Welcome Architecture Students

Are you admitted into the Summer Design Studio?
We are excited about your participation in the Summer Studio Program and look forward to your involvement in the creation of rich and varied work during this intense course of study. In order to allow you to succeed in the Master of Architecture program, joining your fellow students in the fall who hold four year degrees in architecture, you will be matriculating in the summer and beginning with ARCH 500-901: Summer Preparatory Design Studio. This two course unit studio is designed not only to give you the skills and knowledge necessary to allow a smooth transition into the fall semester, but also as a necessary first step in a much larger program of professional studies. Your total program length will be three and one half years or 7 semesters. Tuition for the summer studio is approximately $15,938.

Do you need to fill Physics and/or History of Western Architecture prerequisites?
The Department of Architecture offers a History of Architecture and a Physics course. These non-credit courses* will fulfill the history and physics prerequisite conditions for matriculation in the fall. Each course runs from June 3 through July 19 for a course fee of $800 each. Course enrollment is by permit only.

Please contact archprer@design.upenn.edu for information about options to fulfill these requirements at an institution other than the University of Pennsylvania.

*Most international students are not eligible to take non-credit courses for reasons related to student visas.

Students enrolled in the Summer Design Studio, Physics, and History and Theory courses will have a 5 day intensive "Fundamentals of 3D Modeling & Digital Output" workshop built into the schedule of their course(s) from June 24 to June 28. These students will also take part in the second week of Digiblast from August 5 to August 9.

All other Master of Architecture students will take "MArch Summer Digital Workshop: Fundamentals of 3D Modeling & Digital Output" from July 29 to August 9 for a course fee of $800. These in-person workshops will lay the foundations for a range of computer skills that are essential for navigating the digital workflow of Weitzman School graduate studios.

3D and parametric modeling visualization and 3D post-production presentation techniques will be covered in daily hands-on tutorials and during in-class lab time with expert guidance. Topics include Rhino, VRay, and Grasshopper. Once acquired, the skills developed in Digiblast will be used in explorations in future studios at Weitzman School.

Master of Science in Design (Advanced Architectural Design) students are required to take the Advanced Architectural Design Digital Workshop. This session, which runs from August 5 to August 16, is intended to introduce students to the digital techniques that will be used in the design studios. Tuition is $800.

Master of Science in Design (Environmental Building Design) and Master of Environmental Building Design (MEBD) students are required to take the Environmental Building Design Digital Workshop. This session, which also runs from August 5 to August 16, is intended to introduce students to the digital techniques that will be used in the design studios. Tuition is $800.

Master of Science in Design (Robotics and Autonomous Systems) students are required to take Introduction to 3D Programming (RAS). This session, which runs from August 5 to August 16, is intended to introduce students to the digital techniques that will be used in the design studios. Tuition is $800.

Waivers: Course requirement waiver forms can be picked up in the Architecture office (212 Meyerson) or by requesting them by email to arch@design.upenn.edu. This form needs to be signed by the instructor on the first day of class, at which time you should be prepared to show the instructor the course syllabus and a transcript showing the grade you received in the course. To waive Structures, you will need to take an exemption exam, instructions for which will be sent to all incoming students at the appropriate time. 

Students may take a maximum of five course units per semester and are required to complete a minimum of three semesters of full-time studies.

You may find it helpful to begin reading books written by members of the Graduate Group, particularly those written by professors with whom you imagine yourself studying: Daniel Barber, William Braham, David Leatherbarrow, Masoud Akbarzadeh, Franca Trubiano, Aaron Wunsch, Sonja Dümpelmann, Sophie Hochhäusl.

Fall