Course Descriptions

The following directory draws from the official course catalog for the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. New and one-time courses offered since the last publication of the catalog may not be included here. Visit Testudo for a list of current course offerings. 

• Architecture

• ARCH 170 Introduction to the Built Enviroment (3)

  Introduction of conceptual, perceptual, behavioral and technical aspects of the built environment, and methods of analysis, problem solving and implementation. 
  course synopsis
  http://www.arch.umd.edu/Faculty/Eisenbach/Courses/ARCH170/index.htm | Syllabus

• ARCH 101 Foundations in Architecture (1)

  Grade Method: REG/P-F. Prerequisite: UNIV100 or permission of department. Restricted to students with less than 60 credits. Freshman standing. To pursue any field of knowledge one must first begin with the basics. By learning the "language" of architecture one can explore the foundations of the architectural profession through interactive and experiential learning.
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• ARCH 150 Discovering Architecture (3)

  Prerequisite: permission of department.  Introduction to careers in architecture. A Young Scholars Program course, offered during the summer only. Students learn about careers in architecture, landscape architecture and urban planning. Architecture faculty teach basic design principles that students use to complete their own design project in a design studio environment.  A Young Scholars Program course, offered during the summer only. 
  http://www.arch.umd.edu/architecture/academics/discovering_architecture.cfm | Syllabus

• ARCH 225 History of World Architecture I (3)

  Sophomore standing. Survey of architectural history from prehistory through the year 1000 CE
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• ARCH 226 History of World Architecture II (3)

  Sophomore standing. Survey of architectural history from 1000 to 1800.
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• ARCH 227 History of World Architecture III (3)

  Sophomore standing. Survey of architectural history from 1800 to present.
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• ARCH 242 Basic Architectural Drawing (3)

  ARCH majors only. Prerequisite: ARCH 170 or permission of department. The study of drawing as a learned skill with emphasis on observation, documentation, analysis, and synthesis. This introductory course immerses students in the conventions of architectural drawing (orthographics, isometrics, axonometrics and linear perspective) primarily through freehand drawing.
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• ARCH 343 Intermediate Architectural Drawing (3)

  ARCH majors only. Prerequisite: ARCH 242 or permission of department.  Development of media technique (including color pencil, pastel, graphite, ink, and watercolor) as vehicles for investigating color, composition, and abstraction. Exploration of historical and contemporary issues of representation in architectural visual communication.
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• ARCH 386 Experiential Learning (3)

  Prerequisite: Learning Proposal approved by faculty sponsor and student's internship sponsor. Junior standing.
  

• ARCH 400 Architecture Studio I (6)

  ARCH majors only. Introduction to architectural design with particular emphasis on conventions and principles of architecture, visual and verbal communication skills, formal analysis, design process, spatial composition, architectural promenade, basic program distribution, and elementary constructional and environmental responses.
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• ARCH 401 Architecture Studio II (6)

  ARCH 401 Architecture Studio I (6) ARCH majors only. Prerequisite: ARCH 400 with a grade of C or better.  Continuation of ARCH 400 with introduction to building typology, urban and contextual issues, design of the vertical surface, and architectural interiors.
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• ARCH 402 Architecture Studio III (6)

  ARCH majors only. Prerequisite: ARCH 401 with a grade of C or better. Architectural design studio with emphasis on building and facade typologies, the development of architectural promenade and sequence, public and/or civic infill buildings dependent upon the architectural promenade, and urban housing types of varying densities.  The building's obligations to its urban context are explored in many dimensions including historical, typological, and physical.
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• ARCH 403 Architecture Studio IV (6)

  ARCH majors only. Prerequisite: ARCH 402 with a grade of C or better. Investigations into the relationship between the man-made and the natural world including introductory issues of assembly and material value. Design of the site and the building are combined into an integral process delimiting and probing the boundaries of each and exploring their reciprocal relationship. A building's obligations to its natural and urban contexts are explored in many dimensions including historical, typological, environmental, and physical.
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• ARCH 404 Graduate Architecture Design Studio I (6)

