Welcome to the School of Architecture!

The Academy of Art is an open enrollment university which means that most students will have the opportunity to study with us. We do not apply minimum GPA or completion of math courses as screening criteria for admission into the Architecture program. However, Architecture is a demanding major, and our NAAB-accredited BArch program is very rigorous. So, we provide individualized support for students who need it. Students receive support from a team of advisors and, most importantly, from our Architecture faculty who care deeply about each student’s progress.

Transfer students are placed into our program based on the strength of their portfolio and completion of pre-requisite math and physics courses.

Studio Placement for BArch Transfer Students

Our design studio curriculum has a heavy emphasis on process work that explains how and why design decisions were made in a project. This is most commonly shown in the form of diagrams such as concept diagrams, circulation diagrams, site analysis diagrams, etc. Studio placement into our program depends on the quality of process work and the complexity of the project. For example, if you have completed 4 semesters of architectural design studios but lack process work, your placement will not be in our 5th semester studio. This is to ensure that transfer students are successful in our rigorous design studio courses.

In our BArch program, there are 10 required studio courses. To complete the program in 5 years, a student must take a studio course each semester. This means a student can transfer enough credits to attain a 3rd year standing, but be placed into a 2nd year studio which determines the graduation date.

For students whose goal is to attain architectural licensure, and are planning to work while in school, we offer the BArch IPAL Track. Architectural licensure requires education, experience, and exams. In a non-IPAL BArch program, students must wait until graduation to take the licensing exams. BArch IPAL Track students have the advantage of taking the exams before graduation to shorten the time to licensure. Setting architectural licensure as the goal, rather than the graduation date, helps our BArch IPAL Track students set realistic goals for course loads. We advise our students to focus on maximizing their learning, ensuring the quality of their projects for the portfolio, and being better prepared to succeed in the profession. 

The Academy of Art is the only IPAL program in Northern California as of Spring 2025.

Here are the states that accept the IPAL path to licensure. Not all states accept IPAL so please check on this interactive page on the NCARB website. https://www.ncarb.org/get-licensed/licensing-requirements-tool

Credit Hour Requirement: Setting Expectations for Time Commitment

Architecture requires significantly more time than other non-design majors. A student who is working full time must set realistic expectations for how many courses are feasible. We recommend a lower course load, especially for the first semester, for students who are balancing school and work.

Our Architecture courses are fast-paced so missing more than one week of class will make it challenging to get caught up. If students do not have course supplies in hand at the start of module 1, they will fall behind. If students do fall behind due to health or other emergencies, our faculty’s individualized attention will help them get back on track. But it is very difficult to catch up if a student misses class for multiple weeks.

The Department of Education requires universities to design curriculum so that a student spends 9 hours (minimum) per week to earn 3 college credits. A student who is taking a course load of 12 credits must set aside 36 hours (minimum) each week. Architecture is known to be a challenging major – Architecture courses require more hours than the required minimum.

Page 5 of this document shows the federal definition for Credit Hour.

Course Waiver/Transfer Instructions

We conduct a thorough review of your portfolio and transcript(s). Our goal is to match as many of our courses with those you have taken at previous institutions. To ensure this goal,

• Please list the course numbers on your portfolio pages so that we can understand in which course the work was created.
• Please list all software used to create the work on your portfolio pages.
• Please submit a completed Course Waiver/Transfer Request form (see below).

For placement into architecture studio and media classes, please submit as many of the following as possible:

1. Floor plans, sections, site plans
2. Physical models
3. Freehand sketches
4. Diagrams used as a conceptual design tool – Diagrams can be drawings or models, 2D or 3D
5. Representation of topography in a drawing and/or model
6. Site analysis
7. Program diagrams
8. Precedent analysis
9. List all software programs used – We are looking for Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Rhino, Revit, Enscape, Twinmotion

If you are transferring from a NAAB-accredited program, most of your architecture courses will transfer. To aid the review process, please attach a degree break down and highlight the courses you have taken. Most architecture schools publish a semester-by-semester breakdown of required courses on their websites.

Course Waiver/Transfer Request Form

Please submit The Course Waiver/Transfer Request Form as part of your application in Slideroom.

Download the PDF form at this link Waiver/Transfer Request Form rev

Student Work Examples

Our department blog includes many examples of our students’ work. Please take advantage of this resource to determine what to highlight in your portfolio.

1. Go to https://architecture.academyart.edu/ and click on the filter “Undergraduate Courses.” Browse through the courses one by one. Most studio and media courses include student work.
2. Or go to this link for a quick preview of just the architectural design studio courses: https://architecture.academyart.edu/portfolio-item/undergraduate-studio-projects/
3. Or go to this link to view student portfolios from the first 2 years of our program: https://architecture.academyart.edu/portfolio-item/mid-point-student-portfolios/

Curriculum Maps and Course Descriptions

Find course descriptions in our course catalog: https://catalog.academyart.edu/departments/architecture/