https://architecture.calpoly.edu
The objective of the five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree program is to develop design and related skills necessary for entry into the professional field of architecture. Preparation for architecture encompasses a broad perspective from the individual to society, from detail to city, and with a general understanding of a range of disciplines from sociology, ecology, to engineering and construction. Therefore, programs in architecture are broad in nature with synthesis of this breadth through the curricular focus on design.
The Bachelor of Architecture degree is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board.
Statement on NAAB Accredited Degrees
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 term, an eight-year term with conditions, or a three-year term of initial accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.
Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a non-accredited undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the non-accredited degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
California Polytechnic State University, Architecture Department, offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program:
B.Arch. (150 undergraduate credits)
Next accreditation visit for the B.Arch. program: 2033
Transfer Students
Transfer applicants into Architecture are ranked by University Admissions in accordance to the formula outlined on the Admissions Web Site. The Architecture Department then invites the top ranked candidates to submit a portfolio of their work for final selection by the Architecture Department faculty.
Laptop Requirement
The department has a requirement that all freshmen or transfer students have a laptop computer when they enter the program. In the profession of architecture, computing is an integral component, and developing the ability to critically integrate hand and digital tools is a fundamental aspect of architectural education. A laptop computer is the key to having computing capabilities available at all times and all locations. The Department website lists minimal computing requirements. Financial aid may be available to cover the cost of the laptop computer (see the Financial Aid website for more information).
Off-Campus Architecture Programs
Off-campus study opportunities for Architecture students are offered in a variety of formats and locations. Programs from one semester to a full year are available abroad and in the United States. Each fall, a general information session presents the department pre-approved programs offered for the following year and describes the application process and deadlines
International Programs
In coordination with Cal Poly’s International Center, the department offers a range of pre-approved international programs through a variety of providers. All pre-approved programs include upper division design studio and professional elective credits, with some programs pre-approved for GE credits. Current international programs include:
CSU International Programs offer specific CSU-sponsored study abroad programs for Architecture majors in Florence, Italy; Biberach, Germany; and, Santiago, Chile.
Faculty-led Cal Poly Global programs in architecture include four distinct programs in Switzerland, Rome, Japan, and Korea. Terms offered vary, including summer.
Programs offered through external providers include Copenhagen, Denmark, offered year-round through DIS Study Abroad, as well as programs in Barcelona and Berlin offered through the Council for International Education Exchange (CIEE).
Direct international exchange programs include the Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Architecture Paris Val de Seine, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, and Munich University of Applied Sciences and others.
San Francisco Urban Design / LA Metro Programs
Through Cal Poly Extended, Professional and Continuing Education (EPaCE), Urban Design/Internship Programs offer fourth-year students the opportunity to live, work, and study in San Francisco or Los Angeles for a semester. Each program incorporates award-winning architectural offices through internships and professional engagement in studio and related coursework in urban design and architectural practice.
Washington Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC)
The WAAC, offered to Cal Poly students through the National Student Exchange, is an extension of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area. In addition to offering studio, major, and professional elective courses, internship opportunities exist in both the Alexandria, VA and Washington DC areas.
Cooperative Education (Co-op)
In addition to pre-approved off-campus programs, students have the opportunity to intern for professional architecture firms and receive studio and professional elective credits in all three terms during the year. To find out more about cooperative education opportunities, visit the Architecture Department’s webpage.
Robert M. Arens
B.S., University of Michigan, 1981; M.Arch., 1984. Registered Architect, Michigan.
Angela Bracco
B.Arch., California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 2007; M.FA, Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom, 2012.
Mark Cabrinha
B.Arch., California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 1995; M.Arch., University of Illinois, 2001; Ph.D., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2010. Registered Architect, Illinois.
Hua Chai
B.Eng., Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai, CHN, 2012; M.Arch., Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, MI, 2016; M.S. Advanced Architectural Design, Columbia University, New York, NY, 2018; Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 2025.
Dale T. Clifford
B.Arch., Pratt Institute, 1993; M.S. Architectural Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. Registered Architect, Arizona.
