hours: 6
• ARCH 6780 - Advanced Architecture Studio IV Credit Hours: 6
• ARCH 6800 - Advanced Professional Practice Credit Hours: 3
• 3 hours from ARCH 6410-6419  or ARCH elective(s)

Total hours: 168

Note(s): Second-year Portfolio Review

Second-year Portfolio Review is conducted near the end of the fall semester of the second year to evaluate and provide feedback on the creative and technical progress of each student. During the review the faculty will assess drawing and composition skills, design innovation, creativity, technical knowledge, graphic techniques and presentation skills.

Required after the student has completed: ARCH 1010 , ARCH 1020 , ARCH 1060 , ARCH 1080 , ART 1010  and ART 1600/1600L . ARCH 2210  and ARCH 2610  will be taken concurrently with the review. The student must also have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in all university courses and a GPA of 2.5 in all major courses. The results of Second-year Portfolio Review are pass or fail. Students who do not pass the review will be given the opportunity to rework weak elements of their portfolio prior to the start of the next semester. Passing the Second-year Portfolio Review is a prerequisite to enrolling in ARCH 3610 . 

Program Fee

All majors pay a fee of $275 per semester in the first year and $625 per semester for the following years.

Academic Standing Requirements

Graduate students are expected to make steady progress through the program. The program director will review the progress of students who do not satisfactorily complete at least two graduate courses in an academic year (fall term through summer term). A student not satisfactorily completing at least one course in three consecutive terms will be declared “inactive” and must reapply for admission before being permitted to return to the program.

A minimum grade point average of 3.0 on all graduate ARCH coursework is required for graduation. Undergraduate courses required as prerequisites for graduate courses are not calculated in the cumulative graduate grade point average. Generally, any student who receives two F grades is dismissed automatically from the Master of Architecture program. If a grade of F is received in a required course, that course must be repeated. If the student receives a grade of F on the second attempt, the student is automatically dismissed from the program. Fully matriculated students must earn a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in order to graduate. 

The following model is provided in order to ensure students’ successful and timely completion of the program:

Academic Warning:

1-13 hours & less than 2.75 GPA
14-25 hours & less than 2.95 GPA
26 hours - graduation & less than 3.00 GPA 

Academic Probation:

1-13 hours & less than 2.25 GPA
14-25 hours & less than 2.75 GPA
26 hours - graduation & less than 2.95 GPA

Academic Discipline:

1. Academic Warning status is an early warning to students who are in danger of being put on academic probation and, as such, does not carry any restrictions.
2.  Students under Academic Probation are not eligible to represent the University in extracurricular activities.
3. Academic Probation policy applies to fall, spring, and summer semesters. Upon the completion of the probationary terms, Academic Probation is lifted at the end of a semester. Failure to remove Academic Probation status the following semester may result in the student being dismissed from the program.
4. Students that have been dismissed will be on Academic Suspension for one year. During the suspension period, students will not be allowed to take any graduate classes. After the suspension is lifted, the student may return to classes under Academic Probation status.
5. If a student receives a “failing” grade in any course during the first semester of enrollment, he or she may be dismissed from the program.
6. The decision to dismiss a student for failure to meet the required standards of progress does not preclude the student from returning to Harding University in a later semester.
7. In all cases, a second dismissal will be final.

NAAB Accreditation

In the United States, most registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an eight-year term with conditions, a two-year term of continuing accreditation, or a three-year term of initial accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established education standards. Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a non-accredited undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the non-accredited degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

The Architecture Program in the Department of Art, Architecture and Design of Harding University is currently in candidacy and pursuing NAAB accreditation for the Master of Architecture (M.Arch) degree. The M.Arch degree consists of 131 credit hours of undergraduate coursework and 37 hours of graduate coursework for a total of 168 credit hours.

The NAAB grants candidacy status to new programs that have developed viable plans for achieving initial accreditation. Candidacy status indicates that a program expects to achieve initial accreditation within six years of achieving candidacy, if its plan is properly implemented. In order to meet the education requirement, set forth by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, an applicant for an NCARB Certificate must hold a professional degree in architecture from a program accredited by the NAAB; the degree must have been awarded not more than two years prior to initial accreditation. However, meeting the education requirement for the NCARB Certificate may not be equivalent to meeting the education requirement for registration in a specific jurisdiction. Please contact NCARB for more information.

The Architecture Program in the Department of Art, Architecture and Design at Harding University was granted Candidacy status in 2024 and Continuation of Candidacy in April of 2026 for the Master of Architecture (M.Arch) degree. The projected year to achieve initial accreditation is 2028. The earliest graduation date projected to meet NCARB education requirements is 2027.