Architecture

Major: Architecture
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Architecture Degree (BArch)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Total Credit Hours: 227.0
Co-op Options: None
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 04.0201
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 17-1011

About the Program

The practice of architecture requires a unique skillset—creative thinking and aesthetic sensitivity balanced with technical knowledge, cultural understanding, and social responsibility. Critical thinking and communication skills are needed. Drexel’s Bachelor of Architecture program encompasses foundation courses in the applied and social sciences, the humanities, and a wide range of professional architecture courses to prepare students for careers in architecture and related fields. At the heart of the curriculum are the design studios where students are challenged to apply their knowledge acquired from the above disciplines to consequential design problems.

Drexel’s work/study program is an experiential-based learning model that complements and provides an alternative to traditional full-time academic architecture programs. The Drexel model provides a practical, high-quality education to those students who seek early exposure to daily architectural practice as well as an affordable alternative to students who could not otherwise be able to enter the profession.

At Drexel there are two paths to an accredited Bachelor of Architecture degree, serving two distinct populations: the 2+4 option and the part-time evening option.

The Architecture program's Architecture Student Handbook includes scheduling guidelines, studio advancement requirements, and general studio policies.

Accreditation

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 US professional degree programs in architecture, 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, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.

Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture programs may require a pre-professional undergraduate degree in architecture for admission; however, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

Drexel University, Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, Department of Architecture + Interiors offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program(s):

2+4 Option:                                          6-year program (2 years full-time, 4 years part-time)
                                                                   Bachelor of Architecture            
                                                                   227.0 undergraduate quarter-term credits             

Part-Time Evening Option:                  7-year part-time program
                                                                   Bachelor of Architecture    
                                                                   227.0 undergraduate quarter-term credits             

Next accreditation visit for both tracks: 2026

About the 2+4 Option

The 2+4 option is an accelerated route designed for well-prepared students entering the major directly after graduating from high school. In this program, two years of full-time coursework address the basic principles of architectural design and satisfy fundamental University core requirements in the arts and sciences as well as those job-related skills that are needed for entry-level professional positions in architecture or related fields. A comprehensive review of performance will take place after each year to ensure that students are making sufficient progress in all areas. After successfully completing the minimum requirements of the full-time phase, students find full-time employment in the building industry, including architecture firms, while continuing their academic program part-time in the evening for four additional years. 

About the Part-time Evening Program

The part-time evening option is one of only two part-time evening architectural programs in the United States leading to an accredited Bachelor of Architecture degree. Designed for non-traditional and transfer students, this program offers all courses part-time in the evening, enabling students to work full-time. The evening program sequence is seven years, but transfer students with university-level design credits can reduce its length by meeting specific program requirements through transcript and portfolio review.

By combining work and study, all Drexel Architecture students may be able to simultaneously satisfy their required internship for licensure—now called the Architectural Experience Program (AXP)—while completing their professional degree, thus qualifying for the registration exam on graduation in most jurisdictions.

Additional Information

For more information, visit the Architecture program website. For advising and transfer information please review the Architecture program's curriculum page.

The Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL) Program

In August of 2015, Drexel was approved by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) for participation in the Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL) Program. IPAL provides students the opportunity to achieve licensure upon graduation—an important innovation affording students the chance to jump start their careers through a curriculum of education, work experience, and licensure examinations. Students follow either of the two options leading to the Bachelor of Architecture degree while preparing for and sitting for licensing exams during the summers following the third, fourth, and fifth year of study. Drexel is part of a selective group of schools in the country to offer this opportunity, an initiative spearheaded by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Students seeking access to this track need permission from the program director and the IPAL faculty advisor.

Note: Architecture vs Architectural Engineering

Because Drexel University offers two programs with "architecture" in their titles, it is useful to point out the significant differences between them:

• Architects design buildings to meet people's spatial, organizational, and aesthetic needs; they also coordinate the building design process. All states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories (Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) require individuals to be licensed (registered) before they may call themselves architects or contract to provide architectural services. Many architecture school graduates work in the field even though they are not licensed or while they are in the process of becoming licensed. But they may not call themselves an architect.
  
  A licensed architect is required to take legal responsibility for all work. Licensure requirements usually include:
  • A professional degree in architecture
  • A period of practical training or internship
  • Passage of all divisions of the Architect Registration Examination (ARE)
     
• Architectural engineers specialize in the design of engineering systems within buildings. Architectural engineers earn Bachelor of Science degrees and become professional engineers with the required experience and state examinations. Students whose interests are focused on the technological and engineering aspects of buildings should review Drexel's major in Architectural Engineering offered by the College of Engineering.

Degree Requirements (2 + 4 Option)

Sample Plan of Study (2 + 4) Option

Degree Requirements (Part-time Evening Option) 

Sample Plan of Study (Part-time Evening Option)

This curriculum format is adjustable to each student's academic situation. Transfer credit evaluation, prior architectural experience, and other considerations may restructure the student's yearly program schedule.

Opportunities

Drexel’s work/study program is an experiential-based learning model that complements and provides an alternative to traditional full-time academic architecture programs. The Drexel model provides a practical, high-quality education to those students who seek early exposure to daily architectural practice as well as an affordable alternative to students who could not otherwise be able to enter the profession.

Ordinarily, Drexel's architecture graduates continue working for the firms that employed them during the work-study phase of their studies. In time, some architects reach positions of associate or partner in these offices while others choose to launch their own firms. Urban design, historic preservation, interior design, and facilities management are some of the related careers that architectural graduates also pursue with similar patterns of success.

The Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure Initiative (IPAL) provides students the opportunity to achieve licensure upon graduation—an important innovation affording students the chance to jump start their careers through a curriculum of education, work experience, and licensure examinations. Students follow either of Drexel's two options leading to the Bachelor of Architecture degree while preparing for and sitting for licensing exams during the summers following the third, fourth, and fifth year of study. Our Architecture Program is part of a selective group of schools in the country to offer this opportunity, an initiative spearheaded by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).

Drexel is located in University City, a Philadelphia neighborhood that includes several centers of education and research. Philadelphia itself offers an unparalleled collection of landmark architecture and urban planning that spans 300 years of development. The region has always been home to architectural firms of national and international prominence. A rich and varied environment combined with an accomplished and supportive professional community make Philadelphia an ideal laboratory for the study of architecture. All of the faculty in the program are active in the Philadelphia architecture community, many in leadership positions at firms.

Students seeking support for resume and portfolio development may schedule an appointment with the Associate Director for Student Placement by contacting the Architecture program. Job listings exclusively for Drexel Architecture students can be found on the Architecture Opportunities site. Firms seeking Drexel interns may contact students directly by finding student links to resume, work samples, and web portfolios at this site.

Facilities

The Department's offices, studios, and teaching facilities are located on floors 3, 3A, 4 and 4A of the URBN Center at 3501 Market Street. The Hybrid Making Lab on the first floor is open to all Westphal students and has state-of-the-art fabricating equipment, accessible to students after required training. The Westphal Print Center is a full-service, low-cost facility located on the ground floor and is accessible to students from on and off campus. A full wood working shop is located in the Visual Studies Arts Annex at 3220 Cherry Street.