Program Logistics
Explore what you’ll need to know
Professional Programs require:
More space and personnel, a lower student-to-teacher ratio, and access to a higher level of technology than most disciplines
These factors incur significant costs associated with achieving and maintaining accreditation from the appropriate specialized, national agencies.
General Logistics
Auburn University Fee Statement
The amount that students pay in tuition and required fees represents a sizable and important investment in their future. However, student payments alone do not cover the full cost of providing any of Auburn’s educational programs. Even after state appropriations are included, some programs require funding through additional fees in order to provide the high-quality learning environment that students expect. Like the basic tuition and fees, these additional amounts help to cover not only direct costs of providing instruction and advising in these programs, but also indirect costs associated with Auburn’s role as a comprehensive center of higher education for the state.CADC Professional Fee Information
As a result of the resources that a professional program requires, the College of Architecture, Design and Construction charges a professional fee to partially defray the difference between state funding and tuition and the actual costs of our professional programs. Within each program, a professional fee charge of $2,160 is tied to enrollment in specific courses which are noted on curriculum models. During semesters when students are enrolled in these classes, they will be charged a professional fee.- See Program Specific Logistics below for a list of these courses.
Through the professional fees, the CADC continues to provide our students with rigorous and relevant academic experiences, which contribute to our programs being recognized as among the best in the nation.
More information on financial considerations while attending Auburn can be found on the Admissions page. This includes attendance cost, financial aid, and scholarships. A new tuition calendar is available.
Cost of attendance for the current academic year can be found here.
In the event that a grade of D or F is received in any required course in the major, a review is required for the continuance in the program. Based on the outcome of this review, a student may be required to repeat the course or, in the case of design studios, the entire studio sequence for that respective year-level.
Students receiving a second D when repeating a required course will be reviewed for continuance in the program. Similarly, a student receiving a majority of grades C or lower may be reviewed for continuance in the program.
Students must maintain professional standards of behavior at all times when on university property and while participating in school sponsored trips, events, and activities. Failure to do so may be ground for dismissal from the program.
To proceed to the beginning sequence of design studio at third, fourth, and fifth year levels, the student must have completed all required prerequisite courses for that respective year-level, as indicated in the model curriculum. Enrollment in 3000 level SSCI courses will be limited to those students with a GPA of a 2.5 or above and second-year standing in design studio.
The Design Studio is a rare academic environment. In studio, one develops ideas, projects, and self by way of experimentation, collaboration, and expression. The Design Studio embodies a fragile balance between many personal spheres that overlap to create a series of dynamic relationships. It is only when equal respect is paid to all that the Studio environment can operate to its full potential. Without this balance, this equality and respect, the Studio environment can become unhealthy.
- The right to have personal property respected. When one’s work and property is not respected, the environment of the Studio suffers. No relationship can be founded on mistrust. Because the activity of Studio is about forming relationships, growth stops in Studio when trustful relationships cease.
- The right to have an environment where all ideas and beliefs are respected. Whether one agrees or disagrees with another’s belief, the Studio is a place that guarantees the right to express that belief without persecution, so long as the belief or idea is respectful to others’ beliefs.
- The right to obtain knowledge from courses and experiences outside of Studio. It should be recognized that courses outside of Studio (such as seminars, lectures, and off-campus experiences) offer unique and valuable opportunities for learning, growth, and experience. The more experiences and knowledge one gains outside of Studio directly affects the Studio environment by way of allowing more connections to be made, and thus enriching the Architecture Program as a whole. Within the context of the learning objectives of a course or assignment, we have the right to establish our own research agendas, and expect full faculty support.
- The right to a healthy environment. A healthy studio that is orderly, safe, free from toxins (whether physical, social, or cultural) is crucial to the development of a studio space. Just as our bodies function better while healthy, as Design studio functions better while healthy.
National Council of Architect Registration Boards
Information from NCARB on the Architectural Experience Program
Architectural Experience Program Guidelines
NCARB Certification Guidelines
The American Institute of Architects (AIA)
The American Institute of Architect Students (AIAS)
Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA)
Laptop Requirements
Auburn University’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture is committed to providing advanced educational facilities and experiences for students in preparation for professional life, both inside and outside of traditional design and planning practices. To provide the level of digital input technologies that professional education demands, students are required to purchase a laptop computer along with a suite of software that coordinates with both studio and classroom instruction upon entry to the second year of the Architecture Program.
