ACADEMIC BACHELOR DEGREE STUDY PROGRAMME “ARCHITECTURE” / undergraduate
The BA Architecture program is implemented as a basic component of the study program direction “Architecture and Construction” and is the first step in order to prepare students for architect’s practice or further studies in the field of architecture.
The full BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES IN ARCHITECTURE program takes seven semesters (140 credits / 210 ECTS) and concludes with the BA Thesis defended in front of and judged by the State Examination Commission. In the architecture studies through the semesters, the main emphasis is placed on the design process, students’ will to experiment and innovate, abilities to work and communicate in teams, turning students into keen, capable, and productive design professionals. The students learn how to deal creatively with the most complex design tasks at the same time learning to be socially responsible professionals as well. Currently, there are about 15 students enrolled in the school per year and as a result, faculty can maintain a very individual and considerate approach to every student.
The contents of the program:
The aim of BA Architecture program is to prepare qualified and competent graduates. The objective of the program is to ensure the acquisition of general knowledge and research and analytical skills, to provide students with basics practical skills for working in architecture and to prepare them for further studies in the field of architecture, as well as other related fields of design. The students obtain the adequate skills to analyze the given task or address the issue in a particular context and to work out the idea and concept of being both socially and culturally responsible young professionals. Students are trained to work in teams and individually. They are able to establish a consecutive and reasonable design process in order to solve the varied level of the difficulty design task. The students obtain knowledge about technology and building engineering issues, basic knowledge in construction, and the concept of sustainability. The students acquire sufficient visual representation skills using hand, computer graphics, and digital techniques. The main aspiration is to provide students with the ability of analytical thinking and problem solving: granting the knowledge, intellectual capacity, and practical skills of interrelating apparently separate domains of the architectural realm of theory and practice. The curriculum of the program is designed so that the theory and practice can supplement and overlap with each other.
The course of study is divided into 9 modules: architectural design, fine arts, construction technology, project management, economics and law, urban design, history and theory of architecture, arts and social subjects, BA thesis. The successive years of the program curriculum are built up around the Architectural Design studies – the program is primarily focused on the courses of architectural design. Each academic year the curriculum aims to explore consequently more complex issues and scale of architecture or urban design projects as such:
- (1st year, 1st semester) basic principles of architectural design;
- (1st year, 2nd semester) private living space and dwelling;
- (2nd year, 1st semester) collective dwelling;
- (2nd year, 2nd semester) public space and place-making;
- (3rd year, 1st semester) building reconstruction / re-use / re-purpose / retrofitting / restoration / renovation / rearrangement / rehabilitation;
- (3rd year, 2nd semester) urban space and planning, urban regeneration.
Although the course outline each study year stays similar, annually students are provided with the unique design assignments updated taking into consideration the topical and current issues that concern the built environment in the city of Riga and beyond. During the semester the evaluation of the student work is strongly influenced by the student’s performance and participation, creative, repetitive, and continuous design process, ability to solve different challenges.
Architectural design is a major part of the study course. Students present their work several times during the year – during mid-term and final presentations. International, as well as local guest critics, are invited to evaluate the work of the students. The study year concludes with a big exhibition usually open to the wider public. Bachelor students after successfully defending their Thesis curate their public exhibition in spring.
Tuition fee: 6400 EUR For citizens of EU, EEA and EU candidate countries* (* Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Iceland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine)
Tuition fee: 8000 EUR (Foreigners, residents of other countries)
The course descriptions – here.
Info about discounts - here.
The graduates of the ACADEMIC BACHELOR DEGREE STUDY PROGRAMME “ARCHITECTURE” will be able to continue with the subsequent Postgraduate professional Master’s degree program “Architecture” at RISEBA (or corresponding program in other institutions). Following the guidelines of the Bologna declaration, RISEBA Faculty of Architecture and Design implemented the 7 + 4-semester education system so the architecture students who will obtain the master's degree will also receive the professional qualification in order to apply for the architect’s license if preferred. The ACADEMIC BACHELOR'S DEGREE STUDY PROGRAMME ARCHITECTURE is fully accredited by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia until February 2, 2029.
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Bachelor program director
Mg. Arch. Zane Vēja
e-mail: [email protected]