Architecture

The B.Arch. program balances the intensity of a professional education with opportunities to use the resources of a world-class university. The faculty of the department of architecture have developed a highly structured and intensive curriculum, one that emphasizes design, as well as theory, history, technology, representation, and structures. Basic conceptual skills are emphasized early on, along with introducing the fundamental skills of architecture. Students learn to communicate ideas through models and drawings, working fluidly and seamlessly between all modes of both analog and digital representation. All students spend their first three years following a core curriculum designed to lay a strong foundation for architectural education and beyond. During the final four semesters, students are encouraged to work across disciplines focusing on an intellectually rigorous and speculative course of study. Concentrations in architecture are offered in Architecture, Culture, and Society; Architectural Science and Technology; History of Architecture; Architectural Analysis; and Visual Representation in Architecture.

Although most classes are directly concerned with architecture, students will take about one-quarter of the total program in other colleges at Cornell and in other departments within AAP. B.Arch. students spend one semester of their third year in Rome, and also have the opportunity to study at AAP's New York City program.

First Year

Fall Semester

• ARCH 1101 - Design I (6 credits)
• ARCH 1501 - Representation I: Freehand Architectural Drawing (3 credits)
• ARCH 1611 - Environmental Systems I: Site and Sustainability (3 credits)
• ARCH 1801 - History of Architecture I (3 credits)
• Out-of-Department Elective (First-Year Writing Seminar suggested)* (3 credits)

Total: 18

Spring Semester

• ARCH 1102 - Design II (6 credits)
• ARCH 1502 - Representation II: Media of Representation (3 credits)
• ARCH 1612 - Structural Concepts (3 credits)
• ARCH 1802 - History of Architecture II (3 credits)
• Free Out-of-Department Elective* (3 credits)

Total: 18

Second Year

Fall Semester

• ARCH 2101 - Design III (6 credits)
• ARCH 2301 - Architectural Analysis I: Buildings, Drawings, and Texts (3 credits)
• ARCH 2613 - Structural Systems (3 credits)
• ARCH 2614 - Building Technology I: Materials and Methods (3 credits)
• Free Out-of-Department Elective* (3 credits)

Total: 18

Spring Semester

• ARCH 2102 - Design IV (6 credits)
• ARCH 2615 - Building Technology II: Structural Elements (3 credits)
• ARCH 2616 - Environmental Systems II: Building Dynamics (3 credits)
• Out-of-Department Elective (MQR suggested)* (3 credits)
• Free Out-of-Department Elective* (3 credits)

Total: 18

Third Year

During the third year, half the class is at Cornell in Rome each semester taking the core studio and ARCH 3301. Students are assigned to the fall or spring semester in Rome through a lottery process. Those not in Rome are primarily in Ithaca taking the Ithaca-based design studio.

Rome: Fall or Spring Semester

• ARCH 3101 - Design V (fall)/ARCH 3102 - Design VI (spring) (6 credits)
• ARCH 3301 - Architectural Analysis II: Architecture, the City, and Landscape (3 credits)
• Out-of-Department Elective (art suggested)* (3 credits)
• Departmental Elective (architectural history  suggested)* (3 credits)

Total: 15

Ithaca: Fall or Spring Semester

• ARCH 3101 - Design V (fall)/ARCH 3102 - Design VI (spring) (6 credits)
• Free Departmental Elective* (3 credits)
• Free Departmental Elective* (3 credits)
• Free Out-of-Department Elective* (3 credits)
• Free Out-of-Department Elective* (3 credits)

Total: 18

Fourth Year

Fall Semester

• ARCH 4101 - Design VII (6 credits)
• Departmental Elective (architectural history suggested)* (3 credits)
• Departmental Elective (theory suggested)* (3 credits)
• Out-of-Department Elective (MQR or PBS suggested)* (3 credits)
• Out-of-Department Elective (Art)* (3 credits)

Total: 18

Spring Semester

**Notes:

• ARCH 4102 - Design VIII (6 credits)
• ARCH 5201 - Professional Practice (3 credits)**
• Departmental Elective (architecture, culture, society suggested) * (3 credits)
• Free Out-of-Department Elective (required directed elective suggested)** (3 credits)
• Free Departmental Elective** (3 credits)
• ARCH 5201 can be taken in the fourth or fifth year without petition.
• The required directed elective (RDE) is a Free Departmental or free Out-of-Department Elective. It can be taken in the ARCH 4101, 4102, or 5101 semester without petition. The RDE must be completed before thesis.

Total: 18

Fifth Year

Fall Semester

• ARCH 5101 - Design IX (6 credits)
• Out-of-Department Elective (humanities suggested)* (3 credits)
• Free Departmental Elective* (3 credits)
• Free Out-of-Department Elective* (3 credits)
• Free Departmental Elective* (3 credits)

Total: 18

Spring Semester

• ARCH 5902 - Design X Thesis (8 credits)
• Free Departmental Elective (3 credits)
• Free Out-of-Department Elective (3 credits)
• Free Out-of-Department Elective (3 credits)

Total: 17

Total Academic Credits: 176

 * Elective courses may be switched between different semesters, as long as total distribution requirements are met (except that the First-Year Writing Seminar should be taken in the first year).

