What You’ll Do
At first glance, the courses described below might sound a little intimidating. That’s natural. But again and again, students rise to the occasion, surprise themselves, and realize that what once felt intimidating is actually engaging, meaningful, and even fun. Clear structure, mentorship, and reflection are built into every step, allowing students to grow at a sustainable pace while developing real confidence in their judgment and abilities.
As the courses unfold, uncertainty gives way to confidence. The complexities of architectural practice are gradually demystified, and in their place emerges a sense of adventure and open possibility. By the end of the program, architecture feels far more approachable, and students feel capable of imagining what their own future in architecture or related fields might hold.
Studio Startup
Launch and run a simulated architecture firm, learning how real practices balance creativity, business logistics, and long-term vision.
Studio Startup is a simulation-based course in which students collaborate to launch and run their own architecture firm in a realistic, evolving marketplace. Working in small teams, students define their firm’s mission, business model, areas of expertise, target clients, and office culture. They set goals related to profitability, design excellence, growth, and work/life balance, and then they see the consequences of those choices play out over time.
Students engage with simulated clients, compete for project commissions, assess project feasibility, and decide which opportunities to pursue. They produce work, get paid, track expenses, manage a firm bank account, and navigate the financial realities of practice. Along the way, they learn how to read client personalities, anticipate project risks, and recognize strategic opportunities. They develop judgment about client fit, ethics, and long-term sustainability.
Integrity
Navigate the human and strategic decisions that shape client relationships and give lasting meaning to architectural work.
Integrity is a story-driven course that immerses students in the unfolding life of a single architectural project. Through a richly detailed narrative, students step inside the world of a project team as it navigates the goals, dreams, tensions, and hidden agendas of a diverse group of stakeholders - including a client leadership team, engineers, fabricators, other architecture firms, and community voices.
As each chapter unfolds, students encounter a new phase of the project’s development, along with obstacles that threaten progress. These challenges are rarely simple. They often carry ethical dimensions, asking students to consider not only what will keep the project on schedule and within budget, but what the right course of action truly is. Students must weigh questions of integrity, kindness, honesty, responsibility, and long-term excellence as they determine how to move forward.
Team Builder
Step into a leadership role and learn how to build, mentor, and sustain a healthy design team.
Team Builder is a leadership-focused simulation in which students step into the role of a partner at a large corporate architecture firm who has been placed in charge of a struggling satellite office. Over a simulated five-year period, students are tasked with stabilizing, rebuilding, and growing the office - balancing staff well-being with professional and financial performance.
Students manage a diverse staff, getting to know the strengths, weaknesses, personalities, and aspirations of each team member. They allocate staff to projects, address collaboration challenges, and respond to interpersonal conflicts. As the office grows, students hire new employees. They review résumés and portfolios, conduct interviews, negotiate salaries, and make strategic decisions about team composition.
Find Your Path
Reflect on your experiences, discover emerging strengths and interests, and gain clarity about possible paths forward in architecture and beyond.
Find Your Path is the culminating course of the Firm Foundations program. It weaves together the topics explored throughout the preceding courses. It invites students to pause, reflect, and make meaning of everything they have experienced across the program.
Students revisit the conceptual frameworks used in earlier courses and turn them inward. They use them as tools for self-understanding and career exploration. This course is deeply personalized, recognizing that no two students - and no two careers - follow the same path.
As part of the course, students complete aptitude and personality assessments that help them better understand their cognitive style, sensitivities, values, and priorities. They also engage in a structured career-planning process that asks clarifying questions about possible future directions and areas of curiosity. As part of the course, each student meets individually to receive personalized feedback on their strengths, guidance on college application materials, and tailored suggestions for next steps in preparing for college and a future in architecture or related fields.