Dean
Mark Gelernter
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Michael Jenson
CONTACT
303-556-3382
Fax: 303-556-3687
CAP@ucdenver.edu
Mailing Address
Campus Box 126
P.O. Box 173364
Denver, CO 80217-3364
Location
CU Denver Building
1250 14th Street, Suite 330
Denver, CO 80202
Overview
If you’re interested in a career in architecture, urban and regional planning, landscape architecture, urban design or historic preservation, you’ll want to get acquainted with the College of Architecture and Planning at CU Denver. The College of Architecture and Planning is the only institution in Colorado to offer a full range of degrees in architecture and related disciplines, from undergraduate through professional masters to doctorate. The college offers a new Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree and graduate programs for about 500 students. Programs are accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB), National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and Planning Accreditation Board (PAB). Many students intending to enter the design and planning professions complete the college’s undergraduate degree as preparation for our graduate-level professional programs. Our graduate programs also are available for those who already hold an undergraduate degree in an unrelated field. Our graduate programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban and regional planning, urban design and historic preservation, and our graduate certificates in design build and GIS, are taught at CU Denver, in the heart of a vital downtown. We offer a multidisciplinary PhD in design and planning as well. With a diverse faculty committed to excellence in teaching, research, scholarship and creative work, the college provides students with a broad range of learning opportunities.
College Facilities
The college is located at 1250 14th Street in downtown Denver, on the northeastern edge of the Auraria Campus. This favorable location gives easy access both to the extensive campus facilities and to the urban amenities of Denver’s lively lower downtown. Most of the major professional design offices in Denver and many planning firms and agencies are within easy reach of the college. These provide opportunities for contact between students and practitioners. College facilities include studio spaces for students, lecture and seminar rooms, design jury spaces, exhibition spaces and faculty offices. The college also provides a portfolio photography studio room, a model and furniture-making woodshop with laser cutters and a 3-D printer, and a computer laboratory whose focus is computer aided design (CAD), computer 2-D and 3-D imaging and analytic tools for planning. The computer lab includes Windows PCs and G4 Macintoshes, small and large format scanners, large format plotters, laser printers and computer data projection devices. All systems are 100base T Ethernet / Internet savvy and accessible 24 hours a day in a secure room. Find more details about college facilities on the website. Also associated with the college is a geographic information system (GIS) computer laboratory, which is open to all CU Denver students.
Computing in the College
The College of Architecture and Planning requires all incoming graduate students to acquire and use their own computers and software applications in their studies. To assist students with procurement of their personal computers, the IT committee formulated performance-based computing specifications. These are listed online here. Please note that CU Denver neither endorses nor requires students to procure a machine from a particular vendor. While desktop configurations are listed, students are urged to procure laptops mainly for reasons of security and mobility in studios and classrooms. Software application (program) requirements relate to specific course curricula. In general, students widely use products such as Microsoft Office for word processing, e-mail, presentations and spreadsheet applications. Consult with instructors or refer to course syllabi regarding applications for imaging, CAD, GIS, modeling or rendering before buying them. In addition, not all programs are needed during the first semester; certain release versions may be preferable over others. The college intends to provide computer IT orientation sessions at the beginning of each semester.
Undergraduate Program
The College of Architecture and Planning now offers a Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree exclusively on the downtown Denver campus. The city of Denver provides a rich environment to explore a diverse historic and cultural world that includes multiple approaches to solving urban and building problems. The degree is a “pre-professional” degree, which will provide fast track entry into the accredited Master of Architecture degree that is required for licensure in the profession. This degree provides a scientific and liberal education in design theory of the built world and its practice. Our graduates will have significant grounding in the science of building and the practice of architecture in a rapidly evolving profession. Our educational goal is to engender active and creative making of architecture along with critical thinking skills. Our graduates will have employment options in entry level architectural practices or related fields of urban design, historic preservation, design-build, construction, and even urban planning; or the opportunity to enter any accredited graduate program in the country.
Undergraduate Admissions
Telephone: 303-556-2704
Fax: 303-556-4838
Application Deadlines
Deadlines are determined by University of Colorado Denver Office of Admissions. See Information for Undergraduate Students for further information on admission.
Admission of Freshman Students
Freshman applicants must have completed the college preparatory curriculum in high school, graduated in the top 25 percent of their high school class and achieved a score of at least 26 on the ACT or 1100 on the SAT. See Information for Undergraduate Students for further information on freshman admission.
