Architecture graduate schools highly value the strong liberal arts backgrounds of Colgate students.
Architecture Minor
The architecture minor is housed within Colgate's Department of Art. While such a minor is not required for graduate admissions, students interested in pursuing graduate-level architectural studies should consider the opportunity while at Colgate.
A Coherent Course of Study
Colgate students minoring in architecture build an understanding of the power of the built environment to shape lives and embody social values. The minor offers a coherent course of study focusing on architecture as a cultural and intellectual product. Courses examine historical architecture in a wide range of intellectual, social, and political contexts including:
- the value of the built environment and architecture’s intimate relationship to design, space, place, and human behavior
- the history and theory of architecture across time and place, in the context of local and global developments
- the interdisciplinary nature of architecture and its intersection with other forms of art and media
- the impact of conflict and climate on architectural heritage
- creative design through studio practice
Architecture minor requirements
Graduate Study Recommendations
![Professor Padma Kaimal gestures to a sculpted feature](/sites/default/files/styles/optimized/public/2019-04/padma-kaimal-architecture1.jpg?itok=X6z-Xh-u)
Academic experience in the liberal arts is highly valued by the best graduate schools. The following are some curricular recommendations for Colgate students who anticipate pursuing graduate work in architecture:
- It is strongly recommended that you take upper-level studio art courses, especially drawing (ARTS 211), sculpture (ARTS 263 or ARTS 264), or architectural design courses (ARTS 271).
- Calculus and physics are expected for admission to graduate-level architecture programs. Students should therefore take at least one semester of calculus and one semester of physics (PHYS 105 or PHYS 111).
- Students may also bolster their résumés with upper-level architectural design courses.
Architectural History and Theory
Students interested in pursuing an advanced degree specifically in architectural history and theory should:
- study a foreign language such as (but not limited to) German or French to achieve reading proficiency, and;
- participate in an approved semester-long study abroad program in art history or pre-architecture, such as DIS in Copenhagen, in order to experience global architecture firsthand.
Pre-Architecture Contact
As early as possible, we encourage you to speak with the pre-architecture adviser: