Charlotte, a vibrant and growing city

The CoA+A is inextricably linked to the Charlotte community and its artists and arts/design professionals. Our students work, learn, and play in the city, and the region offers a host of sites and sounds which illustrate not only that the arts are vibrant and fully engaged, but that artists and architects are leaders in creatively thinking about and contributing to the quality of life, economy, civic institutions, and public environment of Charlotte.

Charlotte is home to more than 200 architectural firms of national and international stature. Additionally the city offers museums, galleries, and performance venues where students can experience both traditional and cutting-edge arts, as well as a wide array of sports and recreational activities.

As majors in the College of Arts + Architecture, students receive free admission throughout the school year to the three primary art museums in the city: the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Harvey B. Gantt Center of African-American Arts + Culture, and The Mint Museum.

The vibrant cultural and entrepreneurial environment of the city provides our students with excellent internship opportunities, and the College of Arts + Architecture has established paid student internships across the community, at institutions such as the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Charlotte Symphony, Charlotte Ballet, Theatre Charlotte, the Charlotte Art League, Caroline Calouche & Co., and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.

Some of our many institutional partners include:

In addition, the School of Architecture has deep relationships with the local design community, which offers a wide array of internships to architecture students. Notable among the opportunities is the Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL) program, and the partners who make that program possible.