  For Master of Architecture majors only. Introduction to architectural design with particular emphasis on conventions and principles of architecture, visual and verbal communication skills, formal analysis, design process, spatial composition, architectural promenade, basic program distribution, and elementary constructional and environmental responses. Offered fall only.
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• ARCH 405 Graduate Architecture Design Studio II (6)

  Prerequisite: ARCH404 with a grade of C or better. For Master of Architecture majors only. Architectural design studio with emphasis on building and facade typologies, the development of architectural promenade and sequence,
  public and/or civic infill buildings dependent upon the architectural promenade, and urban housing types of varying densities. The architect's obligations to urban context are explored in many dimensions including historical, typological, and physical. Offered spring only.
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• ARCH 406 Graduate Architecture Design Studio III (6)

  For Master of Architecture majors only. Prerequisite: ARCH405 with a grade of C or better. Investigations into the relationship between the man-made and the natural world including introductory issues of assembly and material value. Design of the site and the building are combined into an integral process delimiting and probing the boundaries of each and exploring their reciprocal relationship. The architect's obligations to the natural and urban contexts are explored in many dimensions including historical, typological, environmental and physical.
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• ARCH 407 Graduate Architecture Design Studio IV (6)

  For Master of Architecture majors only. Prerequisite: ARCH406 with a grade of C or better. Studio problems and theories concentrating on urbanism and urban design techniques. Issues and sites range from high-density urban in-fill to suburban and greenfield development in American and other contexts. Studio theories explore such topics as Contextualism, Neo-Traditional design, Transit Oriented Development, density, sustainable development, building typology and street design.
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• ARCH 410 Technology I (4)

  ARCH majors only.  Prerequisites: MATH 220, PHYS 121 & one of the following: BSCI 205, GEOG 140, GEOL 120, GEOL 123/METO 123/GEOG 123, or PHYS 122; Co-requisite: ARCH 400/404. First course in a four-course sequence that develops the knowledge and skills of architectural technology. Addresses climate, human responses to climate, available materials, topography and impact of culture. Principles of assembly, basic structural principles and philosophies of construction.
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• ARCH 411 Technology II (4)

  ARCH majors only.  Prerequisite: ARCH 410; Co-requisite: ARCH 401/405. Second course in a four-course sequence. Building construction processes and terminology; use and performance characteristics of primary building materials; principles of structural behavior related to the building systems; equilibrium and stability, stiffness and strength, types of stress, distribution of force and stress, resolution of forces, reactions, bending moments, shear deflection, buckling.
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• ARCH 412 Technology III (4)

  ARCH majors only.  Prerequisite: ARCH 411with a grade of C or better; Co-requisite: ARCH 402/406. Third course in a four-course sequence. Design of steel, timber and reinforced concrete elements and subsystems; analysis of architectural building systems. Introduction to design for both natural and man-made hazards.
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• ARCH 413 Technology IV (4)

  ARCH majors only.  Prerequisite: ARCH 412; Co-requisite: ARCH 403/407. Final course in a four-course sequence. Theory, quantification, and architectural design applications for HVAC, water systems, fire protection, electrical systems, illumination, signal equipment, and transportation systems.
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• ARCH 418 Selected Topics In Architectural Technology (3)

  Prerequisite: permission of department. Repeatable to a maximum of six credits, provided the content is different.
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• ARCH 419 Independent Studies In Architectural Technology (4)

  Proposed work must have a faculty sponsor and receive approval from the Curriculum Committee. Repeatable to a maximum of six credits, provided the content is different.
  Independent Study Proposal Form

  
  

