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Bachelor of Architecture (BArch)
Fully Accredited
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
Design Your Future with a Professional Architecture Degree
The five-year, professional Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) degree program at Marywood is accredited by the National Architecture Accrediting Board (NAAB). 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 Architecture Registration Boards (NCARB).
The B.Arch. degree program is intended for students who will pursue a career as a licensed architect or advanced study in the field of architecture. To this end, Marywood students who have completed the B.Arch. degree are eligible for 71 credits of advanced standing in the Master of Interior Architecture program.
Focused on acquiring the skills needed to design buildings and their environments, this accredited degree option trains students to anticipate the impact of their designs on physical, aesthetic, social, and ecological environments. Architecture students benefit from an integrative curriculum that requires:
- Ten sequential semesters of design studios steadily growing in complexity from beginning design to integrative building design
- Building technology courses covering topics in structures, environmental science, building systems, renewable energy sources, and other areas
- Hybrid representation courses, including skill building in hand drawing, digital and physical model making, as well as digital rendering, animation, and fabrication
- History and theory courses with a broad understanding of how cultural, philosophical, political, and religious traditions influence the signification of meaning in the built environment
- Program electives that have included courses in community design build, global urban ecologies, architectural details, lighting, public design project, and many more
- Semester abroad in Italy studying with ISI Florence (International Studies Institute) in the Palazzo Rucellai
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 the architecture program learning how design with communities and allow space for conversations to happen.
I was also able to continue my love for soccer in playing for the Marywood University Women’s Soccer team for the first four years of my undergrad. Finally I found myself in a position to take on leadership roles within this amazing community both within and beyond my department between the multiple honors organizations and service opportunities on campus.
My time at Marywood has been extraordinary and I couldn’t imagine having lived and learned anywhere else!
Rebecca Dolgas '21 Read All Testimonials
Design Your Future '25
An Inside Architecture + Design Summer Program
From June 21st to June 28th 2025, students enrolled in the Design your Future Program will be actively participating in the eight – days combination of fun design projects and competitions, organized and guided by our school’s experienced faculty.
Students will be exposed to a number of practical and theoretical questions presented as part of guest lecture and workshop series, and will have the opportunity to converse with practicing architects and designers.Students enrolled in the program will have the opportunity of seeing in action various laboratories and shops (wood / metal / 3D printing / CNC router / laser cutting / etc.).
Outcomes & Opportunities
Top Employers
- Architecture
- Interior Architecture
- Design
- Construction
Top Career Paths
- Architect
- Construction Manager
- Industrial Designer
- Interior Designer
- Project Manager
- Stage and Film Set Designer
- Urban Designer
- Video Game Environment Designer
Dig Deeper Into the Program Details
If you have any questions about this program, we're here to help.
Undergraduate Admissions Requirements
- Completed application
- Official transcripts
- Letter of recommendation
- Official SAT and/or ACT test scores (Marywood is test optional)
- Essay (optional)
School of Architecture
Center for Architectural Studies
201 Morgan RoadMap & Directions
The School of Architecture is housed in this spacious adaptation of Marywood's former gymnasium. The building features a variety of green components, including a vegetative roof and an innovative heating and cooling system that utilizes geothermal energy from abandoned mine shafts beneath campus.
Learn More | Take a Virtual Tour
Scholarships
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.
Tuition
View Tuition RatesMarywood University faculty are prepared to provide students with the best learning experience possible.
- Coordinator, Art Program
- Associate Professor
- sgarrison@marywood.edu
- 570-348-6211 x2656
- Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies
- Assistant Professor
- lding@marywood.edu
- 570-961-4539
- Director, Center for Urban Studies
- Assistant Professor of Practice
- jberman@marywood.edu
- 570-348-6211 x2310
- Lecturer
- Living City Lab
- Instructor of Practice
- mnmacdonald@marywood.edu
- 570-348-6211 x2688
80+ opportunities for you to find the right fit with 50+ undergraduate degrees and 30+ graduate and certificate courses.
Studio Teaching and Learning Culture Policy
Architecture Kit
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 Requirement
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.
Travel Opportunities
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.
Architecture Licensure
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:
- American Institute of Architects (AIA)
- Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA)
- National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB)
From #DayOne, Marywood is here for you each step of the way.
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Fully Accredited
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