Why CAUS?

You find your calling. We give you the tools.

We’re not just a top-ranked college nestled in a picturesque mountain town in Southwest Virginia. We’re your stepping stone to an impactful life as a maker, an artist, a designer, a planner, a doer.

Landscape architecture professor C.L. Bohannon consults with a student

Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies is where you come to figure out how your unique vision can build resilient, thriving communities – and design spaces and places that allow people to live better lives. And we give you the know-how to make it happen.

OUR FOCUS

Two people look at the gardens for drawing inspiration.

Experiential

Learning Beyond Textbooks

Much of the learning takes place outside of a traditional classroom. Expect field trips to visit project and construction sites with faculty, campus sketch walks, and opportunities to work out of our labs or studios. You’ll round out the comprehensive instruction you receive from our 200 faculty members through learning by making and doing.

Students and faculty at Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center

Two people work together on a project at the computer

Interdisciplinary

Preparing Well-Rounded Students

In addition to a depth of focused disciplinary work, our central position at the university ensures you’ll gain cross-disciplinary exposure — equipping you to collaborate with others on diverse, interdisciplinary teams and solve complex, evolving, real-world problems. Students in our college have built the house of the future alongside engineers, business students, and industry partners, have studied creative technology to design innovative sculptures, and have taken part in projects, clubs, and competitions alongside students of all majors throughout Virginia Tech.

A student works outside in a desert landscape.

International

Solve Global Challenges

In our increasingly connected world, developing global literacy is crucial for solving humanity’s most pressing problems. That’s why in CAUS, we offer a number of international experiences, including studying abroad at Virginia Tech’s Switzerland campus, faculty-led programs, exchange programs with partner institutions, and direct enrollment opportunities.