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Architecture

This is an archived copy of the 2023-2024 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.iastate.edu.

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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 under Graduate 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)