Architecture (BAR)

College of Architecture, Art and Planning

Program Website

Program Description

The undergraduate professional program is normally five years in length and incorporates both a general and professional educational base. The B.Arch. program is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). In addition, the B.Arch. program is designated as a STEM program in Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology making international B.Arch. graduates eligible to extend their F-1 visas for up to three years in order to work in the United States. This program meets the State and National Architecture Accrediting Board’s educational requirements for licensure in all states.

B.Arch. Policies

Students are expected to follow all university, college, and program policies. Failure to comply with any policy or petition decision may result in review by the program committee.

1.0 Academic Standing

To be in good academic standing, a student must:

  • Successfully complete a minimum of 12 academic credits each semester; and
  • Earn a minimum semester grade point average (GPA) of 2.300; and
  • Follow the prescribed B.Arch. curriculum and comply with all university, college, and program policies; and
  • Earn no letter grade lower than C in design.

2.0 Sequence, Credit Hours, and Grading Basis

2.1 Students should make every effort to follow the semester-by-semester required curriculum outlined in this catalog in order to graduate with a B.Arch. degree in five years. Students are permitted to switch the position of elective courses within their program as long as the total credit hours within each semester remain unchanged. However, required non-elective courses must be taken in sequence during the semester indicated. To continue in the B.Arch. program, students deviating from the schedule of non-elective courses must have an adjusted curricular plan approved by petition. In particular, students who wish not to take a design course for any one semester, for any reason, must petition for permission to do so, including an adjusted curricular plan in their petition. In addition, students who wish to enroll in a required course during summer must petition for permission to do so. The petition form can be found online on the AAP Academic Forms page.

2.2 Students may not take more than 20 credit hours per semester in Ithaca, New York City, or Rome.

2.3 During any summer session, students may not take more than 12 credit hours.

2.4 The satisfactory-unsatisfactory grading option may only be used with free electives (departmental, college, or university); all other courses must be taken for letter grade.

3.0 Independent Study Courses and Credit

3.1 Students wishing to pursue an independent study (in-department or out-of-department) must be in good academic standing. A maximum of eight credits of independent study (course components of IND and PRJ) will be applied toward B.Arch. degree requirements. All independent study credit is applied toward free elective credit requirements only.

3.2 In-department independent study: Students wishing to pursue an architecture department independent study course must complete a Request for Independent Study-B.Arch. form, which can be found online on the AAP Academic Forms page, endorsed by the course supervisor (i.e. instructor) in the department and faculty advisor, and submit it to the Department of Architecture office in accordance with enrollment deadlines. In all cases, something to be reviewed must be produced. Credit will not be awarded for experience alone. Credit from independent study courses is applied as free departmental elective credit only; independent study credit cannot be applied toward required departmental elective requirements.

3.3 Out-of-department independent study: Students wishing to pursue an out-of-department independent study course must enroll according to the procedures of the offering department and in accordance with university enrollment deadlines. Credit from out-of-department independent study courses is applied as free out-of-department elective credit only.

4.0 Design Studio Courses

4.1 Advancing Grades in Studio

4.1.1 For all years, a minimum grade of C must be achieved for the student to advance in the design sequence. Design courses with university passing grades (D- or better), but below C, will be applied toward the free departmental elective requirement.

4.1.2 Students receiving less than a C in any sequence design studio except thesis (ARCH 5902) must repeat that studio and obtain a grade of C or better before proceeding with their design sequence (see summer exception in 4.2.2 for ARCH 2101). B.Arch. students who do not earn an advancing grade in ARCH 1101 will be design-free in the spring semester and must re-enroll in ARCH 1101 in the following fall. ARCH 1101 will not be offered during the summer.

4.1.3 B.Arch. students receiving less than C for ARCH 5902 must register for ARCH 5104, taking an advanced studio (i.e., sitting in ARCH 4101ARCH 4102ARCH 5101) to complete their design sequence. ARCH 5104 may not be taken in a non-Ithaca-based summer program. As ARCH 5104 has two fewer credit hours than ARCH 5902, students required to take ARCH 5104 may graduate with 2 credit hours less than otherwise required for total design sequence credit and for total credit hours, if an F was earned in ARCH 5902.

