Junior Phase

Students seeking admission to the School of Architecture should have reached junior-level status, and meet all University requirements. Students can complete the two year pre-professional program at FAU starting fall 2004 or at an approved Associate of Arts degree in an architectural design program at Broward, Hillsborough, Indian River, Palm Beach (Lake Worth/Boca Raton), or Valencia Community Colleges; Miami-Dade, or St. Petersburg (Clearwater) Colleges. Students transferring to FAU with equivalent courses from an approved architectural design program at an accredited institution are also eligible for admission with full junior status.

Students will be admitted to the Junior Phase curriculum sequence in the fall semester only. Students needing to complete some or all of the lower-division requirements may be considered for admission for the fall, spring, or summer semesters.

Only "C" grades or higher is accepted for transfer of applicable ARC prefix prerequisite and core courses from other institutions. A grade of "C-" or below will not be accepted for graduation in ARC prefix prerequisite or core courses.

The lower-division, pre-professional courses are:

Architectural Design I, II, III & IV (ARC 1301, ARC 1302, ARC 2303, ARC 2304)
Theory of Architecture (ARC 2201 or ARC 3206)
Architectural History (ARC 1211, ARC 1701, ARC 2208* or ARC 2702) or Art Appreciation (ARH 2000)
Materials/Methods (ARC 2461 or ARC 2472)
Architectural Structures (ARC 2501 or ARC 2580)
Calculus (MAC x233, MAC 2311** or MAC x311)
Physics (PHY x053 or PHY x004)

*ARC2208 can only be substituted for ARC1701 if taken concurrently with ARC1301 at FAU. **Strongly recommended

Admission of students having junior status falls into three categories. Students who apply to FAU in architecture are placed into pre-architecture by the Admissions Office. Students must complete one of the following three categories in order to be moved into the professional Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) program and begin the upper-division design sequence.

1. Those having completed all approved lower-division, pre-professional and general education requirements of an Associate of Arts degree with concentration in architecture, and an approved portfolio will be eligible to commence the upper-division architecture sequence.
2. Those needing to complete lower-division, pre-professional architecture courses must complete the lower-division, pre-architecture courses, and receive portfolio approval prior to enrolling in the upper-division design studio sequence.
3. Those needing to complete lower-division general education courses are required to complete these courses within one year of admittance to the School of Architecture. They must also complete the lower-division, pre-architecture courses, and receive portfolio approval prior to enrolling in the upper-division design studio sequence.

Senior and Thesis Phase

Applicants who have taken professional courses at a regionally accredited university or an accredited architecture school may secure admission to this phase. Transfer credit will not be granted for grades lower than a "C" for ARC prefix prerequisite and core courses. Only 3000, 4000, and 5000 level courses will be accepted for transfer as upper-division electives. The point of entry into the program is determined by an admissions committee. Students who apply to FAU in architecture are placed into pre-architecture by the Admissions Office. Students must have an approved portfolio in order to be moved into the professional Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) program and begin the design sequence. The decision is based on the following considerations:

• overall GPA
• achievements in pre-professional courses
• Required Writing Exercise
• courses completed in accordance with the recommended sequence
• special emphasis on a portfolio of student work that demonstrates potential to successfully complete the Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) program
• TOEFL score of 550 for applicants whom language of instruction was not English.

Completion of the professional Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) program will require fulfilling all of the pre-requisite and required professional courses of the program. Students admitted at the Thesis Phase level must complete a minimum of 33 credit-hours, including the entire Thesis Phase studio sequence.

School of Architecture Application:

All students interested in applying to the Upper Division sequence of the School of Architecture are required to submit an application to the program.   

The School of Architecture Application must be submitted along with the portfolio. Applications will not be accepted without the portfolio. Please do not send the application to Undergraduate Admissions. International and out of state students are required to submit course descriptions and/or the original institution’s syllabus along with application. Please indicate the courses which are believed to be transferable into our Professional Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) program.

The School of Architecture Application is available at http://www.fau.edu/caupa/arch/pdf/soa_upper_div_app.pdf.

Portfolio and Writing Requirements for All Categories

Students applying for fall 2009 admission to the School of Architecture must submit a portfolio of work by March 6, 2009, at 10 am, Room 807 of the Higher Education Complex, 111 E Las Olas Blvd, in Downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Portfolios submitted after any of these deadlines will not be accepted. A portfolio should be a well-crafted presentation of an individual’s work. The representation must include academic work, whether it is from designs 1 through 4 for admission to the Junior phase or designs 1 through 8 for admissions to the Thesis phase. Failure to include academic work disqualifies the applicant for admissions to the School of Architecture. Portfolios shall be submitted in letter-size (8 1/2” by 11”) format. No original documents, slides, or rolled drawings will be accepted. Applications to the university are due by February 6, 2009 for the fall semester. Applicants must apply and be accepted by the university before portfolio submission. Please submit a self-addressed stamped envelope for returning portfolios.

Submitted portfolios must include a cover page with the student’s name, address, telephone number(s), email address and design sequence applying for. Portfolios may include up to 24 pages of representative work. Included projects must indicate a sequential process of development with the greatest emphasis on recent works. Examples of past student work are most important, but other work – completed privately or in a professional setting – may also be included. All projects should include the following text information: a title, a description of the project, the course for which the work was completed (where applicable), the date completed, and, for group work or professional work, the individual’s role in the project.

Architectural projects should be illustrated with clear reproductions and include a range of architectural representation: plans, elevations, sections, perspective drawings, sketches, models, and other three-dimensional representations. The architecture faculty reviews the contents of a portfolio for admission and placement purposes. The projects submitted will be evaluated for equivalent learning. Student placement in the Design Studio sequence is based upon the illustrated level of skill and understanding as indicated in the presented work.

Required Writing Exercise

Applicants to the School of Architecture are required to participate in a writing exercise. The writing sample requirement will be fulfilled by hand writing a short essay on a subject to be announced. Applicants will be given ample time to respond to the subject and complete the task. Legibility, grammar, spelling and concise thought are all important aspects of your writing ability and should be given equal effort. Writing samples are evaluated to determine the student’s readiness for upper division writing and analysis. The writing sample will be completed in person at the Higher Education Complex, Room 807 on the day of the portfolio submission deadline.

Important Deadlines

Fall 2009

• University Applications –  February 6, 2009
• School of Architecture Application – March 6, 2009
• Portfolio Submission – March 6, 2009 at 10 am.
• Required Writing Exercise (in person) – March 6, 2009 at 10 am

Accreditation Status

In the United States, most state 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 US professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes two types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture and the Master of Architecture. A program may be granted a five-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on its degree of conformance with established educational standards.

Masters degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree, which, when earned sequentially, comprise an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

Florida Atlantic University's School of Architecture was granted a five-year accreditation from the NAAB in October of 1999. This was only the second time in ten years that a new architecture school was given the maximum five-year accreditation for its initial review period.

Intellectual Property

Student work submitted to the School of Architecture in satisfaction of course or degree requirements, becomes the physical property of the School. However, students retain all rights to the intellectual property of such work. This work may include papers, drawings, models, and other materials. The School of Architecture assumes no responsibility for safeguarding such materials. At its discretion, the School of Architecture may retain, return, or discard such materials. The School of Architecture will not normally discard the materials of current students without giving them a chance to reclaim them.