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Architecture

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OVERVIEW

http://www.design.iastate.edu/architecture

The Department of Architecture is committed to the study of architecture as a cultural discipline in which issues of practice, of the multiplicity of social formations in which buildings exist, and of environmental effects are integrated with building design through construction, space, material, form and use. Architecture arises from the aspirations that diverse individuals and groups have for their physical environment, and from the social enterprise of designing and fabricating the landscape we inhabit. It involves individual and multiple buildings, the spaces within them, and the exterior landscape.

The undergraduate program in architecture is an accredited 165-credit five-year undergraduate professional program, including the 31-credit Core Design Program, leading to the Bachelor of Architecture degree (B. Arch). The program provides opportunities for general education as well as preparation for professional practice and/or graduate study. An optional one-semester foreign study program is offered to fourth-year students. Other study abroad opportunities are also available for short-term and semester-long duration.

The undergraduate curriculum includes one year of the college's Core Design Program followed by a four-year professional program. Admission to the professional degree program is based on the applicant’s performance in the completed pre-professional curriculum; previous high school record (or transfer record where applicable); portfolio and essay evaluations; and on available departmental resources. Information on admission criteria is posted each year on the College of Design website.

Students completing their bachelor’s degree may opt to include a wide range of minor option as part of their course of study. A number of minors related to design, including digital media, critical studies, urban studies, and sustainability, can be integrated within their regular course of study; for details, please refer to the College of Design website.

For students entering the professional program after completion of the Core Design Program, the department requires purchase on their own or through the college of a laptop/notebook computer and appropriate software. Information is provided to students about computer requirements at the time of acceptance to the program.

The department offers two graduate degrees in architecture: a 90-credit graduate professional program leading to the Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) and a 30-credit interdisciplinary graduate program leading to the Master of Science in Architecture (M.S. Arch.). Both degrees offer options for interdisciplinary study within the College of Design and across related fields within the university. Double-degree programs are offered with a number of other graduate programs of study within the college. Financial support in the form of teaching and research assistantships is available competitively.

Students who complete their Bachelor of Architecture Degree at Iowa State University may have 6 approved credit hours of their undergraduate study applied towards their Graduate Standing, permitting them to complete the M.S.Arch with 24 additional credit hours of study. In addition to graduate studies in Architecture, Bachelor of Architecture students may opt to pursue a one-year program of master’s studies from other departments or programs in the College and the University. For complete current graduate program descriptions (many of which can apply 6 transfer credits from undergrad study), please see the College website undergraduate programs.

Student Learning Outcomes

Our program prepares students for careers in architecture and related disciplines, emphasizing a diverse and holistic approach whereby graduates obtain:

  • Rigorous, research-driven, and creative design skills.
  • A broad, inclusive, and nuanced appreciation for the historic and theoretical frameworks that inform practice today.
  • An array of graphic, computational and presentation skills needed to both design and convey design intent.
  • An understanding of contemporary technical and performance criteria used to model, analyze, and construct projects, so as to responsibly evaluate the technical and environmental impact of design decisions; and
  • A grounding in the critical, aesthetic, and ethical role of the profession and its relationship to public health, safety, well-being, and environmental stewardship.

Program Accreditation

Iowa State University Department of Architecture offers programs accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board, which requires the inclusion of the following statement:

“In the United States, most 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 professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, 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 term, an eight-year term with conditions, or a two-year term of continuing accreditation, or a three-year term of initial accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established education standards.

Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a nonaccredited undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the non-accredited degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.”

Iowa State University Department of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:

  • Bachelor of Architecture (165 cr.)
  • Master of Architecture (90 cr.; prerequisite: undergraduate degree in a discipline other than architecture or a four-year pre-professional degree in architecture)

Degree Requirements

Total B. Arch. Requirement: 165 cr.

Only 65 cr. from a two-year institution may apply which may include up to 16 technical cr.; 9 P-NP cr. of free electives; 2.00 minimum GPA.

International Perspective: 3 cr.

U.S. Diversity: 3 cr.

Communications: 7 cr.

