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Dean
Mark Gelernter

Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Michael Jenson

Contact:
303-315-1000
Fax: 303-315-1050
CAP@ucdenver.edu

Mailing Address:
Campus Box 126
P.O. Box 173364
Denver, CO 80217-3364

Location:
CU Denver Building
1250 14th Street, Suite 2000
Denver, CO 80202

Department Chair for Architecture:  Ekaterini Vlahos
Telephone:  303-315-0573
Email:  kat.vlahos@ucdenver.edu

Overview

The College of Architecture and Planning is the only institution in Colorado to offer a full range of degrees in the design and planning of the built environment, from undergraduate through accredited professional masters to doctorate. The college offers a Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree and graduate programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban and regional planning, urban design and historic preservation for about 700 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. 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. We take full advantage of our status, aligning our programs with our special opportunities in Denver, and with our view of what students in our fields will need to flourish in the next few decades.

College Facilities

The college is located at 1250 14th Street in downtown Denver, on the northeastern edge of the Auraria Campus and across from Larimer Square. 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. Students have access to our well-equipped and well-maintained 3000-square-foot Design Fabrication Lab that houses a full scale furniture-making shop, model-making tools, a spray booth and four laser cutters.  An annex adjacent to the building provides additional shop space and a 5-AXIS CNC Router. The Visual Resource Center (VRC) is a student and faculty services center that provides access to a variety of photographic and audiovisual equipment, two portfolio photography studio rooms, and digital image collections. There are two computer labs whose focus is computer aided design (CAD), computer 2-D and 3-D imaging and analytic tools for planning. The computer labs include Windows PCs and 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 secure rooms. Also associated with the college is a geographic information systems (GIS) computer laboratory, which is open to all CU Denver students.

Computing in the College

The Bachelor of Science in Architecture program requires students to acquire and use their own computers and software applications during their study. In general, students will be required to have personal computing capability for ARCH 3120 Design Studio 3. CU Denver neither endorses nor requires a student to procure a machine from a particular vendor. Students are encouraged, but not required, to procure laptops mainly for reasons of security and mobility in studios and classrooms. Software applications (program) requirements relate to specific course curricula. Consult with instructors or refer to course syllabi regarding applications for imaging, CAD, modeling or rendering before purchasing.

Undergraduate Information

The College of Architecture and Planning 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.

Scholarships/Financial Aid

For information on scholarships, visit the college’s website. 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.

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 303-315-1000.

Admitted Students

Students admitted to the BS Architecture program are required to meet with an undergraduate academic advisor prior to registration their first semester, as well as prior to enrolling in ARCH 3110 Design Studio II. Students are also welcome to meet with their advisor as often as needed, in addition to the required meetings. Though the student is ultimately responsible for the decisions made regarding their academic career at CU Denver, advisors are available to assist in helping students make informed decisions. 

College of Architecture and Planning Courses

Click here  to see a complete list of undergraduate courses.

(For Graduate Programs please refer to the Graduate catalog.)