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Architecture

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    This is an archived copy of the 2021-2022 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.iastate.edu.

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

    The undergraduate program in architecture is an accredited five-year curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Architecture degree. 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.

    Objectives of the Bachelor of Architecture program:

    The department 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.

    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;
    • A grounding in the critical, aesthetic, and ethical role of the profession and its relationship to public health, safety, well-being, and environmental stewardship.

    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.