Admission of Transfer Students
Applicants who have completed work at other collegiate institutions should review the information for transfer students in Information for Undergraduate Students . In addition to general university transfer policies, the College of Architecture and Planning evaluates course work to determine its appropriateness for the degree bachelor of science (architecture). Students who have completed more than 24 semester hours of transferable course work are evaluated for admission on the basis of their college GPA without regard to their high school performance. Transfer applicants with fewer than 24 transferable hours will be evaluated on the basis of both high school and college work.
For information about specific policies on transfer of credit, consult the undergraduate director.
For admission to the Bachelor of Science in Architecture program, a transfer applicant must have a minimum 2.3 GPA for all work applicable for transfer. Applicants with less than an overall 2.3 GPA may be evaluated on their last 24 academic credits and admitted on a space available basis if the GPA is a 2.3 on the last 24 credits.
Intra-University Transfer
Students who want to transfer to the BS Architecture program from another college or school of the University of Colorado Denver must formally apply to the College. To apply for an intra-university transfer, students must submit an intra-university transfer (IUT) form and transcripts from University of Colorado to the program advisor. Transfer forms are available at the Office of Registrar or the College Undergraduate Advising Office; transcript request forms are available at the Office of the Registrar. The transcript must include the student’s most recent semester at the university. Students with previous course work from other institutions are also required to submit a copy of their transfer credit evaluations (advanced standings). Transfer deadlines are August 1 for fall semester, December 1 for spring semester and May 1 for the summer session. In general, the admission standards for intra-university transfer are the same as for transfer from other institutions as listed above.
Scholarships/Financial Aid
For information on scholarships, visit the college’s website or request a list via e-mail at cap@ucdenver.edu. For information on federal and state financial aid, contact the Office of Financial Aid, University of Colorado Denver, Campus Box 125, P.O. Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217-3364, 303-556-2886 or visit their website.
Academic Policies for Undergraduate Program
Academic Standing
Students must maintain a minimum overall GPA of 2.3 and a 2.6 GPA in all architecture coursework to remain in good standing and to graduate. If a student’s overall GPA falls below a 2.3, then he or she will be placed on academic probation beginning the following semester.
Grade Appeals
Any student may appeal the grade he or she receives in a class within 30 days from the issuance of the grade. The student should first discuss the issue and adjustment sought with the relevant course instructor. If the course instructor does not reply within 30 days, the student submits a written appeal to the program director. Within 30 days, the program director shall process the appeal and prepare a written report explaining the reason(s) for the department recommendation. If the grade appeal still remains unresolved at the department level, the student submits a written request to the department chair and then to the associate dean of academic affairs, who will direct the Academic Affairs Committee to review the appeal. If the grade appeal remains unresolved at the college level, the student may appeal to the dean.
Attendance and Timeliness of Work
Students are expected to attend all meetings of classes. Excessive unexcused absences may result in a grade reduction at the discretion of the instructor. Absence from a class will be excused for verified medical reasons, religious obligations or for extreme personal emergencies. The student may be required to furnish evidence.
Students’ assignments are to be completed in a timely manner. Any assignment turned in late may have its grade reduced by an amount set at the discretion of the instructor. An assignment may be turned in late without penalty for verified medical reasons, religious obligations or for extreme personal emergencies. Students must have their instructor’s written permission to turn an assignment in late. Students with excused late work may turn in the assignment by the end of finals week without penalty. Otherwise, the grade “I” will be assigned at the discretion of the faculty.
Course Sequencing and Advancement
Programs in the college are structured so that certain courses must be taken concurrently, others sequentially. Students will not be allowed to enroll in a course if its co-requisites or prerequisites have not been satisfied.
Undergraduate Advising and Academic Planning
Admissions Advising
Persons not yet admitted to the BS Architecture program can receive advising on course selection, admission requirements and other matters from an undergraduate staff advisor. To make an appointment, call 303-556-3382.
Admitted Students
Upon admission to the college, students execute a degree plan that identifies the courses required to graduate. This plan contains all the information needed to select courses and monitor progress toward completion of requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Architecture. Undergraduate students are expected to assume responsibility for their own advising. This includes scheduling courses each term, meeting prerequisite requirements, being familiar with all the policies and procedures of the college and otherwise managing their own academic careers. Staff advisors are available to answer questions about unusual situations.
Career advising is available from the Career Center, 303-556-2250.