Diana Cristobal Olave
B.Arch -M.Arch, Polytechnical University of Catalonia. Escola Tecnica Superior d’ Arquitectura de Barcelona. Barcelona, Spain, 2010; M. Sc. Advanced Architectural Design and Applied Research Practices in Architecture. Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, New York, 2013; Ph.D., History & Theory of Architecture; joint doctoral degree with Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in the Humanities. School of Architecture, Princeton University, New Jersey, 2023.
Thomas L. Disanto
M.Arch., California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, 1989; B.Arch, 1997; Ecole D'Architecture De Paris, La Defense, 1999. Registered Architect, California.
Thomas Fowler IV, FAIA
B.Arch., New York Institute of Technology/Old Westbury, 1984; M.Arch., Cornell University, 1994. Registered Architect, New York.
Douglas Jackson
B.Arch., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1993; M.Arch, Princeton University, 2000. Registered Architect, California.
Gonzalo José López Garrido
M.Arch, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, School of Architecture, Barcelona, Spain, 2009; Ph.D. in Sustainability and Urban Regeneration, Urban Planning and Design Department, Polytechnic University of Madrid, School of Architecture, Madrid, Spain, 2023.
Gabriel Kaprielian
B.Arch., California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 2007; MCRP, University of California, Berkeley, CA; M.Arch, University of California, Berkeley, CA.
Don H. Kuhn-Choi
A.B., Princeton University, 1988; M.Arch., Rice University, 1993; Ph.D., U.C. Berkeley, 2003.
Michael Austin Lucas
B.Arch., University of Cincinnati, 1979; M.Arch, Morgan State University, 1995. Registered Architect, Maryland.
Margot K. McDonald
B.A., B.S., University of California, Santa Barbara, 1980; M.Arch., University of Oregon, 1987. AIA, Registered Architect, Oregon. NCARB Certificate.
Clare Olsen
B.A., Brown University, 1997; M.Arch., University of California, Los Angeles, 2003. Registered Architect, New Jersey.
Brian Osborn
B.L.A. California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 2001; M.Arch, Pratt Institute, School of Architecture, Brooklyn, New York, 2008. Licensed Landscape Architect in the Commonwealth of Virginia, NCARB.
Stephen J. Phillips
B.A.Arch., Yale, 1991; M.Arch., University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Architecture, 1994; M.A., Princeton, 2003; Ph.D., 2008. Registered Architect., California.
Jeffrey A. Ponitz
B.S., University of Michigan, 2002; M.Arch., 2004; M.Arch., University of Virginia, 2008. Registered Architect, Illinois.
Jonathan Reich
B.A., University of Washington, Seattle, 1979; B.A.E.D., 1979; M.Arch., University of California, Berkeley, 1983. AIA, Registered Architect, California and Washington.
Meredith J. Sattler
B.A. Studio Art, Vassar, 1995; M.Arch., M.Environmental Management, Yale, 2010.
Jennifer Shields
B.S. Arch, University of Virginia, 2000; M. Arch, University of Virginia, 2004. Registered Architect, North Carolina, NCARB Certificate.
Sandra Stannard
B.A., University of California, Berkeley, 1987; M.Arch., University of Washington, 1992. AIA, Registered Architect, California and Idaho.
Umut Toker
B. Arch., Middle East Technical Univ., Ankara, Turkey, 1996; MCP Urban Design, Middle East Technical University, Anarka Turkey, 1999; Ph.D., School of Architecture, College of Design, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC., 2003. Registered Architect in Turkey, International Union of Architects (UIA).
Carmen Gayle Trudell
B.Arch., California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 2001; M.S., Columbia University, 2006. M.S. Advanced Architectural Design, Columbia University, New York, NY, 2006. Registered Architect, California, New York, NCARB.
Emily White
B.A. Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, NY, 1999; M.Arch, Southern California Institute of Architecture, 2006. Registered Architect, Washington.
Jaehun Woo
B.Arch, Yonsei University, Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering, Seoul, Korea, 2017; M.Arch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Cambridge, MA, 2021.