To read more about our academic offerings, or to view full course descriptions, please refer to our University Catalog.

Portfolio Requirements

A portfolio of two and/or three-dimensional work demonstrating evidence of an applicant’s creative potential is required for all applicants for admission to the B.S. in Architecture program.

See Portfolio Requirements

Student Work

The Architecture Design Core Studios I, II, III, & IV are crafted in a progressive learning sequence based on themes. The themes have basis in the humanities, where architecture and its various modes of expression can be understood as means to document, record, process and re-cast the human experience to the built environment. Students are immersed in the studio learning environment where they develop critical thinking, design communication and representation skills, building practices, technical skills, professional practices and asked to contribute to the making of a global knowledge of architecture. Through this understanding we approach the studio as place to practice, to ply one's craft, and develop the discipline necessary to lead the profession of Architecture. Studios include Core Design Studios, Advanced Option Studios, Urban Studios, Graduate Option Studios, Integrated Design Studio, and Thesis Design Studio. 

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State-of-the-Art Facilities 

Study Architecture, Art and Architectural History, Preservation Studies, Preservation Practices, Real Estate, and Urban and Regional Planning in our NEA and AIA award-winning 65,000-square-foot building, originally opened in 1987 and thoroughly renovated in 2021. The design of the building balances individual study and work, group collaborations, and events.  

Samsung Design Studio

Through a major gift from Samsung, our design studios – mirroring environments in professional firms – host 450+ undergraduate and graduate students in Architecture and Preservation Practices in individual studio spaces, along with 20+ collaborative workspaces with multiple shared worktables, seating and pin-up spaces.  

Technical Facilities   

Our technical facilities include a shop for materials testing and projects, DM Lab with multiple laser cutters and 3D printer equipment and spray booth, a photo shooting studio, and a print room that provides free printing and plotting for students.  

Architecture Library 

The Architecture Library is one of the best in New England in terms of its physical and digital collections and is a sought-after study space for students. The library also includes individual carrels for Preservation Practices graduate students.  

Teaching Firm in Residence

The Teaching Firm in Residence is a highlight of the Cummings School of Architecture, which brings the highest quality educator practitioners from Boston, New York and elsewhere in the region, across the country and abroad to the Bristol campus to work directly with students for an entire semester. They participate in teaching graduate design studios, studio lectures, design review critiques at both RWU and on-site at the firm. 

Study Abroad in Italy or Spain 

Spend a semester in Italy during your junior or senior year studying Architecture in Florence at the Palazzo Rucellai, or in Barcelona at the Barcelona Architecture Center. Roger Williams University’s Florence study abroad program includes classroom, art studio and design review space at the Palazzo Rucellai, a landmark of the Renaissance, designed by the renowned humanist and architect Leon Battista Alberti and erected between 1446 and 1451. 

While abroad, students take courses, learn in a studio setting, work with multinational faculty and European firms, travel to other European cities, and engage with international students. Students remain enrolled as full-time students at RWU, and financial aid applies to their semester abroad. 

Customize Your Studies

Add a Sustainability Studies Minor 

Many Architecture majors choose to minor in Sustainability Studies. At RWU, Sustainability Studies is all about seeking solutions to the Earth’s most pressing problems. By combining ideas from a variety of disciplines — from science and humanities to business, engineering and architecture — you’ll develop a deeper understanding of the complex relationships among environmental, social and economic issues that will help guide your decision-making in your career and as a 21st-century citizen.   

Add a Real Estate Certificate 

RWU is launching a powerful new curriculum that prepares graduates with expansive skillsets and perspectives to meet the multi-faceted challenges of real estate. In addition to the upcoming launch of a graduate certificate, other programs are in development. Through the Cummings Institute for Real Estate, students will become leaders in sustainable and equitable design, development, business operations, public policy, and fair housing advocacy, with thriving careers across many real estate-related businesses and professions.  

Master’s In Architecture Program 

The NAAB-accredited Master of Architecture program prepares students to enter and advance both the discipline and the profession of architecture, providing a rigorous professional training in design, history, planning, and technology while helping students develop critical strategic thinking and communication skills to tackle a range of issues from sustainability and urbanism to historic preservation.  

Learn from Faculty Experts

The Cummings School of Architecture boasts an esteemed faculty of renowned artists, architects, authors, planners, historians and scholars from around the world. Experienced hands-on professionals, many of who have published in numerous scholarly and industry journals, our faculty is directly involved with all aspects of educating our students: from classroom lectures and demonstrations to field trips, installations and real-world projects in the community and across the globe.