School of Architecture & Design Policies & Handbooks

We in the School of Architecture and Design support a student-centered studio learning culture that is based on the following principles:

• Students should lead balanced lives.
• Time is more than a constantly endangered resource.
• There is a world outside of the design studio.
• Design is the integration of many parts.
• Design process is as important as product.
• Collaboration is the art of design.
• Design is inherently an interdisciplinary act.
• Even educators can learn.
• The good of students must prevail.
• Grades can impede productive assessment.
• Critiques are learning experiences, not target practice.
• To design for many, parts of all must be included.

Furthermore, the students and faculty support, encourage, and strive to foster a studio that engages a culture of optimism, a culture of respect, a culture of sharing, a culture of engagement, and a culture of innovation.

If a student wishes to appeal a final grade for a design studio, they must read the School of Architecture and Design's Review Standards and Procedures for Failing Grades Appealed in Design Studio (below) and fill out the top of the School of Architecture and Design Grade Appeal Form. Return the form to the School of Architecture and Design office in Fletcher Hall, Room 129.

Review Standards and Procedures For Failing Grades Appealed in Design Studio

1. At the time the review is requested, the student will be given a copy of these standards and  procedures, and will be requested to acknowledge receipt thereof by signing a statement to that  effect.
2. The review must be requested before five (5) days of the beginning of the next semester.
3. The Design Review Committee is convened for the purpose of evaluating the student's design studio work for a specific semester. It will not consider past performance, personalities, or disciplinary  matters.
4. The Design Review Committee will provide the student and the studio instructor with its  professional evaluation of the student's design work for the entire semester. It will give an overall  pass or fail recommendation to the instructor of the course. It will not grade individual problems.
5. A design review can be called by a student, studio instructor, or the Director.
6. The Design Review Committee will be composed of the Director (or his appointed representative)  and at least two members of the faculty. The student's studio instructor shall not be eligible to serve  on the Design Review Committee.
7. The Director will set the time and place for the review and notify the studio instructor and the  appointed committee members.
8. The student has the right to select any one faculty member to serve on the Committee. However, it  shall be the student's responsibility to notify the Director of the selection and to contact the faculty  member selected and advise them of the time and place of the review.
9. Students may serve on the Design Review Committee, but they must come from the 4th or 5th year  studios and they may not be students in the same studio section as the student whose work is being  evaluated. In all cases, students selected to serve on the Design Review Committee will be selected  by the Committee.
10. The student may invite a witness to the proceedings. However, a written statement signed by the  student naming the witness and stating the student's desire to have the witness present must be  made to the Director at least 24 hours before the Committee convenes. The witness shall not openly  participate in the review. Under no circumstances will members of the student's immediate family  be permitted to be present.
11. The only person allowed in the review session will be the student, instructor, Committee Members,  Director, and authorized witness.
12. The student must have all of their design studio work for the semester available for review.
13. The studio instructor will present the semester's program, explain the intent and requirements of  each problem, the grading system, and the problem weights.
14. The student will explain and present their solution to each problem.
15. At the end of the review, the student, studio instructor, and student's witness will be asked to leave  so that the Director and the Committee can discuss the merits of the student's work in private.
16. The student and studio instructor will be advised immediately of the Design Review Committee's  recommendation. The Design Review Committee's recommendation shall not be binding upon the  student's studio instructor.
17. There shall be no further review of the student's work at the school level. The student retains their  right to begin the university appeal process.
18. It is the student's responsibility to contact the Director for the scheduled time of appeal. This request  must take place within two days of the appeal submitted.

The School of Architecture and Design incorporates digital technologies into its curriculum. 

All students are required to lease, purchase, or have ready access to a laptop that either meets or exceeds the specifications listed below starting in year 2, when students register for DSGN 235. A laptop is required because students must be able to work in classes on campus with the computer but cannot leave the computer in Fletcher unattended.

When computer shopping, many major electronics retailers might be unfamiliar with the graphics requirements associated with applications such as Autodesk, Adobe Creative Suite, or Rhinoceros. The school recommends that you consider systems similar to those that will support 3D animated gaming. These systems often have comparable video cards and sufficient memory necessary to support the 3D modeling and animation software required. Our programs do not recommend any vendor or manufacturer of computer equipment. All 3D modeling programs are natively written for Windows.

