Architecture
24 courses · College of the Desert · 2026-2027 Catalog
Classes: Fall 2026
ARCH 001 Intro to Architectural Professions
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 54
- Advisory
- RDG 061.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course provides students with an overview of professional occupations in Architecture, Construction Management, Building Inspection Technology, City and Regional Planning, Architectural Engineering and Landscape Architecture.
ARCH 002 Materials of Construction
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 54, Lab Hours: 54
- Advisory
- ENG 061.
- Transfers to
- CSU
This course is an introduction to construction materials and processes. Lab demonstrations in construction techniques and field trips to construction sites will be utilized to assist students' understanding of construction principles and practices. Emphasis on the selection of materials in a design context will help develop students' spatial and three dimensional skills.
ARCH 003A Architectural Practice I
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 36, Lab Hours: 54
- Prerequisite
- DRA 001.
- Transfers to
- CSU
This is an introductory course in wood construction methods and processes. It focuses on the use of drafting tools, office equipment and references to assist in selection and drawing of architectural details, including foundation, floors, walls and roofs.
ARCH 003B Architectural Practice II
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 36, Lab Hours: 54
- Prerequisite
- ARCH 003A.
- Transfers to
- CSU
This is an advanced drafting course and a continuation of the content and issues introduced in ARCH 003A which includes the development of site plan, floor plans, exterior elevations, roof plan, sections and architectural details. In addition, this course also incorporates a comprehensive study of the development of construction documents.
ARCH 005A Introduction to Drawing & Perspective
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 18, Lab Hours: 108
- Prerequisite
- DRA 001.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is the first in a series of two graphics courses. It is an introduction to basic techniques used for graphic communication in the design profession. It includes the study of orthographic and isometric projections, mechanical and freehand perspectives, shading, shadows and reflection. Students begin the process of compiling work to implement into a comprehensive portfolio.
ARCH 005B Architectural Delineation
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 18, Lab Hours: 108
- Prerequisite
- ARCH 005A.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is a continuation of ARCH 005A. It focuses on drawing and sketching as a communication tool in the field of environmental design. Student development of basic skills in architectural illustration and proper use of various drawing media are emphasized. Students finalize the design portfolio in preparation for employment or for admission to a transfer institution.
ARCH 008 Architectural Design Fundamentals I
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 18, Lab Hours: 108
- Advisory
- DRA 001.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an introductory study of design problems in three dimensions. The concept of space, form, structure, color and materials are studied in addition to the universal principles common to all design disciplines. This course focuses on the analysis of design techniques, and exercises to develop students' skills.
ARCH 009 Architectural Design Fundamentals II
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 18, Lab Hours: 108
- Prerequisite
- ARCH 008.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This is the second in a three-semester sequence of design courses. This course is a case-study application of design theories of the 20th Century and their impact on contemporary spatial and conceptual ideas permeating architecture, art and the environment.
ARCH 010 Environmental Control Systems
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 36, Lab Hours: 54
- Prerequisite
- ARCH 002.
- Transfers to
- CSU
This course is an introduction to the physical relationships between people and their environment. It includes a study of the physical phenomena of heat, light, and sound. This course also examines the climatological relationship between vernacular building solutions and the natural conditioning systems of architecture.
ARCH 011 Architectural Blueprint Reading
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 54
- Advisory
- DRA 001 & RDG 061.
- Transfers to
- CSU
This course is a study of basic information for reading blueprints and construction drawings. It is designed for those who must assimilate information found in working drawings and specifications.
ARCH 014 History of Architecture I
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 54
- Advisory
- RDG 061.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This is an introductory course in the history of architecture. It examines Western ideals from the beginning of time to Classical Greece and Rome. The course covers architecture from the birth of Christianity and the Age of Reason, through the discovery of the New Worlds and periods of transition to Modernism and Post-Modernism, to the present.
ARCH 017 Architectural Design Fundamentals III
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 18, Lab Hours: 108
- Prerequisite
- ARCH 009 & ARCH 010.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This is the final course in a three-semester design series. It focuses on the application of both theoretical and environmental issues involved in the Student Design Competitions. Students study site and environmental issues and architectural programming as design stimulus.
ARCH 095A Architecture Work Experience
- Units
- 1-5
- Hours
- Lab Hours: 270
- Transfers to
- CSU
This work experience course of supervised employment provides students the opportunity to connect academics to applied experiential learning in the workplace. It assists students in developing transferable employability skills, career awareness, learning industry culture, competencies and norms, and developing professional networks that support career mobility. To enroll, students must have a job or internship placement in a part-time or full-time capacity. Credit may be accrued at the rate of one to five (1-5) units per semester based on the student's ability to meet the hours required per unit enrolled. Students must work 54 hours per unit earned. This Work Experience course is available to students whose job or internship placement is directly related to Architecture.