• ARCH 420 History Of American Architecture (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 221 or permission of department. American architecture from the late 17th to the 21st century.
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• ARCH 422 History Of Greek Architecture (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 221 or permission of department. Survey of Greek architecture from 750-100 B.C.
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• ARCH 423 History Of Roman Architecture (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 221 or permission of department. Survey of Roman architecture from 500 B.C. to A.D. 325.
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• ARCH 426 Fundamentals of Architecture (3)

  ARCH majors only. Restricted to students entering the three and one-half year M.Arch. program. Thematic introduction of a variety of skills, issues, and ways of thinking that bear directly on the design and understanding of the built world.
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• ARCH 427 Theories Of Architecture (3)

  ARCH majors only. Prerequisite: ARCH 426 or permission of department.  Selected historical and modern theories of architectural design.
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• ARCH 428 Selected Topics In Architectural History (3)

  Prerequisite: permission of department. Special topics in the history of architecture. Repeatable to a maximum of six credits, provided the content is different.
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• ARCH 429 Independent Studies In Architectural History (4)

  Proposed work must have faculty sponsor and receive approval of the Curriculum Committee. Repeatable to a maximum of six credits, provided the content is different.
  Independent Study Proposal Form

  
  

• ARCH 432 History Of Medieval Architecture (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 221 or permission of department. Architecture of western Europe from the early Christian and Byzantine periods through the late Gothic, with consideration of parallel developments in the eastern world.
  

• ARCH 433 History Of Renaissance Architecture (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 221 or permission of department. Renaissance architectural principles and trends in the 15th and 16th centuries and their modifications in the Baroque period.
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• ARCH 434 History Of Modern Architecture (3)

  ARCH 434 History Of Modern Architecture (3) Prerequisite: ARCH 221 or permission of department. Architectural history from 1750 to World War II, with emphasis on developments since the mid-19th century.
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• ARCH 435 History Of Contemporary Architecture (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 221 or permission of department. Architectural history from World War II to the present.
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• ARCH 436 History Of Islamic Architecture (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 221 or permission of department. Survey of Islamic architecture from the 7th through the present day.
  

• ARCH 437 History Of Pre-columbian Architecture (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 221 or permission of department.  Architecture of the western hemisphere from the Pre-Classic period through the Spanish Conquest.
  

• ARCH 442 Studies In The Vertical Surface (3)

  ARCH majors only. Prerequisite: ARCH 401 or permission of department. Theories of analysis and design related to vertical surface.  Exercises include documentation, analysis, and design of facades.
  

• ARCH 443 Visual Communication (3)

  ARCH majors only. Restricted to students entering the three and one-half year M. Arch. program.  Co-requisite: ARCH 400.  Investigation of the relationship between drawing from life and architectural drawing; the conventions of architectural drawing as a means to develop, communicate, and generate architectural ideas.
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• ARCH 445 Visual Analysis Of Architecture (3)

  ARCH majors only. Prerequisite: ARCH 400, or permission of department. Study of visual principles of architectural and urban precedents through graphic analysis.  Exercises include on-site observation, documentation and analysis.  Focuses on the development of an architect's sketchbook as a tool for life-long learning.
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• ARCH 448 Selected Topics In Visual Studies (3)

  Prerequisite: permission of department. Repeatable to a maximum of six credits, provided the content is different.
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• ARCH 450 Introduction To Urban Planning (3)

  Prerequisite: permission of department.  Introduction to city planning theory, methodology and techniques; dealing with normative, urban, structural, economic, social aspects of the city; urban planning as a process.
  

• ARCH 453 Urban Problems Seminar (3)

  Prerequisite: permission of department. Case studies of urban development issues, dealing primarily with socio-economic aspects of changes in the built environment.
  

• ARCH 454 Theories Of Urban Form (3)

  Prerequisite: permission of department. Theories and history of urban design, planning, and the design of urban spaces, building complexes, and new communities.
  

• ARCH 456 Great Cities (3)

  Prerequisite: permission of department. Case studies from a selection of the great cities of the world.
  

