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Harvard Is Offering a Popular Online Architecture Course for Free

By Jessica Stewart on January 30, 2018

Harvard Graduate School of Design, Gund Hall. (Photo: Peter Alfred Hess (CC BY 2.0))

Ever wondered what it would be like to take a class at Harvard? If you're interested in architecture, you'll be thrilled to hear that Harvard's Graduate School of Design is offering its popular course, The Architectural Imagination, for free online. From the comfort of your own home, you'll get the benefit of Harvard's world-class faculty teaching the fundamentals of architecture.

The 10-week course is designed to teach you “how to ‘read' architecture as a cultural expression as well as a technical achievement.” Through hands-on exercises and video presentations, students will gain an understanding of architectural drawing and typology, as well as learn about the challenges involved in writing architectural history. They'll also come away from the course with a deeper understanding of the social and cultural context for famous works of architecture.

The second half of the course touches on technology and the way in which it shapes architecture. The course description promises: “You will discover ways that innovative technology can enable and promote new aesthetic experiences, or disrupt age-old traditions. You will witness architecture’s ways of converting brute technical means into meaningful perceptions and textures of daily life.”

Students can elect to enroll in the online course free of charge or pay $99 to receive a verified certificate upon completion. And, if you are an architect enrolled in the American Institute of Architects, the course can be used toward continuing education credits.

Still not convinced? One 5-star review from a former student may do the trick. “Though rigorous, I would recommend this course to anyone in the Architecture field looking to learn something new and different. Even as a professional I learned a whole lot with regard to the history of architecture, theories, and thought processes. It touches on so many different topics [and] leaves you with quite a wealth of new knowledge. And the buildings… this course takes you all over the world! I am truly inspired.”