Undergraduate professional program offered in the Department of Architectural Studies
at the University of Missouri-Columbia include: Interior Design degree program , Architectural Studies degree program, and Minor in Architectural Studies.
All encompass research, development, and implementation of plans and designs for the interior environment to improve the quality of life, increase productivity and protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.

Curriculum requirements include courses in supportive areas such as the human and physical sciences, art, humanities, and allied design professions. Course work centers around synthesis of functional, technological, aesthetic, and symbolic attributes of interior design and architecture emphasizing physical environments that support human needs and aspirations.

Application for a Professional Program in Architectural Studies
Students must apply for admission to the interior design studio sequence required for all undergraduate professional programs. Applications are made at the end of the spring semester of the freshman year for permission to enroll in ARCHST 2811 - Architectural Studies Studio and ARCHST 1600 - Environmental Analysis in the winter semester. Application forms with deadlines are available from the department.

Studio Experience
information in detail
visit significant architecture & interiors

Design studio experiences are the core of the undergraduate design curriculum. It is in the studio where knowledge and skills gleaned from pre-and co-requisite courses are synthesized and applied in physical design problem solving exercises.
Studio exercises focus on a cyclical refinement of the design process and the integration of increasingly complex problem parameters. Consistent emphasis is placed on planning and design of physical environments that support human needs and aspirations.

Architectural Studies students may wish to consider a minor in Art to complement their undergraduate degree.
Students interested in this minor must complete appropriate paperwork through the College of Arts and Science office. See Art department for details.

Client-based projects in studio classes:
Our Department of Architectural Studies routinely has client-based projects in studio classes. Since we are an accredited program, the learning objectives of courses need to match the proposed project.  The process of review is to have the potential client submit an email describing the scope of the project with information on square feet and their objectives.  It is a faculty member's decision to determine whether the objectives of their course will be met in the proposed project. There is usually a rather long lead time since upfront planning is involved and the appropriate amount of time is given for the students to complete their work. 

The benefit of engaging in real-world projects for our students is that they immerse students in the complexities of design that are faced as practicing professionals. The benefits to clients are an increased understanding of the nature of their design problem and a corresponding awareness of possible design solutions. The design solutions generated by the students will by their very nature be incomplete. These initial solutions, however, have the potential to shed useful insight into design possibilities and to provide opportunities to explore the nature of the client-designer collaboration process. Student work is not intended to be a substitute for practicing design professional services. The student work is useful when an architectural and/or interior design firm is hired for the next phases of building design and construction documents.

*Course description