Course Curriculum

The Bachelor of Design in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urbanism at UBC is structured over four years, providing a progressive curriculum that integrates theory, practice, and experiential learning to prepare students for professional design careers. In the first year, students develop foundational skills through courses such as Measured Architectural Drawing, Design Thinking, Architecture in Context: Vancouver and its Region, Sustainability by Design, and Design Studio I, establishing a strong base in technical drawing, site analysis, and critical thinking. In the second year, the focus expands to Design Studio II, Design Media I, Material Culture, and Architectural History I, emphasizing form, materials, historical context, and sustainability principles while strengthening studio practice. The third year deepens design synthesis through Design Studio III and IV, Structural Systems and Supports, Design Theory, and Histories in Landscape Architecture, enabling students to integrate building-scale, urban, and landscape considerations. In the fourth year, advanced coursework includes Design Studio V and VI, Urbanism by Design, Environment, Urban Form, and Infrastructure, and Entrepreneurship and Ethics in Design, allowing students to tackle complex urban and environmental challenges while considering professional practice, ethics, and innovation. This comprehensive progression equips graduates with critical thinking, technical proficiency, and interdisciplinary design skills necessary to create socially, ecologically, and aesthetically responsive environments across architecture, landscape architecture, and urbanism.