4.1.4 A student may repeat any given semester of design twice1 (for a total of three semesters). If, at the end of the third attempt, the student does not achieve a grade of C or better, the student is automatically denied permission to enroll in design, the effect of which will be to withdraw the student from the professional degree program. To continue studies at Cornell, the student would need to successfully internally transfer to another degree program.

1

Exceptions: ARCH 5902 Design X Thesis may not be repeated and ARCH 5104 Design Xa may only be repeated once.

4.1.5 Students may not repeat a semester of design by enrolling in a summer non-Ithaca-based design studio. Design courses taken in such circumstances will be credited only as free departmental elective credit and not for design sequence credit.

4.2 Studio Venues and Options

4.2.1 ARCH 1101ARCH 1102ARCH 2101ARCH 2102ARCH 3101ARCH 3102, and ARCH 5902 must be taken in Ithaca.

4.2.2 Summer Ithaca-based design studios are typically offered for all sequence design courses except ARCH 1101ARCH 1102ARCH 3101, and ARCH 5902ARCH 2101 or ARCH 2102 may only be taken during the summer if the course was completed in a Fall/Spring term and the student received a non-advancing grade. Students who receive a non-advancing grade in ARCH 2101 are permitted to enroll in ARCH 2102 in the spring, but must receive an advancing grade in ARCH 2102 to enroll in the summer studio to fulfill ARCH 2101.  Enrollment in summer studio requires an approved application with an academic plan.

4.2.3 Summer non-Ithaca-based programs, when available, are offered as advanced studios (ARCH 4101ARCH 4102ARCH 5101). No more than one such summer non-Ithaca-based design studio can count for design sequence credit. Any design credits earned at a subsequent summer non-Ithaca-based design studio will be applied to free departmental elective credit. Third-year students in good-standing and with an average design studio grade of at least 3.0 may petition to take a non-Ithaca-based summer studio, enrolling in ARCH 3109 and getting sequence credit for ARCH 4101 after successfully completing their third-year core design studio requirements. Students with a non-advancing grade in their prior studio cannot take an off-campus summer studio for sequence credit (only for free departmental elective credit). In addition, all student participants are expected to enroll in no less than 12 credit hours; approved petition is required to enroll in more than 12 credits, up to a maximum of 15 credits.  If enrolling in variable credit courses, 3 credit hours are recommended.

4.2.4 Rome: B.Arch. students have the option to spend one semester of the fourth year (ARCH 4101 or ARCH 4102) at Cornell in Rome. Students may spend no more than one semester in Rome.

4.2.5 New York City: B.Arch. students have the option to spend one semester of the fourth year (ARCH 4101 or ARCH 4102) at the Gensler Family AAP NYC Center. Students may spend no more than one semester in NYC.

4.2.6 Design credits earned at any non-Cornell study abroad program will be applied as elective credit only.

4.3 Thesis Requirement

4.3.1 Thesis Prerequisites: The prerequisites for ARCH 5902 are ARCH 5101ARCH 5911, and all required departmental non-elective courses.

4.3.2 Expanded Design Thesis: B.Arch. students who wish to pursue a yearlong investigation may apply to complete the expanded design thesis (ARCH 5903 and ARCH 5904). To be eligible, students must have completed ARCH 4102 and carry a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.7 and a minimum studio GPA of 3.8 To apply, students should submit a petition during their ARCH 4102 semester.

ARCH 5903 will satisfy the ARCH 5101 requirement for B.Arch. candidates who must satisfactorily complete a thesis. This is part of a multi-course sequence and will receive an "R" grade (in progress).

ARCH 5904 will satisfy the requirement of B.Arch. candidates who must satisfactorily complete thesis.

4.3.3 Thesis Submission: Each student shall have an advisory faculty committee appointed by the department chair with the recommendations of the student and faculty. Advisors from outside the Department of Architecture may be added, at the student's discretion, to serve as non-grading advisors.

A thesis statement is to be developed independently by the student, and a draft will be submitted at the end of the student's ninth (ARCH 5101) semester. The final thesis statement and program will be developed and finalized with the advice and input of the student's thesis advisor/s during the first three weeks of the thesis semester. This intensive period of engagement with and development of the thesis proposal under the guidance of your thesis advisors should provide for a productive and focused engagement with the thesis topic.

