The five-year, NAAB-accredited (National Architectural Accrediting Board) professional degree program is committed to experiments in alternative models of practice, design, and fabrication. The curriculum accordingly brings developments in culture, media, and technology to bear on the process of architectural production, allowing students to capitalize on new opportunities in a rapidly changing profession. CCA's Architecture Programs were granted a formal eight-year term of re-accreditation, effective January 1, 2017. The BArch degree is STEM designated.

In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. NAAB is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the bachelor of architecture, the master of architecture, and the doctor of architecture.

Our metropolitan setting informs the educational experience; the city of San Francisco functions as an urban laboratory, inspiring new ways to configure and inhabit architecture. Throughout their studies, students are encouraged to collaborate within and across disciplines to take full advantage of CCA's studio culture.

The program actively seeks the participation of leading international figures for studio instruction, juried reviews, and an ambitious Architecture Division Lecture Series program.

Through the required internship, students have the opportunity to work at architectural firms in the United States and abroad. Architecture Program students also regularly enter and place in design competitions.