Architectural history Programs

The study of history provides the connection, context, and roots central for the identity of who we were, who we are, and who we might be. History of architecture as a field within the broad intellectual discipline of history has a special role in helping us to understand the built environment and how it affects our lives. The School of Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin offers a two-stage master's and doctoral program in preparation for college teaching, writing, and specialized research careers. Students work closely with faculty in courses, seminars, and independent research projects to develop independent thought as well as a thorough knowledge of the field and its critical methods. Cross-disciplinary work in the university's distinguished departments of art history, history, philosophy, and geography is encouraged. Students are expected to demonstrate a high degree of competence across a wide range of the history of architecture, together with mastery of a field of specialization.

The graduate Architectural History Program at The University of Texas at Austin is among the handful of architectural history faculties in the United States housed within a school of architecture. Faculty and students pursue a wide range of approaches and methodologies, but emphasis is placed on understanding buildings and their architects in context and on viewing buildings and design as complex and interconnected wholes. The program offers unusual depth in the modern period but supports a broad range of subjects.

Admission to the program is highly competitive. Seminars are small, and advanced students work one-on-one with their advisors and other faculty members. The University's libraries — with excellent art, architecture, and planning collections — complement the curriculum.