Architecture

The Department of Architecture offers a 160-credit, professional 5-year Bachelor of Architecture degree (B Arch). This curriculum is designed to meet National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) standards, ensuring a robust educational framework that prepares students for the modern demands of architectural practice.

The program equips students with proficiency in 21st-century technologies essential for managing all aspects of the professional practice of architecture and related fields. To ensure graduates are well-prepared to be leaders in the industry, the curriculum emphasizes key areas such as comprehensive design thinking, architectural history and theory, integration of building systems, materials, and assemblies, building regulations, professional practice, building performance analysis, and sustainable design principles.

The curriculum fulfills NAAB student performance criteria in critical thinking and representation, building practices, integrated architectural solutions, and professional practice, in addition to providing a strong foundation in the liberal arts. The program’s emphasis on the integration of technical and design considerations is a key feature of the curriculum.

The culminating experience is a thesis project developed by the student in their fifth year. This project serves as a capstone to their educational journey and highlights their individual strengths and interests.

The BArch degree is widely recognized as one of the fastest paths to becoming a licensed architect. The program prepares students not only for professional success but also for meaningful contributions to the field of architecture. It is designed to build upon and integrate the college’s general education learning outcomes and the Architecture Department’s learning outcomes for the Bachelor of Technology and Associate in Applied Science degree programs.

Learning Outcomes

1. CRITICAL THINKING AND REPRESENTATION Graduates of the B. Arch curriculum are able to build abstract relationships and understand the impact of ideas based on the research and analysis of multiple theoretical, social, political, economic, cultural and environmental contexts. They explore and express these ideas in a wide range of media including architecture, writing, drawing, and three-dimensional models.

2. BUILDING PRACTICES Program graduates have a broad understanding of the technical skills and knowledge necessary in the practice of architecture and related fields, including creating building designs with well-integrated systems, comprehending constructability and principles of environmental stewardship, and conveying technical information accurately. Graduates understand general business principles of architecture, including management, advocacy, and the requirement to act legally, ethically, and critically for the good of the client, society, and the public.

3. INTEGRATED ARCHITECTURAL SOLUTIONS Program graduates can synthesize a wide range of variables into an integrated design solution.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Bachelor of Architecture program is competitive. Admission is for the fall semester only. See admissions guidelines below.

 The application deadlines are as follows:

•  Advanced-standing Students — February 1st.

• First-year and Transfer Students — Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all available seats are filled. Note: To be considered for early admission, we highly recommend submitting all application materials no later than February 1st.

For questions, please email ArchitecTech_BArch@citytech.cuny.edu.

Admission Policies

• Admissions decision for the BArch program are final and may not be appealed by the student.

• Individual feedback on applications, once submitted, is not provided.

• Students cannot be awarded both the BTech and BARCH per NYS Education Department requirements.

Reapplication Policies

• First-year applicants who are denied admission into the BArch program will automatically be placed in the BTech program. These students may reapply to the BArch program as Advanced Standing students once they meet the eligibility requirements.

• Transfer applicants who are denied admission into the BArch program will automatically be placed in the BTech program. These students may reapply to the BArch program as Advanced Standing students once they meet the eligibility requirements. Transfer students who are interested in reapplying must complete ARCH 3512 Architectural Design V and ARCH 3531 Building Tech IV in residency at the college and may not receive transfer credit for any architectural design studio beyond ARCH 2412 Architectural Design IV.

• Advanced Standing applicants who are denied admission into the BArch program may not reapply once admission is denied.

There are minimum requirements for being able to apply. Meeting these requirements does not ensure admission. Students not admitted to the BArch are encouraged to complete their BTech degree, as an alternate path to a career in the architecture field.

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 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, 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 degree programs may require a preprofessional undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

The NAAB grants candidacy status to new programs that have developed viable plans for achieving initial accreditation. Candidacy status indicates that a program expects to achieve initial accreditation within six years of achieving candidacy, if its plan is properly implemented.

In order to meet the education requirement set forth by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, an applicant for an NCARB Certificate must hold a professional degree in architecture from a program accredited by the NAAB; the degree must have been awarded not more than two years prior to initial accreditation. However, meeting the education requirement for the NCARB Certificate may not be equivalent to meeting the education requirement for registration in a specific jurisdiction. Please contact NCARB for more information.

The New York City College of Technology, Department of Architectural Technology has a three-year term of Accreditation for the following NAAB accredited degree program: B. Arch. (160 undergraduate credits); Next visit for continuation of candidacy: 2025

Additional Costs other than Tuition and College-wide Fees for the Baccalaureate Degree Program (Approximate)

Textbooks and Periodicals            $600
Professional Tools and Dues        $400
Project Materials and Supplies   $600
Portfolio Preparation  $250

Advisement Information

BArch Program Directors: Professor Claudia Hernandez & Professor Jieun Yang

The Department of Architecture wants you to have the support you need for your courses. Please see an adviser by clicking here - Adviser Schedule.

For questions or additional information, please write to: architectech_barch@citytech.cuny.edu