Some architecture programs will not allow you declare your major until after you have fulfilled the program's prerequisites. Whether your school has such a requirement, you can expect to enroll in architectural history courses and classes in drawing and computer-aided design as an underclassman. You will also be required to complete a year of physics and a year of calculus.
Any architecture program approved by the National Architecture Accrediting Board will cover the following areas: context, design, technology and practice. Context courses will encompass the liberal arts and will focus especially on history, human behavior and environmental context. Design courses will constitute the majority of your academic work and will combine history and drawing classes with applied-math. In technology area classes, you will study structural systems, communication systems, construction materials and assemblies, accessibility and safety. Practice area classes will cover project finance, business and practice management, laws and regulation and construction documents.
In your fifth and final year of study, you will tackle a yearlong design project. This is the culmination of all the skills and knowledge acquired through classwork and your opportunity to demonstrate mastery of the concepts learned. Finally, it is important to remember that completing a B.Arch program does not make you a licensed architect. Before you can practice as an architect you must complete an internship and then pass two exams, one regulated on the national level (the Architect Registration Exam) and then an exam regulated by the state in which you intend to practice.