My time at Marywood has helped me to grow as an individual both personally and academically. During my time at Marywood I was able to find my confidence and passion through...
Architecture is about more than buildings – it’s about shaping the future. Marywood’s accredited BArch degree emphasizes creative innovation, technical excellence, and a deep understanding of how design impacts people, communities, and the planet. Students interested in pursuing an environmental architecture degree will find a curriculum that empowers them to lead the way in sustainable and ecologically conscious design.
Marywood is one of a select group of institutions nationally recognized with a Zero Energy Design Designation (ZEDD) from the U.S. Department of Energy, and our program regularly earns accolades in major national design competitions.
Students in our BArch program benefit from:
Ten sequential semesters of design studios, progressing from foundational skills to advanced integrative building projects that consider sustainability at every level
Building technology courses in structural systems, environmental design, renewable energy, and sustainable materials — core foundations for environmental architecture
Hybrid representation courses teaching students to visualize their ideas through hand drawing, digital modeling, and physical fabrication
History and theory courses that explore the cultural, political, and ecological forces shaping our environments
Electives in global urban ecologies, public interest design, lighting and energy systems, and community-based projects — all critical to careers in sustainable design
A required semester abroad at ISI Florence, providing international context for sustainable urban and architectural practices
The five-year, professional Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) degree program at Marywood University in Scranton, PA is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) – and is the only NAAB-accredited BArch program in Northeast Pennsylvania. Completing a NAAB-accredited architecture degree is a key requirement for licensure in most states, alongside earning Architecture Experience (AXP) hours and passing the Architect Registration Exams (ARE), both administered by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).
At Marywood, our Bachelor of Architecture program prepares students to become licensed professionals and changemakers in the built environment. With rising demand for sustainable and resilient design, students graduate with the tools to succeed in this evolving field – including pathways aligned with an environmental architecture degree. Our graduates are also eligible for 71 credits of advanced standing toward the Master of Interior Architecture program, making it easy to continue building on their expertise.
From June 21 to June 28, 2025, students are invited to explore the world of architecture through Marywood’s Design Your Future Program, an immersive eight-day experience filled with creative design challenges, studio sessions, and workshops.
Participants gain hands-on experience in sustainable design and architecture, guided by practicing professionals and expert faculty. The program includes tours and demos in our fabrication labs and design studios, featuring:
Wood and metal fabrication
3D printing and laser cutting
CNC routing
Digital tools used for sustainable building design
This is a valuable opportunity for high school and early college students who want to preview life in an architecture program — especially those considering an environmental architecture degree focused on addressing the most urgent design challenges of our time.
Marywood’s LEED Gold-certified School of Architecture building includes features like geothermal cooling, rainwater harvesting, and a green roof—putting sustainable principles into practice every day.
Our students collaborate across disciplines with peers in Construction Management, Interior Architecture, and Virtual Architecture, gaining real-world perspectives from the start. Through the Center for Urban Studies and partnership with the Center for the Living City, they also engage in projects that connect design with social change.
Recent awards include:
First Prize – Solar Decathlon Design Challenge, Attached Housing Division (2021)
Second Prize – Retrofit Housing Division (2023)
Third Place – Workplace Wellness Category, AISC/ACSA Steel Competition (2021)
Marywood architecture students actively participate in the Scranton First Friday gallery scene and the Observe Scranton Festival, showcasing their work alongside community partners like Black Scranton Project for Arts and Culture, Endless Mountains Habitat for Humanity, Lackawanna River Conservation Authority, Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania, and Valley in Motion. They also gain practical experience through collaborations with top regional firms, including Greenman-Pedersen, Inc., HC Architects, Richard Pedranti Architect, and Sordoni Construction Services.
With an annual career fair, professional mentorship, and studio culture that reflects real practice, our program achieves a 95% job placement rate in architecture positions such as:
Architect I
Architectural Designer
Architectural Intern
Junior Architect
Project Designer
My time at Marywood has helped me to grow as an individual both personally and academically. During my time at Marywood I was able to find my confidence and passion through...