Academic Policies for Suspension and Probation
Students at the University are expected to maintain progress in their degree program, as defined by being in “good academic standing.” Good academic standing requires minimally a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 on all University of Colorado course work.
Academic Probation
- Academic probation is a warning to students that they are not progressing toward completion of their degree in a satisfactory manner.
- Students are placed on academic probation when their cumulative CU GPA falls below a 2.0 at the end of any academic term.
- Students are informed in writing (via University-assigned email and postal letter) of their academic probation status.
- Students on Academic Probation will be required to complete the Academic Success Plan during their first semester on Academic Probation.
- Students will be required to schedule an appointment and meet with their academic advisor to discuss the completed Academic Success Plan before they will be allowed to register for the subsequent term.
- Students on Academic Probation will be required to schedule an appointment and meet with their academic advisor every semester that they are on Academic Probation before they will be allowed to register.
- Academic Probation requires that students achieve a minimum 2.3 semester GPA each subsequent term until their cumulative CU GPA is at least a 2.0 to return to good academic standing. Students must achieve a minimum 2.3 cumulative CU GPA to meet graduation requirements.
- Students who fail to earn the 2.3 semester GPA during any semester of Academic Probation will be placed on Restricted Academic Probation.
- Students have five semesters or 30 credits (whichever happens sooner) to raise their cumulative GPA to above a 2.0, or they will be placed on Academic Suspension.
- Once a student has raised his/her cumulative CU GPA to at least a 2.0, s/he will be removed from Academic Probation and notified via University-assigned email that s/he is in Academic Good Standing.
Restricted Academic Probation
- Students who fail to earn the 2.3 semester GPA during any semester of Academic Probation will be placed on Restricted Academic Probation.
- Students are informed in writing (via University-assigned email and postal letter) of Restricted Academic Probation status.
- Students on Restricted Academic Probation will be allowed to enroll for a maximum of 6 credits/2 classes per semester (whichever is more). A course and its attached lab are considered to be one course in this case.
- Students on Restricted Academic Probation will be required to schedule an appointment and meet with their academic advisor in order to register for courses.
- Students on Restricted Academic Probation will not be able to register online; they will need to register for courses using a Schedule Adjustment Form, which must be submitted to the Service Center (North Classroom #1003) for processing.
- Restricted Academic Probation requires that students achieve a minimum 2.3 semester GPA each subsequent term until their cumulative CU GPA is at least a 2.0. Students must achieve a minimum 2.0 cumulative CU GPA to return to good academic standing and a minimum 2.3 cumulative CU GPA to meet graduation requirements.
- Students on Restricted Academic Probation who do not meet the 2.3 minimum semester GPA will be placed on Academic Suspension.
- Students who fail to raise their cumulative GPA to 2.0 or above in five semesters or 30 credit hours on Academic Probation and Restricted Academic Probation will be placed on Academic Suspension.
Academic Suspension
- Students on Restricted Academic Probation who do not meet the 2.3 minimum semester GPA will be placed on Academic Suspension.
- Students are informed in writing via certified/registered letter of their Academic Suspension status.
- The minimum duration of Academic Suspension is for a period of one year (three semesters, including summer term). Students placed on Academic Suspension will be unable to take courses from any CU campus during this time.
- Should a student be placed on Academic Suspension while registered for the next semester, s/he will be administratively dropped from their courses by the University.
- A student’s Academic Suspension status is permanently indicated on his/her official University of Colorado transcript.
- During the one-year Academic Suspension period, students who wish to return to the University should consider one (or both) of the following actions:
- Attend another regionally-accredited college/university.
- Students who choose to attend another institution while on Academic Suspension can take as many or as few credits as they choose, but must earn a 2.75 cumulative GPA in all transferable course work.
- Students should consult their academic advisor to discuss appropriate course work.
- Use the time off to directly address and resolve the factors that contributed to the academic difficulty.
- After the one-year suspension period has elapsed, students must petition the appellate committee (of the school or college they wish to enter) for readmission and meet and document at least one of the following criteria:
- Attendance at another regionally accredited college/university where they earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 in transferable credit.
- Explanation of their previous academic difficulty, demonstration of what has changed, and how this will allow them to now achieve and maintain Good Academic Standing (including a semester GPA of at least 2.3 and a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.0).
