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USC School of Architecture

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USC School of Architecture
TypePrivate
Established1914[1]
Parent institution
University of Southern California
Academic affiliations
NAAB
DeanBrett Steele
Associate DeanAmy L. Murphy[2]
Trudi Sandmeier[2]
Academic staff
112[1]
Undergraduates500[1]
Postgraduates200[1]
Location
Los Angeles
,
California
,
United States
Campus
ColorsCardinal and Gold
   
Websitearch.usc.edu
Map

The USC School of Architecture is the architecture school at the University of Southern California. Located in Los Angeles, California, it is one of the university's twenty-two professional schools, offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees in the fields of architecture, building science, landscape architecture and heritage conservation.[3]

The USC School of Architecture has enrolled over 6,500 alumni. Since its founding as a department in 1914, the school has produced some of the world's leading architects, including Frank Gehry, Paul R. Williams, Pierre Koenig and Thom Mayne, among others.[4] The current dean of the school is Brett Steele[2] and faculty includes notable architects including Alvin Huang, Wes Jones, Lorcan O'Herlihy and Lawrence Scarpa.[5]

History

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Watt Hall, built in 1974 by USC architecture alumnus Edward Killingsworth

The program at USC began as an architecture department in 1914. Soon after, with the help of the Allied Architects of Los Angeles, a separate School of Architecture was established in 1925.[6] By 1928, majors and degree-granting programs were provided to students. One of the earliest undergraduate programs was the 5-year professional Bachelor of Architecture program.

The current main buildings are Watt Hall & Harris Hall. Watt Hall was built in 1974 and designed by alumnus Edward Killingsworth ('40).[7]

In 1966, USC Architecture took over maintenance of the Gamble House,[8] the Craftsman masterpiece in Pasadena designed by Greene and Greene in 1966 in a joint deed with the city of Pasadena, which took over responsibility for the grounds.[7] In November 2019, ownership was transferred to the Gamble House Conservancy run by the city of Pasadena.[9]

The school also owned the Samuel Freeman House, a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles built in 1923.[10] USC Architecture sold the home to real estate developer Richard Weintraub in 2022.[11] The Freeman house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.[12] The house has also been listed as a California Historical Landmark #1011,[13] and as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #247 in 1981.[14]

Fields of study

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Watt Hall houses the School of Architecture as well as the Roski School of Art and Design

The school offers three undergraduate degrees, three undergraduate minors, six master's degrees, five dual degrees, and nine certificate programs.[15]

Undergraduate architecture

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The undergraduate "B. Arch" is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board.[16]

Graduate architecture

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The graduate "M. Arch" is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board.[17] As an accredited professional degree, the M.Arch provides firm grounding knowledge in history, technology, professional practice and theory. The separate Master of Advanced Architecture Studies (MAAS) is a post-professional degree for those who already have a Bachelor of Architecture degree.

Graduate heritage conservation

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The graduate heritage conservation curriculum is designed to expose students to the full breadth of the profession, including "...materials conservation, policy and planning, conservation theory, global conservation efforts, architectural and landscape history, best-practices in resource documentation and evaluation, sustainability, and historic site management."[18]

Graduate landscape architecture and urbanism

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Landscape architecture at USC is a design-centered program centered on a trans-disciplinary approach. The Master of Landscape Architecture is accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB).[19]

Graduate building science

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The Master of Building Science (MBS) degree program was recognized as a "top-notch program" by Architect Magazine: Journal of the American Institute of Architects, in 2009.[20] Building science focuses on the relationship of the human condition and to natural forces. The USC Chase L. Leavitt Graduate Building Science program emphasizes the breadth of technology in architecture, including structures, building systems, analytical computing and BIM, building envelopes, design theories and methods, human comfort, sustainability, acoustics, lighting and daylighting.

Facilities

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Harris Hall, USC School of Architecture

The School of Architecture is located in the Harris Hall and Watt Hall Complex, at the southern end of the USC University Park Campus. The school comprises over 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2) of design studios, classrooms, galleries, workshops and labs. Students in the USC School of Architecture have their own 24-7 personal workstations. Students have access to their projects at all times. Watt Hall contains one of the best regional architecture libraries, and is home to extensive woodshop and fabrication facilities. The complex also houses several gallery review spaces and, next door, the "USC Fisher Museum of Art".

Faculty

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Notable Former Faculty:

Alumni

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Frank Gehry (B.Arch 1954), architecture alumnus
Thom Mayne (B.Arch 1968), co-founder and principal of Morphosis Architects

Many of the students that have graduated from the USC School of Architecture have moved on to be leading figures in the architectural community.

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 "Architecture | Academics | USC". academics.usc.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  2. 1 2 3 "About: Staff". USC Architecture. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Academics". USC School of Architecture. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  4. ↑ "USC Architecture Celebrates 100 Years of Innovation & Impact". USC School of Architecture. Retrieved 2021-04-23.
  5. ↑ "Faculty". USC School of Architecture. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  6. ↑ A Separate School of Architecture established
  7. 1 2 Allison Engel, In memoriam: Samuel Hurst, 94 Archived 2017-02-10 at the Wayback Machine, USC News, April 28, 2015, accessed February 7, 2017.
  8. ↑ Gamble House celebrates 50 years of the gift to USC and Pasadena
  9. ↑ Reiner-Roth, Shane (November 7, 2019). "California's historic Gamble House is changing hands after more than five decades". The Architect's Newspaper. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  10. ↑ Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation article about the Freeman House
  11. ↑ Hilburg, Jonathan (February 28, 2022). "Frank Lloyd Wright's Freeman House is sold to a preservation-minded developer". The Architect's Newspaper. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  12. ↑ National Register #71000146
  13. ↑ California Historical Landmark #1011
  14. ↑ "Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Landmark #247". Archived from the original on 2019-08-13. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  15. ↑ "USC Architecture: Academics". USC Architecture. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  16. ↑ Full accreditation renewed for eight years
  17. ↑ USC M.ARCH program receives maximum term of accreditation
  18. ↑ Master of Heritage Conservation, University of Southern California
  19. ↑ Master of Landscape Architecture, University of Southern California
  20. ↑ Top=Notch Program: Master of Building Science, University of Southern California
  21. ↑ Woo, Elaine (December 9, 2012). "Barry Berkus dies at 77; architect of mass-market housing". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Behnaz Farahi". Behnaz Farahi. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
  23. ↑ "SDA | Synthesis Design". synthesis-dna.com. Retrieved 2019-01-16.[dead link]
  24. ↑ "Alvin Huang". USC School of Architecture. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
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34°01′09″N 118°17′17″W / 34.019155°N 118.288026°W / 34.019155; -118.288026

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