(C or better grade in ENGL 1500 and ENGL 2500)

ENGL 1500Critical Thinking and Communication3
ENGL 2500Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition3
LIB 1600Introduction to College Level Research1
Total Credits7

Humanities: 6 cr.

6 cr. from approved list.

Social Sciences: 6 cr.

6 cr. from approved list.

Math and Physical Sciences: 8 cr.

MATH 1450Applied Trigonometry3
PHYS 1310General Physics I4
PHYS 1310LGeneral Physics I Laboratory1
Total Credits8

Design Core 13 cr.

DSNS 1020Design Studio I4
DSNS 1150Design Collaborative Seminar1
or DSNS 1100 Design Exchange Seminar I
DSNS 1310Drawing I4
DSNS 1320Digital Design Literacy1
DSNS 1830Design in Context3
Total Credits13

Design Communications: 6 cr.

ARCH 2300Design Communications I3
ARCH 2310Advanced Design Representation3
Total Credits6

Design: 48 cr.

ARCH 2010Architectural Design I6
ARCH 2020Architectural Design II6
ARCH 3010Architectural Design III6
ARCH 3020Architectural Design IV6
ARCH 4010Architectural Design V6
ARCH 4020Architectural Design VI6
ARCH 4030Architectural Design VII6
DSNS 5460Interdisciplinary Design Studio6
Total Credits48

Building Technologies: 21 cr.

ARCH 3450Building Science and Technology I2
ARCH 3450LBuilding Science and Technology I Lab1
ARCH 3460Building Science and Technology II3
ARCH 3460LBuilding Science and Technology II Lab2
ARCH 3470Building Science and Technology III3
ARCH 3470LBuilding Science and Technology III Lab2
ARCH 3480Building Science and Technology IV3
ARCH 3480LBuilding Science and Technology IV Lab2
ARCH 4450Building Science and Technology V2
ARCH 4450LBuilding Science and Technology V Lab1
Total Credits21

Studies in History, Theory, and Culture: 18 cr.

ARCH 2200Contemporary Architecture3
ARCH 2210Histories and Theories of Architecture to 17503
ARCH 3220Histories and Theories of Architecture after 17503
Nine credits from approved HTC Option list.9
Total Credits18

Behavioral Studies/Practice: 6 cr.

ARCH 3710Human Behavior and Environmental Theory3
ARCH 4820Professional Practice3
Total Credits6

Professional Options: 9 cr.

6 cr. 3000-5000 level Arch; 3 cr. from ARCH, ART, ARTH, ARTID, ARTGR, ARTIS, CRP, DES, DSNS, or LA, SUSE, or URBD.

Electives: 17 cr.

2 cr. KIN or ATH allowed; 4 cr. AFAS, MS, or NS allowed; 9 cr. ARCH allowed (no P/NP).

Architecture, B.Arch.

First Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
DSNS 1020 or 13104DSNS 1020 or 13104
DSNS 1100 or 11501DSNS 1830 or ENGL 15003
DSNS 1830 (or General Elective)3PHYS 13104
DSNS 13201PHYS 1310L1
ENGL 1500 or LIB 1600 (or General Elective)1-3Social Science/Humanities Elective3
MATH 14503LIB 1600 or ENGL 2500*1-3
Social Science/Humanities Elective3*LIB 1600 is taken once. 
 16-18 16-18
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
ARCH 20106ARCH 20206
ARCH 22003ARCH 34603
ARCH 23003ARCH 3460L2
ARCH 34502ARCH 37103
ARCH 3450L1ARCH 23103
ENGL 2500*3 
*If not taken the first year.  
 18 17
Third Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
ARCH 22103ARCH 30206
ARCH 30106ARCH 32203
ARCH 34703ARCH 34803
ARCH 3470L2ARCH 3480L2
Social Sciences/Humanities Elective3HTC Elective3
 17 17
Fourth Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
ARCH 40106ARCH 40206
ARCH 44502HTC Elective3
ARCH 4450L1General Elective3
ARCH 48203General Elective3
HTC Elective3 
Social Science/Humanities Elective3 
 18 15
Fifth Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
ARCH 40306DSNS 54606
Professional Elective3Professional Elective3
Professional Elective3General Elective3
General Elective3General Elective2
 15 14

 Total Credits: 165

 

 Admission into the Bachelor of Architecture Program requires the completion of the Core Design Program. Admission depends upon available resources; admission criteria are posted on the College of Design website. Transfer students are considered on a case-by-case-basis. 

