Architecture, Pre-Professional Concentration, B.A.

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The undergraduate Bachelor of Arts in Architecture (B.A. in Architecture) is a 4-year degree that requires a minimum of 120 credit hours. This degree offers three concentrations, one of which must be completed to earn this degree. Students work with their advisor to declare a concentration during the spring semester of their second year in the program. Students who wish to become registered architects must also earn their professional degree, the Master of Architecture (M.Arch), from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). All three concentrations may lead to professional licensure, and pathways to that goal vary depending on performance and the specific concentration earned in this degree. More information on progressing into graduate programs is available below, see Graduate Opportunities at UNC Charlotte heading).

All program-level Admissions and Progression Requirements are in addition to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Admission Requirements and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Academic Standing Policy.

Admission Requirements

Admission into the four-year B.A. in Architecture program is highly competitive and requires a secondary application, in addition to the primary application required by the University. Details about the process may be found on the SoA’s Undergraduate Admissions website.

Requirements for Freshmen and Transfers

All University Admission Requirements (Deadline: February 15)
Minimum GPA: n/a (Freshmen); 2.0 (Transfers)
Declaration of Major: Applicants indicate “Architecture” as their intended major when applying to UNC Charlotte.
All SoA Secondary Application Requirements (Deadline: February 15)

Requirements for Current UNC Charlotte Students

Minimum GPA: 3.25
All SoA Secondary Application Requirements (Deadline: February 15)

Transferable Credit Hours

All transfer courses are automatically reviewed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Students seeking to apply coursework taken at other institutions toward the Architecture major must provide official course descriptions, syllabi, and a portfolio of completed work for consideration. Those materials may be forwarded to soa-admissions@charlotte.edu, and they will be reviewed following the admissions process (students will be accepted into the program as first-years and may negotiate advanced placement only after they have accepted).

Degree Requirements

General Education Courses (31-32 credit hours)

For details on required courses, refer to the General Education Program . Total hours to satisfy General Education Requirements may vary as some general education requirements may be double-counted in the major with departmental approval. Please see your advisor for information. Courses to meet these requirements are incorporated in the curriculum structure. However, as part of their General Education Requirements, students in the B.A. in Architecture program must complete the following:

MATH 1103 - Precalculus Mathematics for Science and Engineering (3 to 5)

Core Program (48 credit hours)

All students pursuing the B.A. in Architecture degree at the SoA must complete a 48 credit-hour core sequence of courses designed to provide a solid understanding of fundamental issues, knowledge, and skills related to the practice, study, and understanding of architecture. The courses in the Core Program are:

Pre-Professional Courses (18 credit hours)

Unrestricted Elective Courses, Double Major and/or Minor to Complete Requirements for Graduation

Students must earn a minimum of 120 credit hours to graduate. This requirement can be fulfilled through a combination of elective courses, a minor, or a double major. The 120-credit minimum must be satisfied regardless of the specific academic path chosen (e.g., a minor combined with electives).

Degree Total = 120 Credit Hours

Advising

Undergraduate students are required to meet with the Academic Advisor at least once per semester. Students may also elect to meet with the Associate Director, in order to plan potential transitions into graduate programs.

Progression Requirements

To graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture degree, an overall GPA of 2.0 must be achieved.

Students may earn a grade of D in only one studio course. Students who earn a second grade of D in any subsequent studio course must retake that more recent studio course, temporarily removing them from the standard course progression because of required co-requisites for studio courses.

Students are permitted one opportunity to retake an ARCH course, either because they failed the course or because they want to raise their grade in the course, as long as that opportunity abides by the guidelines of UNC Charlotte’s Grade Replacement Policy.

The following circumstances result in a suspension from the Architecture program:

Students who earn a grade of F in the same ARCH course twice.
Students who earn a grade of F in any studio course after having earned a grade of D in a previous studio course.
Students who are suspended from the University due to deficiencies in their academic performance or violations of University policies.
Students who fail MATH 1103 Pre-Calculus Math twice.