Undergraduate Admissions Requirements
Completed application
Official transcripts
Letter of recommendation
Official SAT and/or ACT test scores (Marywood is test optional)
Essay (optional)
In some cases, where students learn can be as important as what they learn. Where it can be a modern urban center or a historic city like Florence, or it can be a building so innovative in its design that it becomes a partner in the educational experience. Such is the case with Marywood’s Center for Architectural Studies, which houses the School of Architecture.
The School of Architecture is a state-of-the-art example of sustainable design. It's a spacious, adaptive re-use of Marywood's former gymnasium and natatorium. It features:
A two-story commons under a continuous skylight harvests abundant natural light throughout the day and serves as the building's "agora" - an open, shared, central space for educational exchanges among students and faculty. This is an ideal place for group discussions, debates, displays, and project critiques.
Entrance to the building with student work displayed
A two-story commons under a continuous skylight harvests abundant natural light throughout the day and serves as the building's "agora" - an open, shared, central space for educational exchanges among students and faculty. This is an ideal place for group discussions, debates, displays, and project critiques.
Every student is provided an individual work space with a drawing board, personal storage area, pin-up wall, and space for a laptop.
It features:
Morris K. Udall Scholarship
The Udall Foundation seeks future leaders across a wide spectrum of environmental fields, including policy, engineering, science, education, urban planning and renewal, business, health, justice, and economics. The Foundation also seeks future Native American and Alaska Native leaders in public and community health care, tribal government, and public policy affecting Native American communities, including land and resource management, economic development, and education.
The five-year professional Bachelor of Architecture degree (B.ARCH.) degree program at Marywood is accredited by the National Architecture Accrediting Board (NAAB). Marywood offers advanced standing in their professional Master of Architecture (MARCH) and Master of Interior Architecture (MIA) programs for students with undergraduate degrees in Architecture, Environmental Design, Interior Architecture, Virtual Architecture, or Construction Management. To become an architect, most states require the completion of a professional, NAAB-accredited degree, as well as Architecture Experience (AXP) hours and Architect Registration Exams (AREs), both administered by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).
The Bachelor of Architecture degree program requires study abroad in the third year at Marywood’s education partner, the International Studies Institute Florence (ISI). Students with extenuating circumstances outlined in the MUSOA Study Abroad Policy may apply for an exemption.
A minimum grade of “C” is required in order to fulfill the University’s requirement of design competency in each of the following studio courses: ARCH 110, ARCH 120, ARCH 210, ARCH 220, ARCH 310, ARCH 320, ARCH 410, ARCH 420, ARCH 450, and ARCH 460.
Total of 150 credits required including:
Core curriculum*
Architecture curriculum
General Electives
The Architecture curriculum is scaffolded by four curricular sequences listed below. Please email the MUSOA Director at architecture@marywood.edu for a recommended, semester-by-semester curriculum tracker outlining the five-year program.
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Design Studio II |
4 |
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Design Studio III |
6 |
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Design Studio IV |
6 |
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Design Studio V |
6 |
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Design Studio VI |
6 |
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Design Studio VII |
6 |
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Design Studio VIII |
6 |
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Design Studio IX |
6 |
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Design Studio X |
6 |
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Hybrid Representation Lab II |
2 |
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Hybrid Representation Lab III |
2 |
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Building Technologies II |
3 |
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Building Technologies III |
3 |
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Building Technologies IV |
3 |
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Building Technologies V |
3 |
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Building Technologies VI |
3 |
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Building Technologies VII |
3 |
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Hist & Thry of Arch & Interior Arch II |
3 |
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Hist & Thry of Arch & Interior Arch III |
3 |
Total Credit Hours: 150
Total Credit Hours: 150
Additional Courses
ARCH 462 (Professional Practice - 3 credits), Program Electives** (15 credits), and General Electives (6 credits).
* MATH 160 and PHYS 140 are required to fulfill Math and Physical Science Core requirements for Bachelor of Architecture students. Equivalent or higher courses will be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
** Program Electives shall be selected from Architecture, Interior Architecture, Virtual Architecture, Construction Management, and other courses approved by the MUSOA Director. Program Electives shall not be otherwise required courses in the Bachelor of Architecture degree program.