ARCH 100 Introduction to Design Theories and Methods
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 36, Lab Hours: 54
- Transfers to
- CSU
This foundational, First-Year Experience course introduces students to 'design thinking,' exploring the nature of design as a rational, problem-solving activity and the advantages and disadvantages of various systematic approaches. Includes typical modes of reasoning; philosophies and styles of design; and tools, techniques, and methods relevant in the design process.
ARCH 101 Architectural Design Fundamentals 1
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 18, Lab Hours: 108
- Advisory
- ARCH 150 and DRA 001.
- Formerly
- ARCH 008
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an introductory study of design problems in three dimensions. The concept of space, form, structure, color and materials are studied in addition to the universal principles common to all design disciplines. This course focuses on the analysis of design techniques, and exercises to develop students' skills. (formerly ARCH 008)
ARCH 102 Architectural Design Fundamentals 2
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 18, Lab Hours: 108
- Prerequisite
- ARCH 101.
- Formerly
- ARCH 009
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an introductory study of design problems in three dimensions. The concept of space, form, structure, color and materials are studied in addition to the universal principles common to all design disciplines. This course focuses on the analysis of design techniques, and exercises to develop students' skills. (formerly ARCH 009)
ARCH 120 Visual Literacy and Civilization: An Architect's View
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 36, Lab Hours: 54
- Transfers to
- CSU
This course focuses on the role of visual explanation in Western European civilization, while also emphasizing its cultural relativity. It analyzes the rules of representational conventions in the context of their rich cultural history and contrasts them with non-western traditions. The course introduces several 20th-century schools of thought that have been critical of the hegemonic visual regime of modernity, and its role in colonial expansion and domination of non-western cultures.
ARCH 150 Foundation Digital Design
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lab Hours: 162
- Transfers to
- CSU
Facilitates student access to digital design drawing and modeling, tools, skills and concepts actively used in concurrent design studio. Assignments support concurrent design studio. Discussion with an emphasis on introductory digital design drawing. This course will provide a theoretical and practical step-by-step introducton to current digital 3D design modeling software paired with 2D editing software. In addition, students will be introduced to compositional and diagram making techniques as well as the use of info graphics.
ARCH 201 Architectural Design Fundamentals 3
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 18, Lab Hours: 108
- Prerequisite
- ARCH 102.
- Corequisite
- ARCH 250 or concurrent enrollment.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an introductory study of design problems in three dimensions. The concept of space, form, structure, color and materials are studied in addition to the universal principles common to all design disciplines. This course focuses on the analysis of design techniques, and exercises to develop students' skills.
ARCH 202 Architectural Design Fundamentals 4
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 18, Lab Hours: 108
- Prerequisite
- ARCH 201 and ARCH 220.
- Transfers to
- CSU
Students will develop a variety of assigned Architectural projects that explore the use of new materials, construction technologies, and sustainable design strategies. Typically the studio will follow the following structure: 1) research and analysis of the design problem, 2) development of a design idea 3) iterative development that incorporates material studies, additional research, and external feedback, and 4) representation of project through drawings, models, and other media.
ARCH 210 Introduction to Sustainable Architectural Design
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 54
- Transfers to
- CSU
Basic principles for the design of sustainable, low carbon environments at the urban, site and building scale. Emphasis on site design and the design of sustainable buildings and their connection to the environment such as energy, materials, water and waste management.
ARCH 220 Architectural Programming
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 54
- Prerequisite
- ARCH 017 ARCH-210.
- Transfers to
- CSU
Study of the role that architectural programming and behavioral factors play in the design of buildings. Architect's responsibility to respond to the physical, social and regulatory conditions of the building site and context.
ARCH 230 Structures 1
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 36, Lab Hours: 54
- Prerequisite
- MATH 005 PH 002A.
- Transfers to
- CSU
Theories of structural design and the relationship of structure to form, function and economics. Analysis of structural systems including statics, strength of materials and structural properties as well as the demonstration of forces and stresses.
ARCH 250 Intermediate Digital Design
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lab Hours: 162
- Prerequisite
- ARCH 150.
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
Facilitates student access to digital design drawing and modeling, tools, skills and concepts actively used in concurrent design studio. Use of sketching and digital modeling for design study, iteration and variation. Students work individually on weekly assignments, software training, and the application of acquired software skills in an exercise within their concurrent design studio project.