Background Image Alternative Text: Looking down at architecture students working in Giles
Background Image Alternative Text: Outside Architecture building Giles Hall
Background Image Alternative Text: Looking down at architecture students working in Giles

Overview
The College of Architecture, Art, and Design

The College of Architecture, Art, and Design includes the School of Architecture, Department of Art, Department of Building Construction Science, and Department of Interior Design.

Students graduate with a Bachelor of Architecture, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science in Building Construction Science, and Bachelor of Science in Interior Design.

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Background Image Alternative Text: Sidewalk chalk with Starkville MS written
Background Image Alternative Text: Mississippi State University Building Construction Science students (2) and a professor inside a modular building built by the first-year students. The professor is pointing to the second floor.

Why Choose CAAD?

The College of Architecture, Art, and Design is dedicated to helping students develop skills and understanding in all areas of making, from individual pieces of artwork and graphic communication, through interior spaces, buildings, and entire communities. Learning occurs within a hands-on studio context consisting of a rigorous methodology involving process, critique, iteration, production, and representation. The development of foundational skills as the basis for innovation enables students to cultivate individual philosophies that uphold the highest standards of architecture, art, design, and construction.

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Student Work

The College of Architecture, Art and Design at Mississippi State University is a recognized leader in all of our disciplines. The faculty and students are being recognized for their achievements in all of the areas in which the college is engaged.

See All Student Work

At A Glance

The state’s flagship architecture program was recently ranked #25 in Design Intelligence’s Top Architecture Programs in North America. 

Alumni are pursuing graduate work at top programs including Harvard, Johns Hopkins University, Pratt Institute, and The Art Institute of Chicago. 

Mississippi State art students compete in regional, national, and international art and design competitions, consistently achieving more than 180 individual awards and recognitions annually.

Our Building Construction Science and Interior Design departments consistently have 99-100% employment rates.

MSU students consecutively sweep the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) South Central Student Career Day competition, which includes universities in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

The only program in the nation teaching construction management in a studio environment collaboratively with architecture students for a full year.

Two nationally recognized research centers (The Carl Small Town Center and the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio) provide opportunities for student involvement.

Our
History

In 2004, MSU established the College of Architecture, Art, and Design. Previous to this creation, the college was known as the School of Architecture, housing a professional undergraduate program and a nonprofessional Master of Science in Architecture.

Joining these two programs were the Interior Design Program, formerly from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Department of Art, formerly from the College of Arts and Sciences. In 2007, the Mississippi Institute for Higher Learning Board approved the formation of the undergraduate program in Building Construction Science

School of Architecture History Department of Art History Building Construction Science History Interior Design History

Background Image Alternative Text: image of the BARN in Giles Hall, Mississippi State Starkville campus, current overlapping an image from the past when it was used as a motor pool
Background Image Alternative Text: Mississippi State University architecture students (female) work at a computer in Giles Hall in Starkville

Our
Mission

The mission of the College of Architecture, Art, and Design is to promote and engage students and faculty in the following: conceptualization, craft, media and technology, history and theory, aesthetics, and ethical issues associated with making artifacts in the world

Background Image Alternative Text: an MSU fashion club student walks down the runway created by architecture NOMAS students in Giles Hall in front of a large audience. She is wearing an outfit out of recycled material design by an architecture student - looks to be newspaper

Collaboration

The college values collaboration between majors, across campus, and with industry professionals. In their senior year, students from all of our disciplines come together to work in teams on a competitive design project. Sponsored by the Birmingham, AL-based construction firm Brasfield and Gorrie, the project winners receive scholarship money to put toward their studies!

Construction and Architecture students come together for two full semesters in our innovative Collaborative Studio to work together on actual design-build projects. Past projects include designing and building bus shelters for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, restroom facilities and golf cart shelters for the university golf course, facilities on campus, a shelter for the Boy Scouts of America, and more.

Learn More about Collaboration in the College of Architecture, Art and Design

Background Image Alternative Text: Looking at Freeman Hall outside during the day.
Background Image Alternative Text: Outside look at Giles Hall at night
Background Image Alternative Text: Looking at Freeman Hall outside during the day.

Facilities
Our hands-on, studio-based programs require unique facilities.

Background Image Alternative Text: A Mississippi State University interior design student cuts out a fabric design on a pumpkin outside of Etheredge Hall on the Starkville campus

CAAD Life

Learn more about what it’s like to be a part of the Mississippi State University College of Architecture, Art, and Design community.

Explore Life at CAAD