Required Departmental Non-Elective Courses:

Electives:

Required Departmental Electives:

Required Out-of-Department Electives:

Requirements

Required Interview

The Department of Architecture requires a portfolio interview for every applicant to the B.Arch. degree program. The purpose of the interview is to explore an applicant's interest in architecture and to understand how that interest developed. A formal portfolio need not be presented at the interview, but the interviewers do expect applicants to bring samples of their artwork.

Important: The interviews are evaluative and carry significant weight in the admissions selection process. Please request an interview only if you are certain that you will be applying to the architecture major. First-year interviews are scheduled in the fall. Transfer interviews are scheduled in the fall and spring.

Interviews can be completed by:

• Scheduling an appointment with a Cornell architecture faculty member
• Scheduling an appointment with an architecture alumnus near where applicants live

On-campus and alumni interviews can only be requested via the online Interview Request Form, which will be available starting on August 15. Interviews will not be arranged over the phone. If neither the on-campus nor off-campus interview opportunities meet an applicant's needs, please contact the admissions office to determine if there is an alternate option.

The deadlines to complete an architecture interview are:

• November 1 (early decision first-year applicants)
• January 2 (regular decision first-year applicants)
• October 1 (spring transfer applicants)
• March 1 (fall transfer applicants)

First-year, regular decision applicants must request an interview no later than Monday, December 19, 2016. 

It is very important to note that the majority of successful applicants to the B.Arch. program complete an in-person interview. In cases where an applicant absolutely cannot schedule an in-person interview (due to distance, illness, or family emergency), applicants may respond to the interview questions in an essay form. Applicants who are close to Ithaca or have alumni interviewers in their area are expected to complete an in-person interview, not the essay. If you have extenuating circumstances, as described above, the essay is an acceptable alternative.

• Interview Essay Guidelines
• Interview Request Form

Please note that the optional Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN) interview "meetings" have a different purpose, format, content, and line of questioning, as compared to the B.Arch. portfolio interview. CAAAN interviews do not satisfy the B.Arch. interview requirement.

Portfolio Requirements

A portfolio must be submitted for an application to be considered. Applicants to the B.Arch. program may submit their portfolio either online via Cornell AAP SlideRoom (preferred) or in hard copy. The content of the portfolio remains the same regardless of the format of submission. Samples of freehand drawing are required. In addition to drawings, please include a variety of work from media such as painting, sculpture, graphics, art photography, woodworking, ceramics, or any other visual media that demonstrate interest, experience, and aptitude in creative and graphic areas.

Please submit 15–20 items and present the material in a neat, well-organized manner.

Label each portfolio item with:

• Information on the medium used
• Whether the project was done independently or in a class
• The original size of the work
• A one- or two-sentence comment about each piece

If any project, drawing, or model has been produced by several designers or if the design was produced in a professional setting, each drawing must be labeled, clearly stating the number of designers, which drawings were produced by the applicant and a list of the names of all members of the group project. If the project was produced in an office, an office setting, or as an assistant to an author, then the office name, supervisor, and all members of the team must be identified.

If submitting in hard copy, the first page of the portfolio must contain the following: "This portfolio contains the design work of [applicant's name here]." This is not necessary for online submissions. A hard copy portfolio should not include the original works. Reproductions should be high-quality photographs (minimum 3" x 5") or photocopies in a flat binder no larger than 10" x 13" with the applicant's name clearly displayed on the outside of the binder. Please include a loose piece of paper within your portfolio with the following information:

• Date of birth
• Type of applicant (First-year or Transfer)
• List of other colleges/universities you are considering

Hard copy portfolios will be returned at the end of the selection process only if a stamped, self-addressed envelope or mailing packet is included.

Please submit the portfolio either online or in hard copy — do not submit both ways.

The deadlines for portfolio submissions are:

• November 1 (early decision first-year applicants)
• January 2 (regular decision first-year applicants)
• October 1 (spring transfer applicants)
• March 1 (fall transfer applicants)

If submitting a hard copy portfolio, please mail it directly to:

Office of Undergraduate Admissions
College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
Cornell University
235 Sibley Dome
Ithaca, NY 14853-6701

Portfolios are added to the applicant's admissions file for review by the architecture department admissions committee.

Secondary School Subjects/Standardized Test Requirements

Sixteen units of secondary school subjects must be completed, including four of mathematics (including plane geometry, intermediate algebra, and trigonometry), four of English, and one of physics. Recommended: One unit of calculus and three or four of foreign language (three years of one language or two years each of two languages).

• The SAT or ACT is required
• The TOEFL and/or IELTS is required of all international applicants whose first language is not English
• The recommended minimum scores are:
  • TOEFL - Score of 100
  • IELTS - Score of 7

Please note: as of summer 2016, the SAT Math Subject Test is no longer required for applicants to the B.Arch. program. 

Scholarships

• Cornell University Grant
• Endowed Scholarships