University of Cincinnati
With a fundamental commitment to improving the quality of the built environment, the programs in Architecture and Interior Design at the University of Cincinnati prepare students for creative leadership in architecture in order to understand, advance, and challenge the profession’s premises and practices.
Visit University of Cincinnati's website: daap.uc.edu
The character of architectural education at the University of Cincinnati arises from five special conditions. The first is a commitment to the professional standards and aesthetic principals of design education. Students attain a broad education in the practical, intellectual, and artistic skills required of a top designer. Second, is our distinctive cooperative education curriculum that integrates academic study with professional experience. In a typical term, two-thirds of the architecture students are in school and another third hold salaried positions in professional offices in highly regarded national and international firms. Students build professional competence and maturity through working and living in a variety of firms and cities. Third, is our close relationship with other design and art disciplines including the School of Design, which includes communication design, industrial design, and fashion design; the School of Planning; and the School of Art, which includes fine arts, art education, and art history. Fourth, we are part of a comprehensive university made up of more than 46,000 students in 12 colleges and divisions, including nationally recognized programs in music, medicine, engineering, criminal justice, and Classics. Fifth, the University is located in the center of a geographically and culturally appealing city. Students and faculty take advantage of the metropolitan region as a laboratory for advanced research.
In the classroom students learn by doing, accompanied by a broad exposure to design principles. The design studio cultivates the ability to make ethical, practical, and aesthetic judgments in complex situations. At the same time, the architecture program is dedicated to providing fundamental disciplinary knowledge in history, theory, technology, social and environmental issues, and professional practice.
Incoming undergraduate students rank among the highest in the university in college test scores and high school records. We typically enroll 110 Architecture and 50 Interior Design students each fall in the first year undergraduate class. The nationally ranked MArch program admits between 30-40 students, the M.S. Architecture program admits 2-5 students, and the PhD admits 2-3 students per year.
The 27 full-time faculty and large adjunct and visiting faculty hold advanced degrees from a wide range of US and foreign universities in architecture, design, art, interior design, civil and mechanical engineering, urban design, historic preservation, and landscape architecture. Most faculty are also licensed practitioners in their fields.
Programs, Scholarship and Admissions Requirements
The School awards numerous scholarships and assistantships each year to architecture students based on academic performance and financial need. Students receive financial aid through the AIA Ohio Foundation, University scholarships, School scholarships, federal Pell Grants, Perkins Loans, Stafford Loans, and work-study programs.
For more information on our programs, admissions requirements and deadlines please visit our website.
Admission Requirements
The College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at the University of Cincinnati seeks to attract, enroll and graduate academically talented students of varied and diverse backgrounds. Success in our programs is largely dependent upon sound academic preparation. However, in multidisciplinary programs like those in DAAP, students’ insight and perspective are greatly enhanced by exposure to students from different backgrounds, geographies and co-curricular interests. DAAP has designed an admissions review process and a timetable to support these goals.
Freshman Priority Deadline: December 1 by 5 p.m. EST
Admission criteria for architecture varies based on the relative strength of test scores, class rank and GPA. Portfolios are not a component of the admission application. All applicants meeting the above criteria and the priority deadline will be notified of admission decisions by February 1. Please do not call prior to this date regarding a decision on your application.
Freshman applicants, please visit the Admissions Requirement page for more information
Applications received after December 1: Applicants who submit a complete application may be reviewed for admission on a space-available basis with notification after February 1. The academic credentials of the pool of applicants seeking admission to architecture vary each year. Architecture is a highly selective program and has a limited number of spaces available.
Freshmen applying to this program should also have completed the following college-preparatory subjects:
- 4 units of English
- 4 units of college prep math, including one unit of pre-calculus, calculus, or advanced math
- 1 unit of physics
- 2 additional units of science
- 5 units of electives*
*Elective units must include one or any combination of foreign language, fine arts, business, career-technical education, family and consumer sciences, technology, agricultural education or additional core courses not otherwise required.
If a student lacks the math and physics requirements from high school, then the student should complete an appropriate college level course. High School Requirement: 4 units of college prep, including 1 unit of pre-calculus, calculus, or advanced math (trigonometry), and 1 unit of physics; OR College Requirement: MATH1022, 1024, 1026, 1044, 1060, or 1061; PHYS1011, 1017, 1018, 1037, 1051, or 2001 OR equivalent course.
