Build a Sustainable Future with an Environmental Design Degree

The four-year, pre-professional Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture (BEDA) degree at Marywood is intended for students who will pursue a career in the design of the built environment or advanced study in the field of architecture. To this end, Marywood students who have earned an Environmental Design degree are eligible for up to 60 credits of advanced standing in the Master of Interior Architecture program.

Focused on acquiring the skills needed to design buildings and their environments, this accredited degree option trains students to anticipate the impact of their designs on physical, aesthetic, social, and ecological environments. Students in the BEDA program will benefit from an integrative curriculum that requires:

• Eight sequential semesters of design studios of increasing complexity culminating in an integrative building design project
• Building technology courses introducing building structures and environmental systems, onsite renewable energy sources, and passive design strategies for energy efficiency
• Hybrid representation courses, including skill building in hand drawing, digital and physical model making, as well as digital rendering, animation, and fabrication
• Architectural history and theory courses with a broad understanding of how cultural, philosophical, political, and religious traditions influence the cultural relevance of the built environment
• Program electives that have included courses in community design build, global urban ecologies, architectural details, lighting, as well as materials and methods
• Semester abroad in Italy studying with ISI Florence (International Studies Institute) in the Palazzo Rucellai