Wright Did Not Have an Architecture Degree
At age eighteen, Wright left Spring Green for the University of Wisconsin in Madison to study civil engineering (the University had no architecture program at the time). He had never been a strong student, but the University admitted him on a trial basis. He joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and took classes part time. Structural engineering did not give Wright much of a chance to develop his interest in design and aesthetics. He quickly grew disenchanted with the program.
One of Wright’s progress reports from 1887 has a hand-written note, “Rhetoricals – Failed to appear in class.” Wright left the University after just two semesters. He went to Chicago to start his career without ever completing a university degree. Despite this, the University of Wisconsin gave him an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts in 1955 for his years of professional service.
