Architecture

Kate Wingert-Playdon, Chair
Tyler School of Art, Architecture Building, Room 207
2001 North 13th Street

Philadelphia, PA  19122
215-204-7903

architecture@temple.edu

tyler.temple.edu/programs/architecture

About the Architecture Department

Tyler Architecture focuses on design in the contexts of culture, technology, and stewardship of the built and natural environment.  Its programs stress critical inquiry and innovation as part of the creative process, teaching students how to intervene in the physical world through carefully considered acts of making. The Department engages the city, exploring and addressing the ethical and social dimensions of architecture and the urban environment.  Through this engagement, it seeks to develop an ethos of responsibility in the students, preparing them to become effective leaders in practices and discourses surrounding the complex global and local issues of our time.

The Department offers the following degrees:

• Bachelor of Science in Architecture pre-professional degree
• Bachelor of Science in Facilities Management
• Bachelor of Science in Architectural Preservation
• National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) accredited Bachelor of Architecture degree, five-year, for students who entered through fall of 2009
• National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) accredited Master of Architecture degree, two-year track, for students who receive a 4-year pre-professional bachelor’s degree program in architecture, three year track for students who receive a bachelor’s program in other disciplines or in a non-pre-professional architecture program

The undergraduate architecture curricula share a common two-year Foundation Program. Upon successful completion of this preparatory program, students may continue in the Bachelor of Science in Architectural Preservation or the Bachelor of Science in Facilities Management, or can apply for acceptance into the Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree program.

Since the four-year Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree program leads directly to the Master of Architecture degree program, admission is competitive. This is so that students are well prepared for graduate level professional program studies after obtaining the Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree. Typically, students have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and an excellent portfolio. Completion of minimum entrance requirements does not guarantee admission. 

The four-year Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree is a pre-professional program. Graduates are qualified for a variety of positions in architecture and related fields for which a professional degree and registration are not requirements for advancement. Additionally, students may utilize this degree toward the goal of architectural education at the graduate level.

The four-year Bachelor of Science in Facilities Management degree prepares students for a career in the profession of Facility Management. It is a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality of the built environment by integrating people, place, process and technology. Students who choose this degree program can pursue facility management certification after entering into the profession.

The four-year Bachelor of Science in Architectural Preservation degree prepares students for a career in cultural and historic preservation focused on the built environment. Careers in the field of Architectural Preservation are those where leadership includes advocacy for places important to the underlying cultural and historical infrastructure of communities and environments.

The NAAB accredited Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) professional degree program prepares students for the practice of architecture in entry-level positions and is part of an intern development program that leads to professional registration. Tyler Architecture Department offers two tracks in the M.Arch. degree program, a 2-year Professional Program track for students who have earned a pre-professional Bachelor’s degree in architecture and a 3-year Design Intensive track for students who have a non-pre-professional Bachelor’s degree in architecture or another discipline. This curriculum is designed to enable students to learn theories and methodologies of architectural design as well as to understand the social, economic, political, and technological forces that shape the built environment. The principal educational component of the program is a coordinated series of studio courses in which creative design talents and management skills are developed. Holders of this degree may, upon completion of postgraduate work experience, be admitted to the architectural licensing examinations offered in each state, through which they may become registered architects.

According to the NAAB, "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 U.S. 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 a 6-year, 3-year, or 2-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards. Master's degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree."

All Architecture Department students have the opportunity to study abroad for a semester at Temple Rome or Temple Japan. Admission to these programs is competitive.  Applications are made through the Temple Education Abroad Office.

For students entering our programs from Fall 2010 onwards, the Master of Architecture (2-year professional track and 3-year design intensive track) is the National Architecture Accreditation Board accredited professional degree (NAAB, www.naab.org).

(Note: The Bachelor of Architecture degree program is not available for students entering in Fall 2010 or after. It will be phased out by Spring 2014. Students who entered in 2009 and who have completed a substantial amount of the requirements of the Bachelor of Architecture degree program by Spring 2014 will have until Spring 2016 to finish all requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Architecture or the Bachelor of Architecture degrees offered on entry in 2009. For further information, consult the department's web site at www.temple.edu/architecture.)

Study Abroad

Students who plan to study abroad should arrange to meet with an academic advisor as early as possible, preferably during the freshman year, in order to plan the sequence of courses that would be most appropriate. While students majoring in Architecture may study in Rome in the fall or spring semester, Japan is only an option for the spring.  Architectural Preservation and Facilities Management majors should consider attending the Rome or Japan program only during the spring semester of the junior year. 

University Requirements

All students are required to complete the General Education requirements. Go to the General Education section for more information.

All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses as part of the major. The specific writing-intensive courses required for the major are identified below by "WI" in the Attribute column.

A total of 123 s.h. is required for completion of the Bachelor of Science in Architecture; 122 s.h. is required for completion of the Bachelor of Science in Architectural Preservation; 122 s.h. is required for completion of the Bachelor of Science in Facilities Management.

Architecture Foundation Studies Courses (Year 1 & 2)

Note: The Architecture Foundation is common to all three undergraduate degrees.  In the spring of the sophomore year, students declare a major in one of the degrees offered.  A place in the B.S. in Facilities Management or the B.S. in Architectural Preservation is guaranteed for all students in good standing with the University.  Admission to the Bachelor of Science in Architecture is competitive. Typically, students have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and an excellent portfolio. Completion of minimum entrance requirements does not guarantee admission. 

Bachelor of Science in Architecture (Year 3 & 4)

Bachelor of Science in Architectural Preservation (Year 3 & 4) 

Bachelor of Science in Facilities Management (Year 3 & 4) 

Following a student's matriculation into the Architecture Program, transfer credits for architecture courses are accepted only from accredited architectural programs in four-year institutions.  Students must receive permission in advance to take courses at other institutions. All university policies governing this process will be enforced.