APLA practices a “Paradigmatic Approach” to the delivery of digital media. Rather than focusing on how a task is accomplished, we are more interested in why it is approached a certain way. Please refer to the list of hardware that is required for your program. Your interests may dictate the use and acquisition of tools and software outside of the mainstream.
The school is primarily a Windows environment, but most other operating systems (OS), such as Mac OS X, are welcome and will be treated the same as Windows-based computers.
Many students and faculty use Apple computers running the Macintosh OS. Macintosh computers are compatible with CADC’s Windows environment with only a few minor incompatibility problems. To overcome these compatibility problems, you can set your Macintosh to boot both MacOS as well as Windows 10. Please note that M1 Macs can not be “boot camped” at this time.
Access to network resources like file shares will be available to all common operating systems. However, certain mainstream applications are only available for the Windows Operating System.
Laptop requirements by program may be viewed here.
The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture maintains a virtual lab utilizing Windows Virtual Desktop. The virtual lab can be accessed from your personal laptop and is configured with specialty software for the program. The use of school-provided virtual lab is contingent upon your laptop meeting the minimum hardware requirements that follow. The virtual lab can be accessed from a Windows or Macintosh environment.
High-end color printers and plotters are located throughout the building near studios. Scanners, comprised of regular, wide, and large format, are available for student use. The Library of Architecture, Design and Construction (LADC) has digital and A/V equipment available for checkout. The shop is equipped with three laser cutters, a CNC Router, and dedicated computers for running the equipment.
Please note that there are different requirements for Architecture, Environmental Design and Landscape Architecture. Laptop requirements by program may be viewed here.
Program-Specific Logistics
The following courses will trigger a professional fee to be billed.
Architecture
- ARCH 2010 Studio 1 Undergrad
- ARCH 2020 Studio 2 Undergrad
- ARCH 3010 Studio 3 Undergrad
- ARCH 3020 Studio 4 Undergrad
- ARCH 4010 Studio 5 Undergrad
- ARCH 4020 Studio 6 Undergrad
- ARCH 5010 Studio 7 Undergrad
- ARCH 5020 Thesis Studio Undergrad
Interior Architecture
- ARIA 3020 Studio 4A Interior Arch Undergrad
- ARIA 4020 Studio 6A Interior Arch Undergrad
- ARIA 4030 Interior Arch Thesis Undergrad
Landscape Architecture
- LAND 5130/6130 Studio I
- LAND 5230/6230 Studio II
- LAND 5330/6330 Studio III
- LAND 7130 Studio IV
- LAND 7230 Thesis Studio
- LAND 7330 Thesis Studio
- LAND 7990 Design Thesis I Grad Phases in Spring 11 (Term: 2011-2020)
Environmental Design
- ENVD 2100 Workshop I
- ENVD 3000 Concepts and Practices II
- ENVD 3100 Civic Engagement and Research Methods
- ENVD 4100 Workshop II/Capstone
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: Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Architecture, and Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an eight-year, three-year, or two-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 require a preprofessional undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the preprofessional undergraduate degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
Auburn University’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs: B. Arch. (150 undergraduate credits)
Master of Landscape Architecture Program Costs
To view the program costs for the Auburn MLA Program, use the link below.
Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB)
Landscape Architecture programs in the United States are accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB). Auburn University’s Master of Landscape Architecture program was last re-accredited in 2022 and will apply for the next accreditation cycle in 2028. Our program is the only accredited Master of Landscape Architecture program in the State of Alabama.
National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ)
The National Council for Interior Design Qualification establishes standards and credentials of competence for interior design/interior architecture professionals.
Interior design/interior architecture professionals who meet NCIDQ’s eligibility requirements for a minimum of six years of specialized education and experience and pass the NCIDQ Examination receive a NCIDQ Certificate that attests to their qualifications for employers, state regulators, and the general public.
The NCIDQ accepts the NAAB accredited B.Arch degree for the educational requirement for eligibility and work experience that is interior design/interior architecture related to earn the NCIDQ Certificate.
For more information…
Should you have any questions about professional fees or trigger courses, please contact the
Office of Student Services
334-844-5350