Note: Revit, required for 3rd year architecture and 2nd year interior design students, does not run on Apple products (unless you specifically adapt your computer to run Windows based software).

Because this is a required purchase, you may be able to approach financial aid about increasing your package to accommodate this cost.

PC System Specifications

• Operating System:
  • Basic: Microsoft Windows 11 Home
  • Basic: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
• Central Processing Unit (CPU):
  • Basic: Intel Core i7, 4.2 GHz processor or faster (CPU Mark of 2000 or higher)
  • Upgrade: Intel Core Ultra 7
• RAM:
  • Basic: 16 GB
  • Upgrade: 32 GB or more
• Hard Drive:
  • Basic: 1 Tb SDD
  • Upgrade: 1 Tb or more SDD
• Graphic Processing Unit (GPU):
  • Basic: NVIDIA® RTX™ 3050-3080 (4-12 GB)
  • Upgrade: NVIDIA® RTX™ 3090, or any RTX 40## (12+ GB)
  • Notes:
    • Small upgrades in graphics cards are often well worth it.
    • Intel graphics cards are NOT recommended.
• Screen Resolution:
  • 1920x1080 minimum
• Mouse:
  • Three-button mouse with scroll wheel
• About AMD products:
  • Intel, NVIDIA and AMD are manufacturers of computer components (processors, memory, etc.). Many computers come with AMD products. While these may be equivalent to Intel and NVIDIA, they can be cumbersome to use and adapt to various software.

MacBook Pro System Specifications

Not recommended for Architecture or Interior Design Students.

• Operating System:
  • macOS Monterey or later
• Central Processing Unit (CPU)/ Graphic Processing Unit (GPU:
  • Basic: Apple M3 Pro (11-core CPU, 14-core GPU)
  • Upgrade: Apple M3 Max (14-core CPU, 30-core GPU)
• RAM:
  • Basic: 16 GB
  • Upgrade: 32 GB or more
• Hard Drive:
  • Basic: 512 GB SSD
  • Upgrade: 1 TB or more SSD
• Screen Resolution:
  • 2560x1600 minimum
• Mouse:
  • Three-button mouse with scroll wheel
• Notes:
  • Apple M2 Pro and M2 Max chips were discontinued in October 2023, but may still be available and are acceptable.

External Hard Drive (preferred)

• 1 TB

Computer Programs to be Installed

• Rhino 7 ($195 student license – single purchase). Must be purchased – trial license is not sufficient.
• Adobe Creative Cloud ($29.99/month or $239 for the first year and $359/yr after): Photoshop; Illustrator; InDesign. (These programs are all part of the single cost monthly subscription) You do not need to buy the subscription until we tell you to install the programs.

Second Monitor (optional)

• Some students report that a second monitor is helpful when taking DSGN 235 – so that they can watch the video tutorials on one screen while completing their work on a second screen.

As you select a computer, please confirm that it will run:

Architecture, Interior Design, Industrial Design:

• Rhinoceros 8.0

Industrial Design:

• Autodesk Fusion 360

Architecture and Interior Design:

• Autodesk Revit
• Lumion

Students must show consideration for their fellow classmates, faculty and the facilities. Students shall be respectful of their environment or lose the privilege to work there. Students are required to follow the policies and procedures outlined for each Department. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action.

• 1st Offense: Meet with Director – 4 Hours Community Service/Rectify the infraction
• 2nd Offense: Courses put on HOLD, Lose Shop Privileges, Counseling with Dean of Students, 10 hours Community Service

General Building Rules

• As of August 2014, use of tobacco is not longer allowed on campus grounds.
• Electronic cigarettes are allowed outside most buildings but not indoors.
• Bicycles are NOT to be stored or ridden in the building. No riding of skateboards, scooters, etc.
• Students are not to prop open exterior doors or otherwise disable door locks or mechanisms
• Students are to follow parking policy for building. Parking is permitted in designated spaces only.
• Students are not to park in loading areas, fire lanes or any other space marked as “no parking”.
• Students with handicap tags/plates must follow the same rules and have vehicle/tag registered with Parking and Transit.  Students are not allowed to park in any of the construction areas.
• Furniture (sofas, hammocks, bedding, futons, etc) are not allowed in studios.
• Hotplates, microwaves, coffee pots, toaster ovens and refrigerators are not allowed in studio.
• Radios, MP3 players, computers, etc...  used in the studio must be used with headphones.

