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  • Architecture and Design
  • Exploration of Architecture

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Students in the Exploration of Architecture summer program pose in a group on top of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, with the skyline of Los Angeles in the background.

Become a Summer Trojan and earn college credit.

Engage with architecture thinking and the design process through hands-on projects, building tours and conversations with leading architecture faculty and practitioners. In this immersive architecture summer program for high school students, you’ll be challenged to connect more deeply with the built world through dynamic learning methods and gain deeper insight into the profession. 

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In “Exploration of Architecture,” students will imagine, draw, discover, examine and analyze architecturally impactful places and buildings.

Led by prominent USC School of Architecture faculty, this pre-college program features a mix of interactive, practical assignments, lectures and insightful conversations with practicing architects.

Whether you’re an aspiring architect, designer, scholar or artist, this architecture summer program will equip you with the language, core architectural skills and theoretical frameworks to thrive in university and beyond.

Topics of Study

  • Fundamentals of design and composition
  • Foundational sketching, drawing, modeling and photography skills
  • Understanding design methods and tools
  • Vocabulary of basic ordering principles
  • Heightened three-dimensional spatial awareness and understanding

Learning Highlights

  • Develop skills in graphic analysis of existing architectural spaces
  • Apply fundamental architectural concepts to a design problem
  • Utilize an iterative process to test and evaluate design proposals
  • Produce presentation-quality architectural representations
  • Have conversations with leading architecture faculty and practitioners
  • Visit architecturally and culturally significant places in Los Angeles
  • Create a compelling architecture portfolio for college applications with expert guidance
  • Develop valuable drawing and modeling skills, both analog and digital

Requirements

  • This rigorous program is most suitable for students who are independent workers and highly self-motivated
WeekFocusKey TopicsAssignments and Activities
1AnalysisScale; composition; orderPhotography. Drawing. Using digital tools.
2ExperienceMovement; temporal qualities of spaceMapping. Sketching. Hand and digital drawing. Field trip.
3OrderForm; design methodsDesign studies. Create 3D models. Field trip.
4ImageArchitectural representationDigital drawings. Basic physical models. Create digital perspective collages.

Think of it as a sneak peek [at] college, but with more fun.

— USC Summer Programs student participant
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