- Students who choose to petition their college’s appellate committee for readmission must submit their petitions by the following deadlines:
- For fall admission: June 1
- For spring admission: December 1
- For Maymester/summer admission: April 1
- If a student is granted readmission and his/her CU GPA is below a 2.0, s/he will be readmitted on Restricted Academic Probation. These students must meet the condition of Restricted Academic Probation every semester until their cumulative CU GPA is at least a 2.0.
Second Suspension
- Students who are readmitted after their first Academic Suspension and fail to meet the conditions of Restricted Academic Probation for a second time are placed on a second suspension for an indefinite period of time.
- Students on a second suspension may be readmitted to the University only by petition to the college’s appellate committee.
- Students will not be considered for readmission unless they have demonstrated significant improvement in academic performance at the college/university level, and/or considerable and positive change in personal circumstances.
Students earning all failing grades for a semester will have a dean’s stop placed on their record and will not be permitted to register without the undergraduate advisor’s approval.
Minimum Acceptable GPA
• Overall CU cumulative GPA Required for College of Architecture and Planning: 2.3
• Architecture Coursework: 2.6
• Overall CU cumulative GPA required by the University: 2.0
Graduate Programs
Learning Experiences
Learning experiences address real issues facing designers and planners as they create healthier, more sustainable, more meaningful environments. In recent years students have built award-winning, solar-powered homes; written new codes to encourage livelier, safer cities; discovered ecological design principles in Colorado ranches; proposed ways for neighborhoods to recover from natural disasters; designed learning landscapes for elementary school playgrounds; and designed and built environmentally sustainable homes in the Navajo Nation. Our award-winning Design-Build Certificate Program takes students to Utah, Guatemala and on local non-profit projects. Students have extensive opportunities for civic engagement, including through paid internships at the college’s Colorado Center for Community Development (CCCD) and Center of Preservation Research (CoPR).
Special Activities Programs
The college provides a diverse range of opportunities that enrich and enhance the education of its students. Through activities and functions—including a lecture series, design juries, exhibits, publications and active student organizations—the college encourages contact among students, faculty and members of the design professions. The college is a leader in providing international study opportunities, with a dual Master of Landscape Architecture degree with Tongji University in Shanghai; an internship program sponsored by Gensler Associates to exchange our students and students from Tongji University who study at the host institution and work in the host city’s Gensler office; an international urban design studio held each summer in China’s Shanghai-Nanjing corridor; and collaborative design studios with Dar Al-Hekma College in Saudi Arabia. Each summer, the college offers foreign study travel programs, which in recent years have traveled to Rome, Helsinki, Paris, Beijing and Madrid. In addition, for the past several summers the college has offered an integrated urban design studio in Turkey. The college makes available a range of scholarships and fellowships, some of which are based on need, others on performance and still others that are specifically intended to provide enrichment opportunities. The college supports an active and focused internship program for its students, giving them access to elective internship opportunities in the Denver metropolitan area and beyond. Finally, the college encourages students to take control of their own education and supports, within its ability, any reasonable proposals from students that would enrich their own educational experiences.
Scholarships/Financial Aid
Graduate students in the college have access to a number of scholarships and other financial assistance funds. Some of these funds are provided by the institution itself, while others are provided by external sources like the American Institute of Architects Architectural Education Foundation, the American Planning Association and the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado. For further information on scholarships and graduate tuition awards, visit the college’s website or request a list via e-mail at cap@ucdenver.edu. For information on federal and state financial aid, contact the Office of Financial Aid, University of Colorado Denver, Campus Box 125, P.O. Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217-3364, 303-556-2886 or visit their website.
Admissions for Graduate Programs
Application Deadlines
For Fall Semester:
• Master of Architecture Program (MArch): January 15
• Master of Landscape Architecture Program (MLA): February 1
• Master of Urban and Regional Planning Program (MURP): February 15
• Master of Science in Historic Preservation Programs (MSHP): Priority Deadline March 15
• Master of Urban Design Program (MUD): Priority Deadline March 15
• PhD in Design and Planning Program (PhD): February 1
Decision notification dates vary by program
For Spring Semester:
• We do not offer spring admissions for any graduate programs.
General Requirements
The college periodically updates admissions deadlines and application procedures. Please visit the college website to view current deadlines and application procedures.
Applicants to the College of Architecture and Planning graduate programs are required to submit the following credentials:
Applicants to the College of Architecture and Planning graduate programs are required to submit the following credentials:
• University of Colorado application for graduate admission form.
