The objective of the single-cycle Degree Course in Architecture, class LM 4, is the training of professionals with specific competences in the field of architecture in compliance with the provisions of the EEC directive 85/384. The course, through the teachings, has its central nucleus in the architectural project on the various scales, from the object to the building, the city, the territory: the project, therefore, constitutes an instrument of knowledge and experiential-scientific activity, which has as its object the physical reality in view of its useful and necessary modification to the life and living of man and to the demands of society life. The corpus of the discipline, with its own principles and norms, constitutes the foundation and orientation of project activities, on the basis of its specific statute, in which the experience of architecture over time constitutes the reference for every theorization and subsequent experience. Consequently, and specifically, graduates of this course must be able to govern the processes of the project and identify the extent of its interference; they must also know in depth the history of architecture, the tools and forms of representation, the theoretical-scientific, methodological and operational aspects of mathematics and other basic sciences, and be able to use this knowledge to interpret and describe thoroughly even complex architectural problems, including the ones requiring interdisciplinary skills; finally, they must have knowledge in the field of building organization and corporate culture, in the light of their own professional ethics.
Graduates in Architecture must be able to design, at various scales, through typical architectural tools, including plan sciences, and must possess the skills to verify the feasibility of the project, the operations of construction of works, transformation and modification of the natural and artificial physical environment, with full knowledge of aesthetic, distributional, functional, structural, technical-constructive, infrastructural, managerial, geographical, economic and environmental aspects and with critical attention to cultural changes and to the needs expressed by contemporary society. In addition to the preparation of architectural projects, graduates directs their implementation, coordinating for these purposes and where necessary other specialists and operators in the fields of architecture, construction engineering, urban planning, restoration and of the conservation of architecture. In this regard, the universities organize external activities such as internships and stages.
The educational programme is divided into two cycles. The first three-year cycle is dedicated to humanistic, scientific and technological training. Students, at the end of the first cycle, must demonstrate to have learned the fundamentals of the logic of architecture, of its constitution, of the history of the essential components of the architectural and urban space, as well as the fundamental architectural representation techniques as well as subjects preparatory to the technical control of the project; they must be able to reach a first synthesis of the project in its aesthetic, technical and functional aspects.
The second cycle, of two years, completing the programme, ends with the degree examination, and aims at specific professional insights. Students, at the end of the cycle and through the exams, must demonstrate their ability to reach executive design syntheses in the fields of architectural and urban design, town planning, architecture construction, monument restoration; they must know how to produce specific thematic and disciplinary investigations in view of the degree thesis.
A part of the programme provides the knowledge of theories, methods and disciplines; another theoretical-practical part of the training provides practical know-how in the instrumental and specific professional activities.
Theoretical-practical activities take place in the laboratories, educational structures aiming at describing the physical and architectural reality, and at providing the knowledge, understanding and implementation of the project. Attendance is mandatory and is verified by the professor in charge of the laboratory. A personalized relationship between the teacher and the learner must be ensured in the laboratories, according to the provisions of the EEC Recommendation, to allow individual control of the project practice; therefore, each laboratory is attended by a maximum of 50 students. The Laboratories are: Architectural Design Laboratory, Architecture Construction Laboratory, Urban Planning Laboratory, Monument Restoration Laboratory, and other laboratories identified from time to time in the Course outline in the fields of Design, Interior Architecture in its various aspects, and others involving project activities at different scales. The laboratories might be divided into modules related to various disciplines, either in the same disciplinary area or in different disciplinary areas. Some teaching activities might also take place at qualified scientific research institutes as well as research and development departments of public and private institutions and companies operating in the Architecture, Civil Engineering and Urban Planning sectors, subject to stipulation of specific conventions that may also include the use of experts belonging to these structures and institutions, for special educational activities (intensive courses, seminars, internships).