Group of peple gathered in discussion in a class room for O'More College

Our Culture

O'More College of Architecture & Design

Faculty and staff of the O'More College are dedicated to cultivating each student’s capacity to harness the transformative potential of design to increase cultural and environmental sustainability, human equity, and social justice. Our graduates will be adaptable and creative professionals who realize a more beautiful and more just world in service of their communities and future generations.

students laughing and posing for a picture

We value inquiry, empathy, creativity, innovation, collaboration, and service as key to achieving our goals and believe that everyone can, needs, and should feel encouraged to contribute to our intellectual and creative community. Placing equity at the center of all our undertakings, we strive to include a variety of outlooks, perspectives, content, and concerns throughout the curricula and within all of our policies. Our diverse learners, subject matter, and approach are viewed as a resource, strength, and benefit to all.

To fully prepare students for their chosen futures, we offer opportunities for intentional vocational discernment--especially as a reflection of spiritual values--through orientation programs, academic advising, coursework, and co-curricular programs that bring professionals to campus and guide students into the broader Nashville community. Each of our programs embeds work with external partners through collaborative projects (usually local non-profit agencies) that expand our empathy, amplify their missions, and enhance social and environmental equity.

Our success is embodied in graduates who flourish in any of a number of paths that are served by the diverse opportunities and interdisciplinary nature of design education as pursued at a service-oriented, entrepreneurial university characterized by optimism for the future and yearning for a positive impact in the world.

Read more about our signature initiatives to provide exceptional student experiences here below!

Architecture and Design students stand in fron of the timber twirl that they collaborated on together

Collaborative Learning

Recognizing that richness emerges from learning different perspectives through a process of inquiry and creativity, O'More programs collaborate with each other, other areas of Belmont, our neighbors, the Nashville design community, and the broader world.

Our relationships make us more effective community members and global citizens who are better prepared to solve the world’s complex problems in diverse groups and, ultimately, to realize the transformative potential of design.

Artist showing a a piece of art they created to the rest of the class

Community Impact

All of our academic programs recognize students' agency to make positive impacts in their present and future communities. Learning through social endeavors, they prepare for lives of purpose and meaning.

The service orientation of our programs aligns with Belmont’s goals to inspire each student to see service as a way to shape a creative life that transforms the world. Through their coursework, students pursue the University’s aim to be radical champions for human flourishing.

OT students sitting in a group working in a home health lab

Equitable Objectives

Empathy and equity are guiding principles in all we do. We strive to overcome obstacles and to foster connection by investigating, embracing, and celebrating the differences that we know make us stronger, smarter, and more creative.

Knowing that design can help to inspire a sense of belonging among all community members, we commit to increasing equitable access and full participation in every aspect of our campus culture.

Professor sitting and talking to student at table in classroom

Vocational Compass

While preparing students to confidently enter their chosen profession, the O’More experience also nurtures their ability to discern and articulate a personal vision of what makes life meaningful and fulfilling.

Developed from the University's commitment to whole-person formation as an exercise that demands academic, social, and spiritual attention, O’More aims to help students understand how to explore, develop, and practice their God-given talents, preparing them to “lead extraordinary lives of purpose, character, and wisdom.”

Contact Us

O'More College of Architecture & Design

1900 Belmont Boulevard
Nashville, TN 37212

Phone:  (615) 460-5888