Freshmen Fall Instructions
ADVISING
Each student in the School of Architecture is assigned an academic advisor. First-year students will be assigned an advisor during the summer before they enter RPI. Faculty advisors assist students to determine their unique academic path through RPI while fulfilling all their degree requirements. Faculty advisors meet with students each term and contribute to students’ academic success by offering valuable perspective on the design studio culture, internships, research, graduate school, job prospects, and graduation requirements.
Advising Purposes:
- Semester course planning
- Clear student advising meeting (SAM) holds
- Major/minor declaration or changes
- Form approvals
- Summer Arch planning / Study Abroad / CASE
- HASS minors and other course requirements
For Advanced Placement (AP) credit information, please click here.
You will be receiving information from the First Year Experience Office on registration with dates and details on how to register. See the School of Architecture first-year curriculum below.
Bachelor of Architecture students, if you have questions, please contact your academic advisor that you are assigned during the summer. If you have yet to be assigned an advisor, please contact Elizabeth Harwood, .
IMPORTANT DATES 2026
For additional information, please visit the First-Year Experience (FYE) page.
June
July
August
October 23 – 25
Family Weekend. You can expect registration information in mid-September.
FIRST-YEAR CURRICULUM
Incoming architecture students will review material provided by the faculty about their curriculum template and course selection.
The fall semester of the first year B. Arch. curriculum is common for all BArch students.
- ARCH 2150 – The Ethos of Architecture. Credit Hours: 3
- ARCH 2160 – Architectural Media. Credit Hours: 2
- ARCH 2510 – Materials and Design. Credit Hours: 2
- ARCH 2520 – Digital Constructs 1. Credit Hours: 2
- ARCH 2800 – Architectural Design Studio 1. Credit Hours: 5
- MATH 1500 – Calculus for Architecture, Management, and HASS. Credit Hours: 4
If you have AP credits for Math you may consider taking PHYS 1050 – General Physics. Credit Hours: 4 or a HASS elective.
Review the AP / transfer policies (https://admissions.rpi.edu/undergraduate/transfer) and familiarize yourself with the Student Information System (SIS). Watch the ‘How To Register’ video (below) to help guide you through registration.
The spring semester of the first year B. Arch. curriculum is common for all BArch students.
- HASS Approved Inquiry and Communication Intensive Course. Credit Hours: 4 (See footnote 1 below)
- ARCH 2370 – Energy, Comfort and Ecology. Credit Hours: 2
- ARCH 2530 – Digital Constructs 2. Credit Hours: 2
- ARCH 2810 – Architectural Design Studio 2. Credit Hours: 5
- ARCH 4090 – Architectural Case Studies. Credit Hours: 2
- ARCH 4100 – An Architectural Genealogy. Credit Hours: 3 (See footnote 2 below)
- HASS Institute inquiry and communications intensive requirement (see Class Hour Schedule for approved courses); Final Project Design Studio will fulfill the Architecture major communications intensive requirement.
- Four credits of the HASS core requirements are embedded within the Architectural Genealogy and Cloud Atlas: 20th Century Architecture, Culture and Civilization sequence: ARCH 4100 and ARCH 4120.
COURSE REGISTRATION
You will receive an email from the Registrar’s Office with the exact date/time that your registration will begin. Below is a video on how to register using our SIS system.
If you have additional questions please contact David Bell, Acting Assoc. Dean, at
PLAN OF STUDY
Bachelor of Architecture: to view the complete 5-year BArch curriculum, please go to:
https://www.arch.rpi.edu/academic/undergraduate-barch/
Fall & Spring Courses: Please note, if any students receive AP credit for Calculus, they should take a “HASS Inquiry” 4-credits course (HASS-XXXX). For details, see https://info.rpi.edu/hass-inquiry
OTHER RELATED LINKS
- Orientation Timeline for Entering Students and Parents
https://success.studentlife.rpi.edu/student-orientation/timeline - Advising and Registration
https://success.studentlife.rpi.edu/student-orientation/advising-and-registration - International Students / COVID-19 Information
https://info.rpi.edu/international-services-students-and-scholars/isss-covid-19-info