Things you need to know before beginning the program
The five-year professional degree program in architecture provides courses leading to the Bachelor of Architecture degree (162 credits) through a foundation core of architectural design studies. Centered on studios, the program also includes studies in architecture and environmental design at various scales, programming and implementation techniques, computer applications in architectural design, architectural design theories, design methodologies, research, and professional development. Incorporated into the program during the fourth-year studio sequence is a required semester abroad at the department's facilities in Rome, Italy. Also, there is the opportunity for an office internship with a firm within the region, during the summers following the third and/or fourth year in the architecture program.
The department of architecture is a member of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and the Bachelor of Architecture degree program is accredited by The National Architectural Accrediting Board.
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.
In addition to maintaining all university grading standards, architecture students are also reviewed at the end of the second-year for retention in the program. A portfolio of architectural design work examples will be submitted by each student and evaluated by a committee of faculty members. The review will be based on criteria, which evaluates growth over the four-semester period and architectural design competence as evidenced in the architectural design work examples presented in the student's portfolio. A positive review will permit the student to continue in the major. A negative review will not permit continuance in the architecture program. For students who receive a negative review, every effort will be made to advise them into a related discipline.
First-year in the architecture studio focuses on the students' ability to articulate their ideas through visual means. Design curriculum places emphasis on presentation skills such as freehand drawing, equivocal forms, color theory, and orthographic projection. Also emphasized are basic principles of ordering and proportioning systems, composition, and tectonics of small constructs.
Second-year design studio introduces students to pragmatic and expressive aspects of architectural design and integrates visual communication with the design process. The emphasis is on developing "a comprehensive architectural thought" and on the foundations of skill and knowledge essential for designing more "complex" buildings. Specifically, how architectural space and form are developed, pressures of the site and context, and basic methods of construction.
Third-year design studio emphasizes the synthesis of a building with all its complex ramification. Students continue rigorous development of the architectural process, strive for architectural totality, and search for thoughtful decisions and sound judgments. Upon completion, students are able to understand what a building is and how it responds to human needs in terms of cultural meaning, physical reality and operational prerequisites and construction.
Fourth-year design studio emphasizes the building in/and the city. Students focus on understanding the urban context and the relationship between building and contextual components, both cultural and social. The mandatory fourth-year semester in Rome, Italy reinforces the cultural and social components emphasized in the studio. Design, theory and analysis courses are taught by Penn State's department of architecture faculty with the assistance of Roman architects and local professors.
Students in fifth-year design studio thoroughly consider the building as an expression of an idea. Upon completion, a student will have the ability to pursue an architectural idea in a rigorous, in-depth manner and be able to express the knowledge and implications of that idea through a thoroughly considered design project. Each student comprehensively develops their project to demonstrate a sensibility inclusive of and thorough to the realms of contextual responsiveness, technical competence, artistic meaning fullness, and social usefulness.
Integrated B.Arch.--M.Arch. Program
The department of architecture offers a limited number of academically superior students enrolled in the fourth year of the program leading to a Bachelor of Architecture degree the opportunity to enroll in an integrated program leading to both the B.Arch. and the Master of Architecture degrees. The program permits the student to integrate the fifth year of study for the professional B.Arch. degree with the program of study for the M.Arch. degree into a continuous program of study culminating in both degrees. The ability to coordinate as well as concurrently pursue the two degree programs enables the students to achieve greater depth and comprehensiveness than if the degrees are pursued sequentially and earn the two degrees in a shorter period of time. In particular, the program encourages the student to integrate the undergraduate thesis design project with the master's thesis, thereby achieving a greater depth of inquiry.
The number of opening to this special program is limited; admission is by invitation of the faculty and is extremely selective.
Basis for Grades
Grades shall be assigned to individual students on the basis of the instructor's judgment of the student's scholastic achievement as set forth in Section 47-60. This specifically includes the instructor's judgment regarding an appropriate academic sanction for academic dishonesty defined in Section 49-20. The instructor should provide written notification of the basis for grades to students within the first ten calendar days of a semester or its equivalent. Any changes in that basis should likewise be presented to students in writing.
Section 47-40 Grading System
Grades for undergraduate students shall be reported by the following letters:
A, A-. B+, B, B-, C+, C, D, or F.
