Pre-College Programs
  • Summer Programs
  • Course Options
  • Architecture and Design
  • Exploration of Architecture

Exploration of Architecture — USC Pre-College

[Photo] A student concentrates on cutting and drawing a paper design at a worktable with a cutting mat, ruler, laptop and design materials spread around. Sheets of paper and a yellow design book sit nearby in a bright studio classroom.

Become a Summer Trojan and earn college credit.

Are you curious about the world around you? Do you wonder about the many ways architecture impacts our daily lives? In this immersive architecture summer program for high school students, you’ll discover how architectural spaces are designed, strengthen your creative and critical thinking skills, and gain a better understanding of what it’s really like to pursue a career in architecture.

Log In

In “Exploration of Architecture,” participants 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 hands-on assignments, lectures, building tours 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
  • Design methods and representation techniques
  • Principles of architectural form, scale, proportion and order
  • 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
  • Participate in 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 participants 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 participant
[Photo] A student seated at a classroom table holds up a handwritten sheet of paper while speaking as classmates listen, with open laptops and reusable water bottles on the table. The handwritten page appears to read “United States” in large letters.
Login
Frequently Asked Questions