Architecture Programs
Bachelor of Architecture Degree
The Department of Architecture is a member of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and the Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) degree is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. The major provides for the education of architects at the professional and pre-professional levels.
In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree
from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for
licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which
is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree
programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the
Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of
Architecture. A program may be granted a 6-year, 3-year, or 2-year
term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with
established educational standards.
Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs
may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a
professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially,
constitute an accredited professional education. However, the pre-
professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited
degree.
The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Architecture
offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program:
B. Arch. (162 undergraduate credits)
Next accreditation visit for the Bachelor of Architecture program: 2013/2014 (Excerpt from NAAB Conditions for Accreditation, 2009 Edition).
The Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) professional program is a five-year curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Architecture degree requiring 162 credits and contains additional intensive academic studies in architectural and related subjects required for professional development. This program prepares those who seek careers as practicing architects. It is also professional preparation for those entering related design fields. Graduates holding a Bachelor of Architecture first professional degree are eligible, after appropriate internship experience, for admission to the professional state licensing examination, and subsequent registration as architects.
Incorporated into the program is a one-semester required study abroad at our Rome, Italy facility located in the Piazza del Collogio Romano. This opportunity is part of the fourth-year of studies.
Graduates from the four-year (ARCBS) curriculum program who meet entry requirements set forth by the department may continue their studies for the first professional degree. It is a fifth year of the professional curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Architecture degree requiring 162 credits, and additional intensive academic studies in architectural and related subjects required for professional development. This program prepares those who seek careers as practicing architects or for other professional responsibilities in the environmental design field. Graduates holding a Bachelor of Architecture first professional degree will be eligible, after appropriate internship experience, for admission to the professional state licensing examination.
At the end of the fourth year (135 credits completed), students are reviewed by a committee for retention in the five-year Bachelor of Architecture program. This review evaluates a student’s performance by reviewing the overall university grade point average which must be a minimum of 2.5 and the student’s performance in architectural design studio courses where the minimum grade point average must be 2.67 on the 4.0 scale. In cases where either of these minimums are not met, a portfolio of design work examples will be requested of the student and reviewed by the committee. In cases where retention in the Bachelor of Architecture program is not permitted, students having already completed the Bachelor of Science (4-year, 135 credits, non-professional) requirements will be given a change of major and awarded the Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree. Students may also elect to leave Penn State after the fourth year and receive the Bachelor of Science degree.
Each student currently in the fourth year of the The Pennsylvania State University Department of Architecture program shall submit in writing a statement of intent to continue to the fifth year of the Bachelor of Architecture program by February 15, 2010. In addition, this submission shall include the request that a complete record of academic status be provided to the Fifth Year Admissions Committee for review. Architectural Engineering and Art History credits must be completed, and no more than 6 credits outstanding in other areas should remain on the student's record. Any student in this category who has entered the architecture program under previous guidelines may include in the written submission a request for review under the guidelines at that time. Penn State students in good standing who are not currently taking fourth-year studio courses (for example, those who have taken time off from full-time student status) must request admission in writing by April 15, 2010.
The Bachelor of Architecture degree in Architecture requires 45 credits of general education, including work in the areas of communications skills, natural science, quantification, art history, arts, social and behavioral sciences, humanities, and the health sciences and physical activity.
Requirements for the B.Arch. degree in Architecture are as follow s (a minimum of 162 credits is required):
A. Professional core courses: 69 credits
Arch design 42 credits
Visual communications 3 credits
Structural and environment control systems 6 credits*
Design and planning theories 6 credits
Architectural History 12 credits
B. Professional area studies: 21 credits
Architectural environmental control systems 9 credits
Architectural building materials 6 credits
Architectural and planning theories 6 credits
C. Professional degree studies: 18 credits
Architectural professional practice 3 credits
Integrated building systems 3 credits
Architecture design thesis 12 creditsD. Supporting Courses: 15 credits
*6 credits are also included as part of the General Education courses
**3 credits are also included as part of the General Education courses.
For Further Information
Click the following for a list of NAAB Student Performance and the NAAB Matrix of B.Arch courses. For additional information from NAAB, you may view the NAAB Guide to Student Performance Criteria and the NAAB Conditions of Accreditation.
Notice: The University may make changes in policies, procedures, and educational offerings at any time.