Director, School of Architecture | Associate Professor
Associate Director of Graduate Studies | Assistant Professor
Associate Professor | Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies
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Digital Output Technician
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Graduate Assistant - FWS | Lecturer
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Study Abroad Coordinator | Administrative Assistant
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Students in Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Virtual Architecture are required to have the materials included in the Architecture Kit. Although not required, architecture kits may be ordered at the Marywood Gear Shop. If you have any questions, please contact interim Director Jodi La Coe.
Laptop computers are required for all Architecture, Interior Architecture, Virtual Architecture, and Construction Management students at the start of their first year. Our laptop minimum specifications ensure that students are suitably equipped with a flexible, portable means of computing in the classroom and dormitory and/or apartment.
We have selected PC laptop computers rather than Macs because they best suit the University's PC-oriented computing platforms across the campus and because the majority of architectural offices are currently PC-based. The School's required courses have all PC-based instruction.
Minimum specifications:
3.0 Ghz multi–Core CPU
16 GB RAM (Memory)
512 GB SSD
6 GB Video Card
Preferred specifications:
3.5 Ghz multi–Core CPU
32 GB RAM (Memory)
1 TB SSD
8 GB Video Card
Although not required, laptop computers that meet the School of Architecture specifications may be ordered at the Marywood Gear Shop. If you have any questions, please contact interim Director Jodi La Coe.
In the United States, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) administers the licensing process for architects. For students interested in becoming licensed architects, the School of Architecture offers access to information and guidance on the steps required in the path toward licensure including education, experience (AXP), exams (ARE), and registration. Our NCARB Licensing Advisor Elizabeth Andrzejewski instructs and assists current students in starting their NCARB Record.
More information on the process of licensure.
More information on ARE Pass Rates.
In addition, the websites below offer an array of information to assist in career development:
From #DayOne, Marywood is here for you each step of the way.
Study abroad has been an important aspect of architectural education since the 17th century and arguably since ancient times. Increasingly, architecture, engineering, and construction professions are global endeavors. Students in Architecture and Interior Architecture are required to study abroad for one semester during their third year of study at ISI Florence. For students in Construction Management and Virtual Architecture, there are many opportunities to study abroad. For more information, please visit our Study Abroad Office.
If an Architecture or Interior Architecture student is unable to participate in the required study abroad program, please contact interim Director Jodi La Coe as soon as possible to apply for an exemption and alternate experience.
Explore the vibrant community and endless opportunities that await you at Marywood. Attend one of our special events designed specially for you to learn more about Marywood's degree programs, dedicated faculty, and welcoming campus.
Marywood University hosts three academic Centers of Excellence on campus; The Center for Law, Justice and Policy, The Center for Urban Studies, and The Mother Theresa Maxis, IHM Center. Each center provides students with the tools and resources to excel in their academic endeavors, fostering a dynamic environment where they can engage deeply with their respective fields of study and make meaningful contributions to their communities and beyond.
Marywood University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSHE).
The Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).
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 two-year term of continuing accreditation, or a three-year term of initial accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established education 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.
The Marywood University School of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program(s):
Bachelor of Architecture (150 credits)
The next accreditation visit will be in 2027.
The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) requires architecture programs to make their Architecture Program Reports (APRs) and the Visiting Team Reports (VTRs) available to the public in electronic form. These may be found at the links below. If you have any questions, please contact Jodi La Coe, interim Director, School of Architecture, at jlacoe@marywood.edu.
2024 NAAB IPR / 2023 NAAB IPR Response Letter / 2022 IPR / 2020 NAAB Conditions for Accreditation / 2020 NAAB Procedures for Accreditation / 2019 NAAB Decision Letter / 2019 VTR / 2019 APR / 2016 NAAB Decision Letter / 2016 VTR / 2016 APR / 2014 NAAB Decision Letter / 2014 VTR / 2014 APR / 2012 VTR / 2012 APR / 2015 NAAB Procedures for Accreditation / 2014 NAAB Conditions for Accreditation
CAREER DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION / NCARB / AIA / AIAS / ACSA-ARCH / Destination Architect / AXP Guidelines / AIAS Career Postings
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