Welcome to the CAPLA community: a small, student-focused college of passionate students and faculty in a large, research-oriented university.
Architecture culture is unlike any collegiate experience. You’ll be part of a community not just of fellow students, but also of faculty who are committed to the exploration, intensity and fun of studio learning.
And whether it’s the tight-knit community you’ll form with your studio cohort, the variety of student organizations or the interactive activities offered through HeadSPACE, you’ll find the student experience at CAPLA is rewarding in a way that only rigorous programs can be.
Studying design at the University of Arizona also offers extreme contexts from which to learn: the many local climate biomes (from the Sonoran Desert to the alpine world atop Mount Lemmon) and transformation of Tucson (from a typical sunbelt sprawling metropolis to an increasingly dense, post-carbon, living-streets community).
As you move through the five-year program, you’ll find you gain as much from your fellow students as from your professors, and you’ll come to cherish that interactive experience and support from your CAPLA community.
Each studio professor I’ve had has had a different background. They come from all over—across the world, really—and we study so many different things: urban design, sustainability, materials and fabrication, construction. Being a part of a college that encourages diversity is powerful. I think it’s a unique opportunity that not every college offers.
Brooke Sands '22 B.Arch
Meet Bachelor of Architecture Students
Students in the Bachelor of Architecture program come to CAPLA from across the country and around the world. Their interests and passions are broad. Meet a few of our students:
Brooke Sands '22 B.Arch
Chicago native Brooke Sands, now more than halfway through the five-year CAPLA undergraduate architecture program, offers insight into the challenges and rewards of studying architecture, noting how curiosity drives her passion.
Rafael Taiar '22 B.Arch
Bachelor of Architecture student Rafael Taiar, who is from the small city of Vinhedo in São Paulo, Brazil, came to CAPLA for what he knew would be a challenging and rewarding experience.
Mehli Romero '22 B.Arch / BA Creative Writing
Mehli Romero came to CAPLA after living in Texas, Mexico, Germany and Italy. As a violinist, she is passionate about music and also now passionate about how places and spaces impact our mental health, a passion that she shares regularly on her blog, Archipeutic.
We hate to give away our best-kept secret, but Tucson is one of the best places to live in the country (and Outside magazine agrees).
Located in the lush Sonoran desert, the metropolitan area of a million people is nestled between five mountain ranges, has a world-renowned multicultural food scene and eclectic neighborhoods and offers year-round outdoor activities, including cycling, hiking, rock climbing and astronomy. You’ll fit right in.