Tools & Materials 

• All spray paints, spray adhesives, bondo, etc… must be used in one of the two spray booths. No spraying or use of chemical agents, or solvents is permitted at your workstation.
• All flammables including spray paints, spray adhesives, bondo, etc must be stored in metal cabinets, one is provided by the spray booth in JLF 101 and one is provided in JLF 110.
• No extension cords are permitted in the studios.
• Students are required to wear safety glasses when using any tools in studio areas.
• No hand tools or power tools of any kind are permitted to be used in studio during class hours M-F 8:AM-4:50PM or during hours in which the wood-shop is open.
• No sanding of any kind is permitted in the studios at anytime. All sanding, whether wood, plaster, metal, bondo, acrylics, must be done in the wood shop. Plaster, mortar mixes and concrete mixes must be used only in designated areas, no mixing or pouring plaster, mortar, or concrete is permitted at studio workstations.
• After studio hours beginning at 4:50 PM the only hand tools permitted in the studios are hand saws, hammers, chisels, or block planes.
• After shop hours beginning at 10:00 PM the only power tools permitted in studio are rotary tools, scroll saws, hand drills or cordless drills. Students assume the responsibility for knowing all safety requirements of any approved tool they own or borrow and bring into studio.
• The following tools are not permitted in the studio at any time: band saws, circular saws, table saws, radial arm saws, miter saws, jigsaws, reciprocating saws, or similar saws, routers, belt sanders, palm sanders, spindle sanders, disc sanders, grinders, or similar sanders/grinders, kilns, hand torches, soldering or welding equipment, or similar heat sources, pneumatic tools, and drill presses.
• All students are required to attend shop orientation and safety classes prior to using the woodshop. In addition all students are responsible for knowing the woodshop safety manual.
• Use of X-Acto blades and Box Cutters are the most common cause of accidents in Fletcher. Proper use and handling will ensure safe operation.
  • EYE PROTECTION –Students must wear safety glasses/goggles when using X-Acto knives/box cutters
  • Take Precautions – Use cutting board or matte on stable surface. Cut resistant gloves should be worn. Clamp material and/or straight edge securely before cutting. Use rubber backed rulers/straight edge.
  • Be Aware of Surroundings - Be aware of those around you and the direction in which you are cutting. Always make sure free hand is clear of the path in which you are cutting.
  • Proper Use – Use caution and focus. Take your time and void distractions. Never force the cut, make multiple light cuts into thicker material. Before cutting, see if safer option is available in wood shop.
  • Storage/Disposal – Make sure blade is covered or retracted before walking with tool. Never store tool with exposed blade.  Dispose of used blades properly.

Work Storage & Clean-Out Policy

• All work and materials must be performed or stored at a students workstation. At no time may work be stored or materials be stored in corridors, crit areas, or JLF101.
• All walkways both within and around studios must be clear in case of fire or emergency for egress.
• Upper level students are only allowed to used white first year desks without nametags.
• All students must remove all projects, tools and supplies from their work area each semester before or on the designated clean-out day at the end of each semester. All paper and materials must be cleaned from around your work desk and area. Students are responsible for working conditions of their desk and surrounding area at all times. Students may be asked to hang work for exhibitions and fall and spring student show. Work that is left in the studio after the clean out date will be discarded. A certain percentage of the student’s grade will be determined by the final removal of all items and cleanliness of the studio.

Accidents

Seek medical attention if injured. For minor cuts, First Aid kits are available throughout building. Call University Police 482-6447 – 911 on a campus phone if emergency assistance is needed.

To prepare for Level I Shop Training, download and print out the entire Woodshop Safety Manual and review ahead of time. On the day of shop training, you must bring a print-out of the shop manual's signature sheet, safety goggles, and a writing utensil. There will be a short test immediately following the training session.