Prior to the final thesis review, students must complete a Thesis Presentation form indicating the specific content of work to be presented. A draft of this form should be discussed with the student's committee at least one week prior to the final submission.

Presentation content indicated on the form must be validated by a committee representative at a designated time before the final review, after which time the material to be presented at the final review can be neither added to nor altered in any way. Late work will not be considered for review. Forms are collected by the department chair or a representative designated by the chair. Students may be asked to store physical presentation objects (e.g., drawings, models, or photographs of objects impractical to store) as well as files for any digital content in a secure location designated by the department.

The thesis may be excluded from review altogether if the material submitted is substantially incomplete, in which case the project will receive a mandatory grade of F.

Thesis students may receive assistance in the production of their final review material from a maximum of two current non-thesis students in the B.Arch. or M.Arch. programs; no other assistance will be allowed. All work performed by these assistants must be given proper credit at the final review, as well as in the thesis publication.

4.3.4 Thesis Grading: While critical evaluation is the primary focus of a final thesis review, the actual grading of a thesis project shall be the responsibility of the student's thesis committee. Additional examining faculty in attendance at the review will be asked to submit recommendations for grades; these recommendations may be used by the thesis committee in determining the final grade.

4.3.5 Thesis Book: As a part of the thesis requirement, each student must submit a hardbound thesis book including representations of the final project for deposit in the Fine Arts Library. The book shall include a title page that lists the student's full name, the title of the thesis project, the degree (i.e., B.Arch.), and the expected date of graduation (i.e., May, August, or January; plus year). This book must be approved by a member of the thesis committee (or, in the absence of a committee member, by the chair) before the student's final grade is submitted to the registrar. Approval is noted on the title page (signature of faculty member and date of receipt). Larger pages may be folded, and all pages must be numbered.

4.4 Studio Attendance

All students are provided with workspace and are expected to be present during regular class hours for instruction and critique.

B.Arch. students will be administratively pre-enrolled in studio and other required courses. Students who have been administratively enrolled in a required class and do not attend by the add deadline (or earlier, depending on the faculty member's grading policy) will need the explicit permission of the instructor to remain enrolled in the class.

4.5 Studio Culture

The department's Studio Culture Policy is available online at the AAP website.

5.0 Introduction to Architecture Courses

Students who successfully complete the Cornell University Summer Introduction to Architecture Program and subsequently enroll in Cornell's B.Arch. program will automatically receive departmental free elective credit for the courses they have successfully completed.

6.0 Advanced Placement Courses

Advanced placement credit may be applied only as free out-of-department elective credit and may not be applied toward any required electives.

7.0 Transfer Credit

7.1 Transfer students are responsible for completing that portion of the curriculum which has not been covered by equivalent work. B.Arch. applicants who have had no previous work in architectural design must complete the 10-semester design sequence. Students currently pursuing a degree in architecture at another institution should be aware that they may lose standing upon a transfer to the B.Arch. program at Cornell due to the rigor, specificity, and sequence of the curriculum. Placement in the design sequence is based on review of a representative portfolio and determined at the time of admission. Generally, placement beyond ARCH 2102 is not approved.

7.2 The AAP Registrar reviews all transfer credit to ensure that it meets the minimum college and university transfer credit criteria. If so, transfer coursework will be automatically applied as free elective credit in the areas of in-college or out-of-college, but not as in-department electives.  Students wishing to receive credit toward a specific degree requirement must have the coursework reviewed by the designated Cornell faculty member in the appropriate subject area. Consult with the AAP Registrar regarding this review process. Please note that First-Year Writing Seminars and mathematics and quantitative reasoning coursework have their own review and approval processes.  More information is available at the following links:

Questions about transfer credit should be directed to the AAP Registrar.

7.3 Transfer students must complete a minimum of 90 credits and six semesters in residence, taking 45 of the 90 credits (including four semesters of design) in the Department of Architecture. Incoming transfer students should meet with the AAP Registrar during orientation to ensure a timely transfer of credit.

7.4 Current students wishing to complete transfer credit during summer or winter sessions or while on an approved leave from Cornell should consult with the AAP Registrar prior to enrolling in courses to ensure compliance with department and college transfer credit policies.