School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture

Undergraduate Programs of Study

  • Architecture (major)
  • Landscape Architecture (major, minor)

Degrees Offered

  • Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (B.L.A.)
  • Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
  • Bachelor of Science in Architecture (B.S.Arch)

Department Description

The School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture offers a collaborative, studio-based, and accredited, design professional experience located in the vibrant urban setting of Fargo, ND. Our students develop creative problem-solving skills and lifelong intellectual curiosity while pursuing their own design philosophies. We prepare students to be design leaders who will impact the built environment in a creative and sustainable manner.

Architecture Accreditation

In the United States, most state 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 U.S. 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, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.

Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a pre-professional undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

North Dakota State University's Architecture program offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program:

  • M.Arch. (pre-professional degree + 32 graduate credits)
  • Next accreditation visit: 2018

Landscape Architecture Accreditation

The five-year Bachelors of Landscape Architecture (BLA) is accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB). The Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) accreditation process evaluates each program on the basis of its stated objectives and compliance to externally mandated minimum standards. The program conducts a self-study to evaluate how well it is meeting its educational goals. LAAB then provides an independent assessment, which determines if a program meets accreditation requirements. Accreditation is a non-governmental, voluntary system of self-regulation. Its core is the concept of self-evaluation. The BLA Program was last accredited in 2014 and is scheduled for re-accreditation in 2019. The pending Masters of Landscape Architecture will be reviewed in the fall of 2018.

Facilities

The classrooms, studios, and laboratories are well equipped and every effort is made to keep them abreast of current technology.

Student Societies and Organizations

Students are eligible to join one or more of these organizations which are actively supported for the benefit of students in the related curricula:

  • American Institute of Architecture Students
  • American Society of Landscape Architects

In addition, national professional honor societies have chapters on campus for students with high academic attainments. Eligible students are selected for Tau Sigma Delta from architecture or Sigma Lambda Alpha from landscape architecture. Membership in these societies is a coveted honor and highly regarded in the architectural professions.