The strength of Penn State’s five-year Bachelor of Architecture program is that it prepares students to practice architecture.  This has always been a traditional strength of the school, and as we begin a new millennium and prepare to occupy our new building, we reaffirm our commitment to architectural practice in the broadest sense of the term. 

Our strong traditions of drawing, model-making, service learning, and hands-on construction activities prepare our students to both explore non-traditional means of building delivery (such as design-build and digital fabrication), and to practice more conventionally, from behind a desk and computer screen, armed with an intimate knowledge of materials and building processes.

Some projects and initiatives that support this educational priority:

• American Indian Housing Initiative
• Philadelphia design-build projects
• First-year campus constructions
• Strong design studio tradition
• Annual design competition sponsored by the Pennsylvania Concrete Masonry Association
• Professional practice course that includes field trips to New York and Washington, D.C.
• Annual Career Fair