Architectural History

Mosaic ceiling at Sutton Hall, UT Austin
ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY
HOW TO APPLY

The Architectural History Program at The University of Texas at Austin provides students with an opportunity to develop a critical understanding of the social, cultural, and technological forces that shape the built environment. The purpose of our program is to train future scholars to produce writings in architectural history, theory, and criticism that analyze the culture of the built environment as a whole.

The focus of our program is histories of architecture in the Americas from the late eighteenth century to the present, with additional strengths in European modernism and landscape history. Our faculty is engaged in historical work that examines the racial, gendered, and nationalist rhetoric introduced by the colonization of the Americas—a phenomenon that propelled the dissemination and canonization of transatlantic theories of design within the architectural disciplines. This work recovers the distinct artistic traditions that have made the United States, Central America, and South America unique fields of cultural production.

This approach to architectural history also expands the range of figures typically considered in historical surveys by broadening the definition of authorship in the built environment, attending to themes such as build craft, labor, and capitalism. We are especially interested in fostering research that recovers the historical contributions of women and people of color, including the role of African Americans in the United States.

The M.A. and Ph.D. programs are founded on rigorous training while offering students the flexibility to develop their own ideas and explore new fields and methodologies through independent study, academic and professional publication, and travel. Although we are committed to sound historical research, our work takes us beyond the traditional boundaries and archival sources of the discipline to investigate new perspectives, such as cultural landscapes and material culture, that arise from theoretical methodologies and interdisciplinary approaches and that can have an impact beyond our professional boundaries.

architectural history

DEGREES + PROGRAMS

The Architectural History Program at the University of Texas as Austin offers one graduate-level degree program, a doctoral-level degree, and a minor at the undergraduate level.  

GRADUATE PH.D. UNDERGRADUATE MINOR

Master of Arts in Architectural History

Ph.D. in Architectural History

Architectural History Minor

  • Instagram Post
    This spring, Associate Professor @danellebriscoe’s “Material InFORMation” seminar engaged in two robotics workshops with the school’s @kuka_americas robotic arms.
    @utsoa

    This spring, Associate Professor @danellebriscoe’s “Material InFORMation” seminar engaged in two robotics workshops with the school’s @kuka_americas robotic arms.

  • Instagram Post
    “Pause” by Michelle Franks @mellowmitchy for Igor Siddiqui’s @isssstudio Interior Design Core 3 // 2021-22 Design Excellence Award Winner<br />
    @utsoa

    “Pause” by Michelle Franks @mellowmitchy for Igor Siddiqui’s @isssstudio Interior Design Core 3 // 2021-22 Design Excellence Award Winner

  • Instagram Post
    @snohetta’s redesign of the @blantonmuseum’s grounds is now open and, boy, is it a stunner.<br />
    @utsoa

    @snohetta’s redesign of the @blantonmuseum’s grounds is now open and, boy, is it a stunner.

  • Instagram Post
    Check out this semester’s @gulfcoastdesignlab project in Lufkin, Texas<br />
    @utsoa

    Check out this semester’s @gulfcoastdesignlab project in Lufkin, Texas

  • Instagram Post
    We miss you already 🥹
    @utsoa

    We miss you already 🥹

  • Instagram Post
    Congratulations UTSOA Class of 2023, you did it! We can’t wait to see how you change the world 🤘<br /><br />Find more commencement event photos at the link in our bio 🎓
    @utsoa

    Congratulations UTSOA Class of 2023, you did it! We can’t wait to see how you change the world 🤘

    Find more commencement event photos at the link in our bio 🎓

  • Instagram Post
    We are *so* excited to celebrate our graduates tomorrow 🎓 Grads: Show us how you’re celebrating by tagging us and using #UTSOA for a chance to be featured.<br /><br />Commencement details, including a link to watch the livestream, can be found at the link in our bio. <br />
    @utsoa

    We are *so* excited to celebrate our graduates tomorrow 🎓 Grads: Show us how you’re celebrating by tagging us and using #UTSOA for a chance to be featured.

    Commencement details, including a link to watch the livestream, can be found at the link in our bio.

  • Instagram Post
    As our graduates prepare for their next big adventure, here’s a look back at some of the places they’ve been during their time at UTSOA <br /><br />#WhatStartsHere 🤘
    @utsoa

    As our graduates prepare for their next big adventure, here’s a look back at some of the places they’ve been during their time at UTSOA

    #WhatStartsHere 🤘

  • Instagram Post
    The School of Architecture’s commencement ceremony is this Saturday and, to celebrate, we’ll be recognizing our graduating students here all week. <br />
    @utsoa

    The School of Architecture’s commencement ceremony is this Saturday and, to celebrate, we’ll be recognizing our graduating students here all week.