Students who are suspended from the Architecture program may reenter the program after certain conditions are met, and those conditions vary according to the reason for the suspension from the program:

Students suspended from the program who remain in good standing with the University may appeal to the School of Architecture for reinstatement by providing an explanation in writing of the causes for the suspension and actions being taken to correct or overcome those causes, no later than seven days prior to the start of the semester following the suspension. A review committee composed of the Director, Associate Director, Undergraduate Program Director, and Academic Advisor will review the appeal. Reinstatement may be granted with certain conditions to which the student must abide, or it may be denied. During the appeals process, students will be unable to register for Architecture courses. Students whose appeals are denied by the review committee are removed from the program and may re-apply as a change-of-major applicant, following the same admissions policies and procedures as other UNC Charlotte students.
Students suspended from the program as a result of being suspended from the University must appeal to the University for general reinstatement into a different department. If reinstated into the University, the student must reapply to the Architecture program as a change-of-major applicant and be reviewed by the admissions committee through the same process as other non-majors, who are reviewed in the Spring semester for admission into the program for the following Fall semester. The admissions cycle for Fall semester entry ends on May 1, and the admissions committee does not review change-of-major applicants for admission into the program for Spring or Summer semesters.
Students readmitted to the University under the Forgiveness Policy remain suspended from the Architecture program. They must reapply to the Architecture program as a change-of-major applicant and be reviewed by the admissions committee through the same process as other non-majors, who are reviewed in the Spring semester for admission into the program for the following Fall semester. The admissions cycle for Fall semester entry ends on May 1, and the admissions committee does not review change-of-major applicants for admission into the program for Spring or Summer semesters.

Special Policies or Requirements

Residency Requirement

All students pursuing the B.A. in Architecture degree must complete a minimum of 27 credit-hours in ARCH-designated courses while in residence at UNC Charlotte.

Progression into Master of Architecture Program at UNC Charlotte

Progression from the B.A. in Architecture program into the SoA’s Master of Architecture program (M.Arch.) is not guaranteed. Applicants to the SoA’s M.Arch program who have earned or will be earning the SoA’s B.A. in Architecture degree must apply to UNC Charlotte’s Graduate School, adhering to all policies and procedures of that process. Additionally, they must complete all admissions requirements of the M.Arch. program.

The School of Architecture Graduate Admissions Committee automatically endorses applicants to the SoA’s M.Arch. program who earn the Bachelor of Art in Architecture from UNC Charlotte a minimum GPA of 3.5, both cumulative and in their major-based courses, at the conclusion of their penultimate or final semester (whichever is determined by time of the application). This policy applies to all tracks and concentrations of the B.A. in Architecture program, but no applicant is considered to be accepted into the M.Arch. program until/unless the applicant is accepted into the Graduate School. Applicants who meet this GPA standard need to submit only one (instead of three) letter of recommendation. All other admission requirements are still required.

Applicants who earn the B.A. in Architecture from UNC Charlotte with a GPA lower than 3.5 (either overall or in their major-based courses) will be evaluated by the SoA Admissions Committee alongside all other applicants.

Applicants who are accepted into the SoA’s M.Arch. program after earning the B.A. in Architecture from UNC Charlotte are placed into one of three curricula, based on their earned concentration:

Admitted applicants with the Architectural Studies Concentration are placed into the three-year M.Arch. I Track.
Admitted applicants with the Pre-Professional Concentration are placed into the two-year M.Arch. II Track.
Admitted applicants with the Practice Concentration are placed into the 12-month M.Arch. Advanced Standing Track.

Applicants may request or may be offered a different placement based on their experience and the strength of the application materials.

In some cases, progression from the B.A. in Architecture program into the M.Arch program (or into a specific track of the program) may be conditional upon completing additional coursework prior to beginning of the term to which an applicant is admitted.