Skip to content

CM/ARCH Dual Degree

The CM/ARCH Dual Degree program is designed for students who want an education in both the design and construction disciplines.  By pursing the degrees simultaneously, students obtain a BS in Construction Management and a BA in Architectural Design in just 5-years of study.

The Dual Degree degree is valuable for graduates seeking positions at government agencies, consulting firms, general contractors, or homebuilders that require an understanding of architectural design and problem-solving.  It is also great for graduates who are looking into a career at an architectural, design, or planning firm that needs expertise in project planning and management, scheduling, cost estimating, and materials management.

You will begin as Architectural Design majors and then apply to the Construction Management Department in the Spring Quarter of your junior year, thus spending your third year as Architectural Design major, and then begin your Construction Management curriculum in the fourth year of study.

The upper-division curriculum for the Dual Degree program totals 225 credits and requires three years of study.  The Architectural Design coursework provides you with a firm foundation in the historical, theoretical, technological, and environmental forces that influence architectural design. Architectural Design studios provide you with the opportunity to synthesize your knowledge and skills through design projects undertaken in an intensive studio environment.

The Construction Management curriculum includes structural analysis and design, construction methods and materials, mechanical and electrical systems, safety, estimating, project planning and control, and project management.  As a dual degree student, you are required to take a summer internship in their fifth year.

There are several paths open to a Dual Degree major depending on your design studio choices and whether or not you choose to study abroad at the Rome Center.  Because the curriculum and timing of classes are complex, students choosing the Dual Degree Program should meet early on with advisers from both the Architecture and CM Departments.  For the different options available to the Dual Degree student, please review the Architecture/CM Curriculum or Architecture/CM Curriculum – ROME Option.

Summer Quarter CM Internship (required, no credit)

All Dual Degree students must participate in a three-month Summer Internship Program with a local construction firm between their fourth and fifth years in order to expose them to the widest possible range of construction management tasks and site operations. Employers may be involved in any aspect of the construction industry.

It is the student’s responsibility to arrange for the internship and to submit an Internship Application to the CM Department by June 1 of their fourth year. In order to participate, applicants must have completed a minimum of 45 Construction Management credits by the end of the Spring quarter. At the end of the summer, the employer fills out an evaluation form rating the student’s performance during the summer and is invited to attend the formal presentation of the student’s report.

Any monetary compensation is negotiated between the student and the employer.

Rome Center (optional)

The University of Washington Rome Center is a multidisciplinary academic center located in the Palazzo Pio, in the historic center of Rome, Italy.  The Rome Center provides studio and classroom space for the Department of Architecture’s annual Architecture in Rome program.  Students may elect to attend the optional AIR Program during the Fall quarter of their fourth year of study.  The field study includes analysis of buildings and urban settings with an emphasis on drawing and sketching on site.  The design studio gives students an opportunity to develop and synthesize their understanding of the Roman context through an in-depth building proposal.

For more information, see the Rome Center Website.

Learn more about the admissions process for the CM/ARCH Dual Degree HERE.