College of Architecture and Planning
College of Architecture and Planning Admissions Requirements
First time to college applicants whose cumulative GPA and test scores meet or exceed the middle 50 percent range are considered strong candidates for admission to the College of Architecture and Planning. Please visit Undergraduate Admissions to learn more.
College of Architecture and Planning Departments and Programs
(For Graduate Programs and information please refer to the Graduate catalog.)
College of Architecture and Planning Graduation Requirements
For additional information regarding Graduation policies and procedures, please visit the Graduation section of the catalog.
Foreign Language Proficiency
BS Architecture students are required to demonstrate a minimum level of proficiency in one foreign language. This requirement is met through the completion of one of the following:
- A second year (level II) high school course with minimum grade of C- or 1.7
- A second semester level college course (1020) with a minimum grade of C- or 1.7
- Satisfactory proficiency testing. Contact the CU Denver Department of Modern Languages at 303-315-7234 for details
Repeating Courses
A failed course (grade of F) may be repeated; however, the F will be included in the GPA and will appear on the transcript. Students must earn at least a C- grade in all Architecture Major requirements (except Architecture Major: Biological & Physical Sciences). Architecture Major requirements (except Architecture Major: Biological & Physical Sciences) must be repeated if the student earns less than a C- grade.
Residency Requirement
Students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours from CU Denver. Students must also satisfactorily complete three Architecture Design Studios (18 credit hours) at CU Denver.
Undergraduate Upper-Division Requirement
Students must complete a minimum of 39 upper-division (3000-4000 level) credit hours.
Courses from Other Institutions
Grades of C- or better must be earned in courses from other institutions to receive undergraduate bachelor degree credit. Courses from other institutions will be transferred and applied based upon current transfer credit policies and limitations established by the College of Architecture and Planning and the University of Colorado Denver. Students should consult with the undergraduate academic advisor prior to taking courses from other institutions to determine applicability to BS Architecture degree requirements.
A maximum of twelve credit hours may be transferred from other institutions as Architecture electives (prefix ARCH) or CAP electives (any prefix used in the College of Architecture and Planning). Transfer credit award for Visualization courses and Design Studios are contingent upon a satisfactory portfolio review.
The maximum number of credit hours applied to individual architecture major requirements from transfer coursework must not exceed the number of credit hours given to its equivalent CU Denver course. Excess credit hours from architecture-related transfer coursework will not count toward the 120 credit hours needed for the BS Architecture degree.
AEC and CAD coursework from Emily Griffith Technical College (EGTC) and Technical College of the Rockies (TCR) will be transferred and applied toward the Architecture (ARCH) Major requirements, in accordance with the policies established for AEC and CAD courses within the Colorado Community College System. Students transferring coursework from EGTC and/or TCR should contact CAP Undergraduate Advising to initiate a request for dean’s approval.
Major
Complete all requirements associated with your individual major.
Applying for Graduation
All students MUST meet with their advisor at the beginning of their final term for a graduation check-out appointment. We recommend students schedule an appointment PRIOR to the add/drop deadline of their final term in case schedule adjustments need to be made to fulfill final degree requirements. After meeting with their advisor, students should apply for graduation online through UCDAccess.
College of Architecture and Planning Policies
For additional information regarding policies and procedures, please visit the Records and Registration section and the Academic Policies and Procedures section of the catalog.
Independent Study and Internships
Architecture students desiring to work beyond regular course coverage may take variable credit courses (1-3 hours) as either an internship or an independent study, both of which would count as architecture or CAP electives. The total combination of independent study and internship credit may not exceed 9 semester hours toward Architecture electives.
- Architecture Independent Study: A maximum of 6 semester hours of independent study credit may count toward Architecture electives. Requires department approval, including the completion of the Independent Study Worksheet with the Academic Advisor, and a faculty advisor to serve as the instructor. Two independent studies will not be allowed in any one semester.