Graduate Programs

Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)

Our 90-credit M.Arch. is an accredited professional degree in architecture designed for students with undergraduate degrees in disciplines other than architecture as well as for students who hold a four-year pre-professional degree in architecture. Applicants holding B.S. or B.A. degrees in Architecture or other affiliated design fields may be given advanced standing in the M.Arch. program. 

The M.Arch. program engages with architecture as a form of knowledge, practice and production situated in relation to contemporary concerns and issues. Students gain the knowledge, skills and experience with which to professionally practice architecture, while also developing a critical awareness of the discipline’s wider social, political, economic, environmental and cultural implications.

M.Arch. is accredited by the National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) and leads to a professional Master of Architecture degree over three years. The curriculum commences with an intensive sequence of classes that establish the foundations for the study and practice of architecture. Equal emphasis is placed on each of the three study areas: studios in architectural design and media, laboratories and lectures on science and technology, and lectures and seminars on history and theory. Building on these foundations, students are supported in developing their own particular interests and agendas as they progress through the subsequent two years of study. This is facilitated through options in studying abroad, undertaking specialized studio options both within and outside of the department, and opportunities for independent study.

In addition to architecture, students previously admitted to the full three-year program have held undergraduate degrees in a broad range of fields, including art history, history, literature, interior design, economics, mathematics, computer science, anthropology, medicine and philosophy. This diverse range of previous study and experience is brought to bear on the study of architecture, collectively enriching the range and depth of our program.

While students with undergraduate degrees in other disciplines, must complete the full three years of the curriculum, students with undergraduate degrees in architecture or other related design fields may, on consideration, be given advanced standing in the program. Advanced standing students may waive up to the whole first year.

Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)

Studio Courses: 36 cr.
ARCH 5050Architectural Design and Media I: Mapping, Programming, Building6
ARCH 5060Architectural Design and Media II: Materiality and Representation6
ARCH 6010Sustainable Building Design6
ARCH 6020Communities, Architecture and the Environment6
ARCH 6030Integrative Design6
ARCH 6040Design Studio Options6
Technology and Practice: 18 cr.
ARCH 5430Building Science and Technology I6
ARCH 5440Building Science and Technology II3
ARCH 5820Professional Practice3
ARCH 6410Building Science and Technology III3
ARCH 6420Building Science and Technology IV3
History and Theory: 12 cr.
ARCH 5950Seminar on the Built Environment I: History3
ARCH 5960Seminar on the Built Environment II: Landscape and Society3
ARCH 5970Seminar on the Built Environment III: Theory3
ARCH 5980Seminar on the Built Environment IV: Topical Study3
Electives: 24 cr.

Total Credits: 90

Master of Science in Architecture (M.S.)

M.S. in Arch. is a 30-credit research degree with a required graduate thesis. As a research degree, this program is not subject to NAAB accreditation.

M.S. in Arch. is open for applicants who hold a professional degree in architecture or other related design fields. Applicants are required to submit a research proposal that lies within one of the study areas listed on the program's webpage. The degree is also open for applicants with non-professional degrees in various fields depending on the research proposed by the applicant.

Master of Science In Architecture (M.S.)

History and Theory: 6 cr. (Choose two seminars from this list)
ARCH 5950Seminar on the Built Environment I: History3
ARCH 5960Seminar on the Built Environment II: Landscape and Society3
ARCH 5970Seminar on the Built Environment III: Theory3
ARCH 5980Seminar on the Built Environment IV: Topical Study3
Thesis: 9 cr.
ARCH 6990Research9
Area of Study: 9 cr.
Electives: 6 cr.

Total Credits: 30

Dual degree

Double degree programs are offered with a number of graduate programs in other college departments. Information about our programs and how to apply can be obtained from the department’s web page at: https://www.design.iastate.edu/architecture/.

Financial support in the form of teaching and research assistantships is available.