• ARCH 460 Site Analysis And Design (3)

  ARCH majors only. Prerequisite: ARCH 400 or permission of department.  Principles and methods of site analysis; the influence of natural and man-made site factors on site design and architectural form.
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• ARCH 461 Sustainability In Architecture (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 401 and ARCH 410 or permission of department.  Strategies of sustainability as related to the broader context of architectural problem solving.
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• ARCH 470 Computer Applications In Architecture (3)

  ARCH majors only. Prerequisite: ARCH 400 or permission of department. Introduction to computer utilization, with emphasis on architectural applications. This is a vertical design seminar that explores the implications of computational design, graphic design, digital drawing and digital modeling processes in the context of affecting built environment. Through finite exercises and extended research projects, students translate between physical, digital, static and temporal media by continually postulating, testing and re-presenting. The course website is a window into continuous student work and an invitation for the public to participate in ongoing discussions.
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  http://0095b6.com/lostritto/arch470fa08/ | Syllabus

• ARCH 472 Economic Factors In Architecture (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 401 or permission of the department.  Introduction to economic factors influencing architectural form and design, including land economics, real estate, financing, project development, financial planning, construction, and cost control.
  

• ARCH 478C Careers in Architecture (3)

  Restricted to ARCH majors.  Provides an overview of the career development process (assessment, exploration, decision-making, and planning) as it relates to careers in architecture.  It will reveal the various careers in architecture, including those within the architectural profession, related disciplines such as engineering, construction, and interiors as well as disciplines of historic preservation, development, and others.
  

• ARCH 478j Selected Topics In Architecture (4)

  ARCH 478 Selected Topics In Architecture (1-4) Prerequisite: permission of department. Repeatable to a maximum of six credits, provided the content is different.
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• ARCH 479 Independent Studies In Architecture (4)

  Proposed work must have a faculty sponsor and receive approval of the Curriculum Committee. Repeatable to a maximum of six credits, provided the content is different.
  Independent Study Proposal Form
  

• ARCH 481 The Architect In Archaeology (3)

  ARCH 481 The Architect In Archaeology (3) Prerequisite: permission of department. The role of the architect in field archaeology and the analysis of excavating, recording, and publishing selected archaeological expeditions.
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• ARCH 483 Field Archaeology (3)

  Prerequisite: permission of department. Participation in field archaeology with an excavation officially recognized by proper authorities of local government.
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• ARCH 600 Comprehensive Design Studio (6)

  ARCH majors only.  Prerequisite: ARCH 403 or equivalent. Co-requisite: ARCH 611.  Comprehensive building and site design.  Course content bridges the gap between design and technology, between practice and education, in a studio setting.  Explorations include the integration of conceptual and technical aspects of architectural form and assembly, highlighting the ways in which multiple layers of a building design are developed, coordinated and resolved.
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• ARCH 601 Topical Studio (6)

  ARCH majors only.  Prerequisite: ARCH 600.  Topical architectural design studio with concentration on advanced theoretical, programmatic, contextual, and/or technical issues, with topical inquiry addressing but not limited to: architectural competitions, housing, sustainable design, collegiate architecture, regional architecture, classicism versus modernity.
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• ARCH 611 Advanced Architecture Technology Seminar (3)

  ARCH 611 Advanced Architecture Technology Seminar (3) ARCH majors only.  Prerequisite: ARCH 413. Co-requisite: ARCH 600.  Technology in the design of buildings. Application of technological issues in building design; integration of technology in architecture; technology as a form determinant in architecture; other conceptual and philosophical issues related to the application of technology in the design, construction, and use of buildings.
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• ARCH 621 Seminar In History Of American Architecture (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 221 or permission of department.  Advanced investigation of historical problems in American architecture.
  