Section 47-60 Definition of Grades
For undergraduate, the grades of A, A-. B+, B, B-, C+, C, D, and F indicate a graduation in quality from Excellent to Failure and are assigned the following grade-point equivalents:
Grade-point Equivalent
- A (4.00)
- A- (3.67)
- B+ (3.33)
- B (3.00)
- B- (2.67)
- C+ (2.33)
- C (2.00)
- D (1.00)
- F (0)
Section 47-70 Mid-semester Evaluation
At the end of the sixth-week of classes during both fall and spring semesters, each instructor shall evaluate the performance of each first-and second-semester degree candidate or provisional student. If any such student has a grade less than "C", the instructor will notify the registrar who will then notify the student and his or her advisors that the performance is unsatisfactory.
Grade Appeal Procedure
Students should meet with the instructor to discuss the grade and circumstances regarding the assigned grade. Resolutions at this point in time can be adjusted by the instructor obtaining a change-of-grade authorization form from the department office. If an agreement cannot be met, and the student wishes to discuss the situation with Dan Willis, Department Head of the Department of Architecture, the student must provide the department head with a written documentation outlining the details of the grievance and a written response from the instructor, prior to a formal meeting. An appointment may be scheduled with the Dan Willis via the department office staff at (814) 865-9535. Be aware that the department head is not able to change the grade. He can only be asked to serve as a mediator.
If student and instructor are not able to agree on the grade, the student may petition to the College of Arts and Architecture Good Offices Committee via The Associate Dean's Office, 104 Borland, University Park, PA 16802. This student-faculty committee will review the details of the disagreement and provide their recommendations for resolving it.
In the event that a disagreement still persists, a petition may be submitted to the Dean of the College, Barbara Korner, 104 Borland, University Park, PA 16802. She will refer the case to a faculty committee for grade adjudication. This committee will decide whether the instructor's grading procedures conform with University policy and then will determine an appropriate grade. This recommendation will also require the concurrence of the Department Head, the College Dean, and the Subcommittee on Academic Standards of the Senate Committee on Undergraduate Education before any grade change can be recorded by the University Registrar.
Secure a copy of the "Grade Mediation and Adjudication" petition form online which outline the University policy in detail. Copies are available from staff at the Department of Architecture, Administrative Office, 128 Stuckeman Familly Building.
To pursue a career in architecture, most academic training programs include classroom instruction coupled with the design studio experience. But the theoretical and instructional training afforded in these environments needs to be grounded in practical experience. To this end, the department of architecture offers a summer internship program that places students in an architectural office setting for a period of five weeks. The intent is to familiarize the students with the workings of an office, provide a diverse range of experiences and enhance the individual's architectural skills. This program is limited to students who have successfully completed at least three years of architectural education.
To maximize the effectiveness of the program, participating firms are asked to offer the students a more expansive exposure to the office projects and procedures than normal summer employments might provide. The range of activities will complement those required through the IDP program sponsored by the AIA, and may include tasks that involve client contact, design, document preparation, field visits and/or office administration.
In light of recent policies adopted by the AIA, AIAS, and ACSA concerning compensation for students serving as interns, and currently established provisions in the Fair Labor Standards Act, the following guildelines have been established for architectural firms participating in the program.
Internships are arranged as voluntary educational experiences, are taken for credit by student and will count towards their elective course requirements. Since the students incur the cost of tuition for a three credit hour course, firms are required to reimburse the student for this tuition expenses (in-state tuition equivalent).
Additionally, the student cannot displace regular employees, nor be guaranteed a job at the completion of the five-week internship, although a firm may choose to hire the student at that point. Students may not be required to work a "normal" workweek (40 hours/week) during their internship, but they may voluntarily work overtime. Firms cannot bill clients directly for work performed by students during the internship.
It is the intent that the summer nternship program provides firm exposure that is educationally rewarding and directly related to the architecture field. Firms will be encouraged to give the students specific tasks, actively provide guidance as needed, and introduce the students to useful techniques for completing their assignments. Upon completion of the internship, the firm will be asked to evaluate the student's performance and make a recommendation for pass or fail. Students will also be asked to evaluate the firm’s with which they were placed, to help insure the program provides substantive learning experiences.
If you any questions regarding the summer internship, contact Daniel Willis, Head of the Department of Architecture, 128 Stuckeman Family Building, (814) 865-9535.