Architecture

Mission

5th Year Architecture major Colin McAuley works on a model of a design during a studio at Cal Poly Pomona. (Tom Zasadzinski)
5th Year Architecture major Colin McAuley works on a model of a design during a studio at Cal Poly Pomona.(Tom Zasadzinski)
 Mission Statement - Department of Architecture Academic Plan 

As a professional program in architecture, the mission of this department is to advocate for the broader purposes of architecture, including its public significance, its role in creating sustainable environments, and its provision of service to society through graduates who are responsible professionals, motivated by a sense of civic engagement.

  1. Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Community Engagement at the upper division of the program to enable a diverse collection of funded multidisciplinary experiences for all CPPARC students in courses that leverage the culturally diverse context of Southern California. Through this endeavor, students will have opportunities to explore a variety of career options and subject areas through upper-division Professional Electives and Topic Studios. In addition to the existing supported activities in Healthcare Design, Education Facility Design, Precast Concrete, Narrative Environment Design, and Housing, the Department will identify support for Hospitality Design, Transit Oriented Development, Suburban Transformation, Autonomous Vehicle Infrastructure, Building Skin Design, Mass Timber Construction, or others as appropriate. Sustainable and Inclusive practices will be part and parcel to all upper division courses. All students will have a multidisciplinary upper-division experience building upon past Department relationships with the Departments of Landscape Architecture, Engineering, Theater, Hospitality Management, and other departments as appropriate

  2. Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity will continue to define what architecture is and may become. The diverse and socially dynamic setting of CPPARC studio and activity courses provide a context for establishing significant leadership and collaboration skills in a diverse and inclusive setting.  Differences are interesting and offer design learning opportunities.  In response to the diverse composition of the student body and broad collection of unique backgrounds and needs, the Department will continue to seek institutional support to facilitate access to the greater catalog of architectural design and design thought, and to recruit faculty that reflects the diversity of the student body. This goal should continue to be ensured given the university and college visions and goals.

  3. Experiential Learning through the development of real project opportunities, in parallel with the development of discipline relevant student learning environments and resources, essential for learn-by-doing utilization of design tools, technologies, and methods. Learn-by-doing promotes immediate job placement without limiting professional growth, and ensures students access to a variety of ever-evolving career trajectories of the architecturally educated. This goal should continue to be ensured with the department’s alumni advisory board, the Terian Fund and the cultivation of additional donor support. 

  4. Academic Excellence, Research, Professional and Creative Activity pursued through the activities of Topic Studio and Professional Electives at the upper division, afford students access to a broad spectrum of knowledge areas and career options. Upper division courses are an ideal vehicle for supporting the CPP Teacher-Scholar Model, where faculty and students engage in design research with other disciplines and community stakeholders. In this setting, design ideas and methods can be originated, tested, developed, and documented in a form that can be disseminated to recognize the work of students and faculty and promote CPPARC. This goal should continue to be ensured with the Terian Fund and the cultivation of additional donor support. 

  5. Prioritize Responsibility Towards People and the Environment pursued through courses that promote sustainable design in response to climate change, design of healthy communities, and universal / accessible design. These values are active at all year levels, they are introduced in the core of the program (in the first, second, and third years of the undergraduate and first and second years of the graduate program), and synthesized in upper division topic studios, Senior Project, and Thesis.

  6. Promote a Culture of Reflection and Self-Assessment with the new NAAB conditions, to establish a comprehensive culture of self-reflection, that prioritizes fiscal and human resources through a self-assessment program responsive to evolving social issues, environmental stewardship, the evolving professional landscape of architectural practice, and the corresponding development of department curriculum and program development.

The Department is a member of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and has two accredited degrees: the five-year B.Arch. program and the three-year M.Arch. program. Both degrees focus on the integration of knowledge-based areas of the curriculum into the design studios. Courses in Architecture Theory and History, Human Behavior, Programming, Sustainability, Building Technology, Structures, Codes and Digital Media are closely coordinated with Design Studio classes, and students are expected to demonstrate their knowledge of these areas in their design projects. The three year Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) degree also offers students an opportunity to concentrate in Sustainability, Healthcare Design or Historic Preservation, areas in which our faculty has specialized expertise.

The Architecture program is directed toward the realities of architectural practice and decision- making processes as they relate to the profession of architecture; faculty members are engaged in practice, education, and research. It is the intention of the department, which has a very diverse student body and faculty, to prepare individuals who will be able to make knowledgeable, thoughtful and socially and environmentally responsible contributions to professional practice.

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 8-year, 3-year, or 2-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 consist of a preprofessional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, College of Environmental Design, Department of Architecture offers the following NAAB-Accredited degree programs:

  • B. Arch (150 undergraduate semester credits)
  • M. Arch (90 semester credits, 60 semester credits for students holding a 4 year degree in architecture)

The Bachelor and Master of Architecture programs underwent a full accreditation visit in winter quarter 2014. Both the undergrad and graduate programs were awarded a full 8-year term of accreditation. The programs will be reviewed next in 2022. For more information visit NAAB.

The Bachelor’s program is highly impacted; because of the large demand for the program, the department accepts a small number of students who are not California residents. The Masters is open to out-of-state residents including international students.