Overview
A BAC Education in Design Includes Practical Experience Gained in Boston-Area Firms Coupled with Varied Design Studies
Boston Architectural College (BAC) offers students an excellent education in design by providing both practical and academic experiences. The college's mission includes making an education in design open to students from diverse backgrounds. Students in all areas of design studies earn degree credits by performing supervised work in Boston-area firms - having some 300 from which to chose - during the day. They then attend classes at BAC several evenings a week.
This experience unites theory with practice and enables students to test for licensure soon after graduation. The college supports collaboration between architecture and interior design students, and each program's design studio serves as the core of its curriculum components. The interior design program focuses upon the relationship between interior environments and human behavior. Students look for and build upon the connections between design studies and research in psychology, neurology, and human behavior.
Architecture students initially explore the breadth of their field, integrating skills and knowledge, and later pursue advanced courses in individual interests. Founded in 1889 in historic Boston, the college's central location in the Back Bay area provides a strong connection to the design community. BAC serves the city as a strategic center for discussions of design-related issues. In addition to providing an excellent education in design, BAC is a site for life-long learning, providing an exhibit and lecture program that welcomes the metro-Boston community to learn about architecture, interior design, landscape design, and development.
Students Earn Master of Interior Design and Master of Architecture Degrees Through Academic and Practical Credits
Students may earn the Master of Interior Design or Master of Architecture degree at Boston Architectural College. Each degree plan features concurrent learning that combines practice in the field with course work. Design studios serve as curriculum cornerstones of each program.
The Master of Architecture curriculum includes liberal studies courses and professional education specific to architecture, and requires approximately five years for completion. During the practice component, students work in local design firms to earn credits in such areas as design initiation, design implementation, and construction. By meeting practice curriculum requirements, students earn significant credit toward the Intern Development Program. The Master of Architecture program is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the National Architectural Accrediting Board and is required for students to sit for the national licensure examination.
The academic component of the Master of Interior Design, accredited by the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research, includes general arts and sciences education. It also encompasses professional education, such as design studio, history and theory, technology and management, and visual studies. In the practice aspect, students work in local design firms to earn credits in areas that include design initiation, design implementation, and administration. Through practice, students also earn hours in the Interior Design Experience Program. Following graduation, a student needs only forty-four weeks of experience to be eligible for the national licensure examination.
Faculty, Staff, and Design Students Work Within a Multidisciplinary Environment of Collaboration and Research
BAC is an educational environment of multidisciplinary collaboration between architecture and interior design students and faculty and staff members. The faculty comprises educators and professional practitioners, including architects, interior designers, urban planners, and landscape architects. The faculty, administrators, and volunteer Boston-area practitioners contribute to fulfilling the college's overall mission.
Faculty members help the college maintain an esteemed reputation for quality instruction and student-centered learning. As full-time design practitioners, faculty members can share with students the skills and abilities required for success in their fields, providing a real-world perspective to design studies. The BAC encourages and supports the research interests of its faculty members, especially in the realms of pioneering concepts in architecture, design studies, interior design, and landscape architecture. The Board of Directors has established a research fund to encourage faculty members and design professionals to test out new concepts in design education and practice.
The college serves as a center for professional development, providing institutional resources as research facilities and sites for continuing education. The floors of the Boston facilities provide an open area of creativity and cooperative learning. The ground floor of the college includes an inviting gallery. Education and research facilities are available within the college's studio space, classrooms, wood shop, computer labs, library, laser cutter room, and other settings that contribute to the future of design.