- Architecture Internship: A maximum of 6 semester hours of internship credit may count toward Architecture electives. Undergraduate internships are administered through the Experiential Learning Center. Students may ask to enroll in 6 credits of Architecture Internship in a single term if the student will complete the minimum work hours in that term to fulfill course requirements. Retroactive credit for past internships is not allowed.
Grade Appeals
The College of Architecture and Planning recognizes the right of the student to appeal a grade received in a course taken in the college. The college also recognizes the responsibility on the part of the college to respond to student grade appeals, and to do so in a judicious and timely manner.
Please visit the College of Architecture and Planning Student Policies, Handbooks, and Forms page for additional information.
Incomplete Grade Policy
The College of Architecture and Planning recognizes that a student’s normal course of study may be unexpectedly interrupted owing to circumstances beyond the student’s control.
It is the student’s responsibility to communicate with the instructor about any such circumstance or event that may prevent full completion of coursework as outlined in the course syllabus. Further, it is the student’s responsibility to provide documentation of any circumstances beyond their control prohibiting course completion (e.g. doctor’s note for medical emergency), when requested by the instructor.
Incomplete grades are not awarded for poor academic performance or as a means of extending assignment deadlines. To qualify for an incomplete grade, a student will typically have completed a majority of course requirements with a passing grade. The option of an Incomplete is not guaranteed, and the decision to award an Incomplete is at the sole discretion of the course instructor. Students who feel that a denial of a request for an incomplete is unreasonable may appeal through the grade appeal process.
If an Incomplete is to be awarded, the student and their instructor should use the CAP Incomplete Grade Report Form to document the student’s grade at the time of interrupted study, all outstanding coursework, the timeline for completion, and the expected method of collecting owed assignments (e.g. emailed written assignment, or, in-person proctored exam, etc.). This needs to be approved by the CAP Department offering the course before the Incomplete can be awarded.The student is expected to complete the course requirements within the established deadline. The student should not re-enroll for the entire course in a future term while the Incomplete is pending. While an Incomplete grade is pending, the course is not considered to be complete; thus, if the course serves as a pre-requisite for a future course, the student may not enroll in any dependent course until all material is completed and a passing letter grade is officially entered. Students may be administratively withdrawn from courses for which pre-requisites have not been met. The Incomplete grade will be automatically converted to a Failing grade (F) after one calendar year if the specified work is not completed. If the grade at time of approved Incomplete is higher than an (F), the student may request a change of record form to record the higher grade.
The student is responsible for requesting an incomplete grade and submitting all of the appropriate paperwork and obtaining approvals. Please contact CAP.UGAdvising@ucdenver.edu for additional information.
Special Grading Options
The P+/P/F or S/U grading policy may be used for a maximum of 6 credit hours toward any of the required 120 credit hours of the BS Architecture degree. Courses taken in excess of the maximum will not be applied toward degree credit. Courses taken as P+/P/F or S/U are subject to the same minimum grade standards as specified for BS Architecture degree requirements (i.e. courses that require a minimum grade of C- will require a P+ in the Pass/Fail grading policy to fulfill the degree requirement). If the P+ grade option is unavailable, courses requiring a C- or higher grade cannot be fulfilled by P+/P/F grading.
P+/P/F grading determination must be made within the deadlines posted on the academic calendar by the CU Denver Registrar’s Office and may not be rescinded. Students are strongly encouraged to check in with CAP Undergraduate Advising before electing P+/P/F grading.
Note: Effective Summer 2023 courses that were previously graded on the basis of Pass/Fail (P/F) are now graded with Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U). This is based on faculty approval of APS 1025 in May 2022. Students still have the option to use the P+ grading system (P+/P/F) by student selection for elective courses up to the maximum allowed by their program.
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to attend all meetings of classes. Excessive unexcused absences may result in a grade reduction at the discretion of the instructor. Absence from a class will be excused for verified medical reasons, religious obligations or for extreme personal emergencies. The student may be required to furnish evidence.
