Accreditation
Minors in College of Architecture and Design
Admission
— Optional Portfolio
— Advice to High School Students
— Transfer Students
Academic Policies
— Advising
— Computer Requirement
— Course Load
— uTrack Requirements
Academic Programs
Jason Young, Dean
Katherine Ambroziak, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Research
Gale Fulton, Director, School of Landscape Architecture
Carl Lostritto, Director, School of Architecture
Sarah Lowe, Director, School of Design
Milagros Zingoni Phielipp, Director, School of Interior Architecture
Brian Ambroziak, Architecture Undergraduate Program Chair
Jennifer Akerman, Architecture Graduate Program Chair and Director of Graduate Studies
https://archdesign.utk.edu/
We transform the world through good design.
The College of Architecture and Design is a respected and emulated national leader and an incubator for design innovation. It is supported by world-class facilities and underpinned by a culture of collaboration and open inquiry. Our people welcome innovative thinking and are adaptive to change, and our curious students are enterprising risk takers who are prepared to succeed and unafraid to fail. Through research, creative activity, academic engagement, and scholarship, we foster investigations of critical issues in the built environment. We engage with industry affiliates, research institutes and agencies, many of which are led by our own successful alumni who use innovative design to transform the world through improved quality of life in the communities they serve.
Accreditation
The College of Architecture and Design offers four professionally accredited programs of study at the undergraduate and graduate level.
- Bachelor of Architecture - a professionally accredited five-year undergraduate first professional degree program of study.
- Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture - a professionally accredited four-year undergraduate program of study.
- Master of Architecture - a professionally accredited first professional degree for students from any academic background, including students with a degree from a four-year undergraduate architecture program. (See Graduate Catalog for more information.)
- Master of Landscape Architecture - The School of Landscape Architecture offers three different graduate degrees and four paths in landscape architecture, including a professional degree path, the Master of Landscape Architecture. The School of Landscape Architecture is an intercollegiate school jointly supported by the College of Architecture and Design and the Herbert College of Agriculture. (See Graduate Catalog for more information.)
The University of Tennessee is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and governs two programs in the college.
- Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture
- Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design
Architecture
In the United States, most state 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 U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an 8-year, 3-year, or 2-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.
Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
The College of Architecture and Design at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:
B. Arch. (163 undergraduate credits)
M. Arch. (pre-professional degree + 60 graduate credits)
M. Arch. (non-pre-professional degree + 102 credits)
Next accreditation visit for all programs: 2022.
Interior Architecture
Most states require that an individual intending to become a licensed interior designer hold a professionally accredited degree. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, offers a four-year Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture. It is professionally accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in interior design and interior architecture. The program also comes under the university accreditation by The National Association of Schools of Art + Design (NASAD).
Minors in College of Architecture and Design
The College offers several minors that are intended to promote interdisciplinary involvement within the College and University.
- Design Studies Minor
- Architectural Studies Minor
- Graphic Design Studies Minor
- Interior Architecture Studies Minor
- Industrial Design Minor
Admission
Admission to the College of Architecture and Design is highly selective, based on test scores, high school record, and student application.
Optional Portfolio for Architecture Applicants
The purpose of a portfolio is to demonstrate visual talent and abilities as well as to provide insight into the creative thought process of the applicant. The portfolio is a collection of the applicant’s work and can include multiple submissions that express individual creativity and critical thinking. All work shall be neatly assembled in an 8½ x 11 format to be submitted digitally, as a PDF, or physically, as an organized folder/notebook.
Both the application to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and the School of Architecture must be completed and submitted by 01 November to be considered for institutional scholarships, or 01 December for all consideration for admission.
Advice to High School Students
Architecture and Interior Architecture - High school students are encouraged to take physics, and art. Students enrolled in any Advanced Placement courses should take the national AP exam. Drafting, mechanical drawing or architecture courses based on drafting are not necessary for admission to the architecture program.
Graphic Design - High school students are encouraged to take art, photography, and/or digital media classes. Joining Yearbook or the school newspaper club are appropriate extra-curricular activities. Students enrolled in any Advanced Placement courses should take the national AP exam. Freshmen are not required to submit a portfolio for admittance to the program.
Transfer Students
All students wishing to transfer into the College of Architecture and Design must apply for admission. It should be noted that due to the strong sequential character of the curriculum, entry in any semester other than fall might be difficult.
Internal and external transfer students should attend information sessions offered between October and February. Students applying from other institutions should contact the Director of Student Development for more information regarding credit transfer.
Architecture and Interior Architecture - A course of summer study is usually offered which would allow transfer students to proceed to the second year course of study for the fall. Transfer students are required to have at least a 2.5 grade point average to be considered, and may choose to submit a portfolio for additional support for the application (see Optional Portfolio).
Graphic Design - To receive credit for studio, design, or art classes taken at another institution, students will need to submit a portfolio for evaluation. Students transferring from a different discipline will need to meet with program faculty to create an appropriate academic plan.
Readmission
A student may apply for readmission to the college if the student left in good academic standing and is within one calendar year of departure of leaving the program. If the time period has been longer than one year, the applicant for readmission will be considered by the college’s Academic Standards Committee.
Returning dismissed and probationary students will not be readmitted to a major in the College of Architecture and Design and will need to seek readmission to the University before reapplying to the College following the formal admissions process as outlined on the College’s website.
Peace Corps Prep Program
The Peace Corps Prep Program at the University of Tennessee is open to all undergraduate UT students regardless of major, provided they meet the admissions requirements for the program. For more information, please visit the Peace Corps page of the Center for International Education website or contact the Peace Corps Prep Program Coordinator.
Academic Policies
Advising
Students must plan their schedule in consultation with the college’s Center for Student Development. In addition, entering architecture and interior architecture students will be assigned to an upper-class student who will serve as a peer advisor. The Director of Student Development is available to answer additional questions and to oversee questions related to admissions, advising, and career placement.
Academic policies for all programs in the College of Architecture and Design are summarized on the college website.
Computer Requirement
Architecture and Interior Architecture – Students enrolled in Interior Architecture and Architecture are required to purchase a computer, software, and supporting components meeting technical specifications provided by the College of Architecture and Design. The computer specifications are typically provided before the start of the first semester and the computer is purchased prior to the start of the first semester. Students are strongly advised to wait until they receive computer specifications specific to their entering class and cohort prior to making a significant investment in a computer.
Graphic Design – Students enrolled in Graphic Design will be required to have a computer capable of running the Adobe Creative Cloud software suite. Foundation students are advised to bring an existing computer and look to purchasing a more robust model upon admittance to the Graphic Design program in the fall of their sophomore year.
Satisfactory/No Credit Courses
Courses that are a part of the specific requirements of the college cannot be taken as Satisfactory/No Credit.
Credit hours over and above the specific graduation requirements may be taken Satisfactory/No Credit. A student who desires to take a course Satisfactory/No Credit should indicate this at the start of registration. Courses evaluated as Satisfactory will count as hours toward graduation but will not be calculated in the student’s GPA.
Course Load
The average course load in any semester is 15-17 credit hours. The minimum which may be taken by full-time students is 12 hours. The maximum which may be taken without approval of the dean is 19 hours.
uTrack Requirements
Universal Tracking (uTrack) is an academic monitoring system designed to help students stay on track for timely graduation. In order to remain on track, students must complete the minimum requirements for each tracking semester known as milestones. Milestones may include successful completion of specified courses and/or attainment of a minimum GPA. uTrack requirements only affect full-time, degree-seeking students.
Academic Programs