• ARCH 628 Selected Topics In Architectural History (3)

  Prerequisite: permission of department. Repeatable to six credits, provided the content is different.
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• ARCH 629 Independent Studies In Architectural History (4)

  Proposed work must have faculty sponsor and receive approval of the Curriculum Committee.  Repeatable to a maximum of six credits, provided the content is different.
  Independent Study Proposal Form
  

• ARCH 635 Seminar In The History Of Modern Architecture (3)

  ARCH majors only. Prerequisite: ARCH 427 or permission of department.  Advanced investigation of historical problems in modern architecture.
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• ARCH 654 Urban Development and Design Theory (3)

  Advanced investigation into the history, and practice of urban design, planning, and development.
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  http://www.arch.umd.edu/ARCH654/index.html |

• ARCH 655 Urban Design Seminar (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 654 or permission of department. Advanced investigation into problems of analysis and evaluation of the design of urban areas, spaces and complexes with emphasis on physical and social considerations; effects of public policies through case studies. Field observations.
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• ARCH 670 Advanced Comprehensive Computer Technology In Architecture (3)

   Prerequisite: ARCH 403 and 470 or equivalent. Comprehensive use of computer technology in the design process. Use of digital vs. analog modeling to study design alternatives. Methods of representation to best convey concepts and integration of technology.
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  http://www.arch.umd.edu/Faculty/Ambrose/670/index.html | Syllabus

• ARCH 672 Architecture and the Idea of Type (3)

  ARCH majors only. Prerequisite: ARCH 402 or permission of department. The idea of type and typology, its implications for theory, scholarship, and practice in architecture and urban design.
  

• ARCH 673 Building Culture (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 403 or equivalent. Comprehension of major themes in the development of architectural building techniques and cultural value systems in architecture are developed through lecture, discussion and analysis of seminal readings and buildings.
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• ARCH 674 Seminar In Regionalism (3)

  Prerequisite: ARCH 600 or permission of department.  Regional characteristics of culture, climate, and landscape as determinants of world architecture.
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• ARCH 676 Field Research In Architecture (3)

  ARCH majors only. Prerequisite: ARCH 600 or permission of department.  Recording and analysis of significant architectural complexes in situ.
  

• ARCH 678 Selected Topics In Architecture (3)

  Prerequisite: permission of department. Repeatable to a maximum of six credits, provided the content is different.
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• ARCH 678Q Social and Behavioral Factors in Architecture and Urban Design (3)

  
  

• ARCH 679 Independent Studies In Architecture (3)

  Proposed work must have faculty sponsor and receive approval of the Curriculum Committee.  Repeatable to a maximum of six credits, provided the content is different.
  Independent Study Proposal Form
  

• ARCH 700 Advanced Urban Design Studio VII (6)

  ARCH majors only.  Prerequisite: ARCH 600 or permission of department.  Studio problems and theories concentrating on urbanism and urban design techniques.  Issues and sites range from high density urban in-fill to suburban and greenfield development in American and other contexts.  Studio theories explore such topics as Contextualism, Neo- Traditional design, Transit Oriented Development, density, sustainable development, building typology, and street design.
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• ARCH 770 Professional Practice (3)

  ARCH majors only.  Prerequisite: ARCH 601 or permission of department. Project management, organizational, legal, economic and ethical aspects of architecture.
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• ARCH 797 Thesis Proseminar (3)

  ARCH majors only.  Prerequisite: ARCH 601. Directed research and preparation of thesis program.
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• ARCH 798 Thesis In Architecture (3)

  ARCH majors only.  Prerequisites: ARCH 797, permission of department and 3.0 GPA overall; Co-requisite: ARCH 799. Complements the research of ARCH 799, with presentation of the design research to student's thesis committee.
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• ARCH 799 Masters Thesis Research (6)

  ARCH majors only. Prerequisites: ARCH 797, permission of department and 3.0 GPA overall. Co-requisite: ARCH 798. Repeatable to a maximum of six credits, provided the content is different. Development of masters thesis.
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