Our Purpose

The architectural history program at the Savannah College of Art and Design combines a traditional academic education with the goal of preparing students principally for the numerous career opportunities that open every year outside of academia. On average, approximately 200 full-time positions are advertised each year within the United States alone in a wide range of professional contexts. Our curriculum balances coverage of the whole history of architecture throughout the world, as well as thematic and theoretical topics, with courses addressing specific skills of research and documentation applied to practical situations.


Our Degree Programs

SCAD is one of the few institutions in the United States to offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees specifically in architectural history. The B.F.A. degree provides a comprehensive foundation within the field and prepares students for continued study at the graduate level in a variety of fields, or, less conventionally, for professional positions outside academia (although most require additional experience or a master’s degree). The M.F.A. is our principal graduate degree program offered. Through extensive architectural history coursework, as well as internships and studio electives, the M.F.A. program provides comprehensive preparation for professional opportunities in the field and fosters a deeper understanding of architectural history. The M.A. program provides a more limited focus on architectural history, intended mainly for students who have a background in preservation or architecture or who intend to pursue a Ph.D. Prospective students wondering which program would best suit their needs are invited to contact department chair Robin Williams, Ph.D., directly.


Our Faculty

Trained at leading graduate programs in art and architectural history, our faculty place great emphasis on their teaching responsibilities — in keeping with SCAD’s educational philosophy. Yet, our faculty are active outside of the classroom, taking leading roles in regional and national professional organizations, securing grants and publishing. With seven full-time faculty members in the department, students are assured considerable attention both in and outside the classroom. Lecture classes are capped at 30 students, while seminar classes (which predominate at the graduate level) have no more than 12 students and frequently fewer.


Our Commitment to Fieldwork

An important component of the architectural history program is to encourage students to acquire practical field experience through class work, as well as through internships required of M.F.A. candidates and encouraged for B.F.A. students. Savannah and the Lowcountry serve as a rich laboratory of architectural history and provide many work and internship opportunities through its numerous historic sites, museums and historical organizations. Internships at renowned institutions outside Savannah such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation have also provided students with extremely valuable experience.


Our Commitment to Broad Perspectives

The department is committed to exposing students to the perspectives and ideas of architectural historians and professionals in related disciplines. To this end, the department hosts an annual lecture series of five to six speakers to address various aspects of architectural history. Every other year, the department organizes its biennial Savannah Symposium, which attracts 50-70 speakers from around the world. The upcoming symposium in February 2007 addresses the theme of Building in the Public Realm. In addition, the department actively assists outside organizations in hosting their annual conferences in Savannah, such as the Southeast Society of Architectural Historians in October 2003 and the national Society of Architectural Historians in April 2006. In March 2007, we will host to the 28th Annual Meeting of the Vernacular Architecture Forum.


Our Commitment to New Technology

Preparing students for the 21st century is critical to the architectural history department. In all classes taught in the department, study materials, assignments and projects are related to the Internet and other computer technologies. The architectural history department (in collaboration with the interactive design and game development department), is bringing together advanced database and computer modeling technology to develop powerful new analytical tools for studying buildings and cities. The Virtual Historic Savannah Project, which currently documents more than 2,200 buildings in downtown Savannah, will eventually provide information on over 5,000 "lost" buildings that existed in the city between the 1850s and the present, with the long-term goal of documenting the evolution of downtown Savannah from its founding in 1733 to the present.