• Two official transcripts from each institution the applicant has attended. Transcripts must be mailed by the institution directly to the college. A certified literal English translation also must be submitted for documents that are not in English.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• Statement of purpose: Applicants to all programs must submit a statement summarizing career objectives and reasons for pursuing the intended program of study. Applicants to the MURP program should indicate their area of concentration. Applicants to the PhD program should discuss the intellectual and policy challenges they hope to address, methodological skills they plan to pursue, and briefly note any tentative dissertation research topics and, if possible, overlap of research interests with program faculty.
• Supporting materials architecture and landscape architecture: Applicants to the graduate architecture and landscape architecture programs are required to submit a portfolio. A portfolio is 6-12 bound pages, 8.5 × 11 inches. Slides are not accepted. A portfolio is an orderly presentation of one’s work. This includes examples of creative and analytical work including but not limited to essays, papers, photographs and photographic reproductions of artistic work such as sculptures, drawings, paintings, musical compositions and other fine arts. A stamped, self-addressed envelope must be included for return of the portfolio. Applicants to architecture and landscape architecture are encouraged to submit GRE scores if their GPAs are below 3.0.
• Supporting materials for urban and regional planning: Applicants to the urban and regional planning program should submit their statement of purpose, a resume and a copy of a student or professional paper or project. Applicants to the urban and regional planning program are encouraged to submit GRE (general) scores; those whose undergraduate GPA is below 3.0 are required to submit GRE scores.
• Supporting materials for the PhD: Applicants to the PhD program must submit a sample of written work and any other evidence relevant to admission to the program, in accordance with submission guidelines that can be obtained from the college. Applicants to the PhD program are required to submit GRE scores.
• Application fee. Nonrefundable ($50, U.S. residents; $75, international applicants).
Confirmation Deposit
A nonrefundable confirmation deposit of $200 is required to secure an applicant’s place in the college. The deposit is due at the time the applicant accepts the program’s offer of admission. The deposit will be applied to the first semester’s tuition when the student registers for classes. This deposit is in addition to the $200 Registration Advanced Deposit that all students are required to pay to the Bursar’s Office each semester before they register.
Academic Policies for Graduate Programs
Academic Standing
Students must maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 in the graduate programs to remain in good standing and to graduate. If a student’s GPA falls below a 3.0, then he or she will be placed on academic probation beginning the following semester. If the GPA remains below a 3.0 after the probationary semester, then he or she may be dismissed from the college.
Grade Appeals
Any student may appeal the grade he or she receives in a class within 30 days from the issuance of the grade. The student should first discuss the issue and adjustment sought with the relevant course instructor. If the course instructor does not reply within 30 days, the student submits a written appeal to the department chair. Within 30 days, the department chair shall process the appeal and prepare a written report explaining the reason(s) for the department recommendation. If the grade appeal still remains unresolved at the department level, the student submits a written request to the associate dean of academic affairs, who will direct the Academic Affairs Committee to review the appeal. If the grade appeal remains unresolved at the college level, the student may appeal to the dean.
Attendance and Timeliness of Work
Students are expected to attend all meetings of classes. Excessive unexcused absences may result in a grade reduction at the discretion of the instructor. Absence from a class will be excused for verified medical reasons, religious obligations or for extreme personal emergencies. The student may be required to furnish evidence.
Students’ assignments are to be completed in a timely manner. Any assignment turned in late may have its grade reduced by an amount set at the discretion of the instructor. An assignment may be turned in late without penalty for verified medical reasons, religious obligations or for extreme personal emergencies. Students must have their instructor’s written permission to turn an assignment in late. Students with excused late work may turn in the assignment by the end of finals week without penalty. Otherwise, the grade “I” will be assigned at the discretion of the faculty.
Course Sequencing and Advancement
Programs in the college are structured so that certain courses must be taken concurrently, others sequentially. Students will not be allowed to enroll in a course if its co-requisites or prerequisites have not been satisfied.
Originality of Work
Programs in the college are structured so that certain courses must be taken concurrently, others sequentially. Students will not be allowed to enroll in a course if its co-requisites or prerequisites have not been satisfied.
Retention of Student Work
The College of Architecture and Planning may, with a student’s written permission, retain student work submitted in fulfillment of class requirements for a period of time. This retained work is normally used to provide accrediting agencies with tangible evidence of performance, to serve as additional visual aid material in presentations to other students and to contribute to possible educational exhibits requested by the university community and the general public.
Departments and Programs
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Certificate
Master of Science
Master of Urban Design
Doctor of Philosophy