TIMELINESS OF WORK
Students' assignments are to be completed in a timely manner. Any assignment turned in late may have its grade reduced by an amount set at the discretion of the instructor. An assignment may be turned in late without penalty for verified medical reasons, religious obligations or for extreme personal emergencies. Students must have their instructor's written permission to turn an assignment in late. Students with excused late work may turn in the assignment by the end of finals week without penalty. Otherwise, the grade "I" will be assigned at the discretion of the faculty.
Course Repeat Policy
A failed course (grade of F) may be repeated; however, the F will be included in the GPA and will appear on the transcript. Students must earn at least a C- grade in all Architecture Major requirements (except Architecture Major: Biological & Physical Sciences). Architecture Major requirements (except Architecture Major: Biological & Physical Sciences) must be repeated if the student earns less than a C- grade.
Requisites
Prerequisites
Students must abide by all published prerequisites and corequisites, including minimum grades. The College of Architecture and Planning reserves the right to administratively drop students who enroll without the necessary prerequisites or corequisites.
Prerequisite Checking
Programs in the college are structured so that certain courses must be taken concurrently, others sequentially. Students will not be allowed to enroll in a course if its co-requisites or prerequisites have not been satisfied.
Undergraduates Taking Graduate Coursework
With prior written approval of the CAP department chair offering the course or CAP undergraduate advisor, Bachelor of Science in Architecture (BS Arch) students may take a maximum of six semester hours of graduate-level CAP elective credits. A strong candidate for approval to enroll in a graduate-level course will have a minimum 3.0 GPA and strong performance in coursework relevant to the requested graduate-level course(s). Permission to enroll in a graduate-level CAP course will not be granted until the beginning of open enrollment for the upcoming semester (please reference the CU Denver academic calendar for specific enrollment dates).
Students may complete up to 12 credit hours of graduate-level coursework to apply toward the Master of Architecture (MArch) degree at CU Denver prior to admission to the MArch program; however, completion of graduate-level coursework prior to admission does not guarantee admission to the MArch program at CU Denver. Additionally, only six credit hours of graduate-level coursework may apply (double-dip) toward both the BS Arch and MArch degrees at CU Denver. Students applying to non-CU Denver MArch programs should check with these programs directly about transferability of CU Denver CAP coursework.
Graduate-level courses from non-CAP departments must be reviewed and approved by the CAP undergraduate advisor for applicability to degree requirements.
Intra-University Transfer (IUT)
Students who want to transfer to the BS Architecture program from another college or school of the University of Colorado Denver must formally apply to the College. To apply for an intra-university transfer, students must submit an intra-university transfer (IUT) form to the undergraduate advisor. Transfer forms are available at the Office of Registrar or the College Undergraduate Advising Office; transcript request forms are available at the Office of the Registrar. Transfer deadlines are August 1 for fall semester, December 1 for spring semester and May 1 for the summer session. Students must have earned a minimum 2.0 cumulative University of Colorado GPA to be eligible for an IUT to the BS Architecture program.
Other University of Colorado Campus Coursework
BS Architecture students must have the written approval of the BS Architecture director or undergraduate academic advisor to register for courses (excluding MSUD pooled courses) offered by other institutions, including other University of Colorado locations. Credit will not be given for courses taken without approval. Grades of C or better must be earned to receive the undergraduate bachelor's degree credit. Generally, only non-architecture electives or lower-division, non-architecture requirements are acceptable for transfer from other institutions once a student has been admitted to the BS Architecture Program. Students who, after admission to the college, take more than 12 semester hours from another institution, must reapply for admission to the college as transfer students and must meet the current admission requirements.
The maximum number of credit hours applied to individual architecture major requirements from transfer coursework must not exceed the number of credit hours given to its equivalent CU Denver course. Excess credit hours from architecture-related transfer coursework will not count toward the 120 credit hours needed for the BS Architecture degree.