Architecture

Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.)

• B.Arch. Curriculum
• Concentrations
• Rules Governing Architecture Courses and Curriculum

The undergraduate professional program is normally five years in length and incorporates both a general and professional educational base.

In the first three years, the student has the opportunity to establish a foundation in the humanities and sciences through electives. During the fourth and fifth years, this base may expand through further detailed studies in these areas. Within the professional program a basis for understanding architecture in its contemporary and historical cultural contexts is established.

Minor in Architecture (For Non-Departmental Students)

A special minor has been formulated specifically for those students not enrolled in the Department of Architecture but who are interested in complementing their current academic program with an introduction to various facets of architectural studies. Some students may wish to use the Minor in Architecture as a means of investigating possible graduate studies in architecture. Some may wish to develop architectural specialties within other disciplines. Students meeting the requirements for this minor should complete a minor form, and submit it to the architecture department office. The minor will be validated by the architecture department and recorded on the official transcript at the time of degree completion.

The curriculum for students in the Minor in Architecture program totals 15 credit hours minimum. Grades earned must be C or better in all courses used for minor credit.  Distribution requirements for the minor are as follows:

Graduate Degree Programs

Graduate programs in the Department of Architecture include studies in architecture, computer graphics, and history of architecture and urban development. The Ph.D. program in History of Architecture and Urban Development draws upon faculty and resources from both AAP’s Department of Architecture and other departments in the university. The program of Computer Graphics offers a M.S. degree, and draws upon faculty primarily from Computer Science and Architecture. A top-ranked program in the country, the fully accredited Professional Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) degree program is for individuals from diverse disciplines and backgrounds interested in practicing or teaching architecture. The Post-Professional Master of Architecture (M.Arch.II) program is open to applicants possessing a bachelor of architecture (B.Arch.) or professional master of architecture (M.Arch.) degree or the international equivalent.

Master of Architecture (Post-Professional):

Cornell’s post-professional master of architecture is an intensive, advanced design research program. Open to individuals holding a B.Arch. or first-professional M.Arch. degree, the three-semester program beginning the first weekday in June offers a critical framework for investigating pertinent design concerns, practices, and technologies in 21st-century architecture and urbanism. A structure of core and elective studios and courses allows students to pursue trajectories of inquiry within one of three interrelated territories of investigation:

• Architecture and Discourse (A+D): Theory, criticism, publishing, cultural production, design research, history and contemporaneity
• Architecture and Ecology (A+E): Sustainable practices, soft infrastructures, materials research, environmental simulation, computational design, digital fabrication, performance driven design
• Architecture and Representation (A+R): Emerging technologies, drawing fields, digital & generative design, new cartographies, media spaces, architectural publications and exhibitions, theories of representation
• Architecture and Urbanism (A+U): Urban geography, typological studies, urban theory, networks, infrastructures, urban imaging, ecological urbanism

Expected Supply Fees

Architecture students should allow a minimum of $1,100 for expendable supplies each academic year.

Note on Professional Accreditation

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 an eight-year, three-year, or two-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 Department of Architecture at Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning offers two NAAB-accredited degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture (176 undergraduate credits) and the Master of Architecture (pre-professional degree + 114 graduate credits).

Next accreditation visit for the B.Arch.: 2024
Next accreditation visit for the M.Arch.: 2021