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 underrecognized 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
    On Wednesday, Brooklyn-based artist Olalekan Jeyifous @kidcadaver will guide us through his unique professional trajectory and discursive practice in his lecture, “The Road Became a River: Possibilities and Parallels.”<br>
    @utsoa

    On Wednesday, Brooklyn-based artist Olalekan Jeyifous @kidcadaver will guide us through his unique professional trajectory and discursive practice in his lecture, “The Road Became a River: Possibilities and Parallels.”

  • Instagram Post
    On Monday, the landscape architect Kristina Hill drkzhill will present her lecture “Design for Sea Level Rise: How to Drop the Mic and Change the Conversation.” The lecture will take place Monday, Sept. 16 at 5:00 pm in the Goldsmith Lecture Hall. Details at the link in our bio.<br>
    @utsoa

    On Monday, the landscape architect Kristina Hill drkzhill will present her lecture “Design for Sea Level Rise: How to Drop the Mic and Change the Conversation.” The lecture will take place Monday, Sept. 16 at 5:00 pm in the Goldsmith Lecture Hall. Details at the link in our bio.

  • Instagram Post
    A big SOA welcome to the three visiting faculty members joining the School of Architecture this semester: Karel Klein, Andy Bako and Michael Moynihan.<br>
    @utsoa

    A big SOA welcome to the three visiting faculty members joining the School of Architecture this semester: Karel Klein, Andy Bako and Michael Moynihan.

  • Instagram Post
    Next week we’re hosting the Black Home as Public Art symposium, a one-and-a-half-day symposium examining creative notions of the Black home in the United States.<br>
    @utsoa

    Next week we’re hosting the Black Home as Public Art symposium, a one-and-a-half-day symposium examining creative notions of the Black home in the United States.

  • Instagram Post
    Congratulations to the three UTSOA faculty members who were recently promoted!<br>
    @utsoa

    Congratulations to the three UTSOA faculty members who were recently promoted!

  • Instagram Post
    What a great way to end the first week of classes, welcoming everyone back to campus and celebrating the start of a new year 🤘
    @utsoa

    What a great way to end the first week of classes, welcoming everyone back to campus and celebrating the start of a new year 🤘

  • Instagram Post
    Jesse Reiser kicks off our Fall 2024 lecture series tomorrow with his lecture “Weaponized Craft” taking place in Jessen Auditorium at 5:00 p.m.<br>
    @utsoa

    Jesse Reiser kicks off our Fall 2024 lecture series tomorrow with his lecture “Weaponized Craft” taking place in Jessen Auditorium at 5:00 p.m.

  • Instagram Post
    Welcome back, we missed you! 🤘
    @utsoa

    Welcome back, we missed you! 🤘

  • Instagram Post
    Announcing our Fall 2024 Lectures &amp; Exhibitions Series!<br>
    @utsoa

    Announcing our Fall 2024 Lectures & Exhibitions Series!