College of Design, Construction and Planning
Admission Requirements
Admission to this college is selective and cannot be guaranteed to applicants who satisfy minimum requirements. The college has established a selective admission process and priority is given to those applicants who, in the judgment of the appropriate department/school’s admissions committee, have the greatest potential for successful completion of the program.
Admission Protocols for Native UF Students
Freshmen at the university are admitted directly into architecture, building construction, interior design and landscape architecture preprofessional programs. Students interested in admission into the Bachelor of Science in Sustainability and the Built Environment (BSSBE) program should make formal application during their second semester. More BSSBE admission information.
The college will monitor the progress of all students. Students who fall below the critical-tracking criteria for the degree program will have a hold placed on their records. They must see an adviser in the college/academic unit before they can advance register and continue in the program. They also may be referred to the Academic Advising Center to seek admission to another college.
Admission Protocols for Transfer Students Without Course Work in Architecture
Conditional admission is open to applicants who have
- Accumulated 60 credits of college-level course work (for university transfer only) or earned the A.A. degree (community college transfer students only) for the summer and fall semesters only. There is no transfer admission for the spring semester. Summer is the main semester available for transfer student admissions. Transfer students are encouraged strongly to apply for admission to the summer semester due to course sequence and studio availability. Fall semester transfer admissions are extremely limited and competitive.
- Completed two sequential foreign language courses in secondary school or 8-10 credits at the postsecondary level (or documented an equivalent level of proficiency), and
- Met the general admissions criteria, yet still need to complete first-year and second-year preprofessional courses.
Summer A is the primary semester for transfer admission for students without architecture or interior design prerequisites. Fall is the primary entry semester for transfer admission for landscape architecture. Transfer students without preprofessional courses are admitted conditionally and will be reviewed for selective admission into the third year of the program upon completion of the preprofessional courses, review of their academic performance and portfolio of work. These students may require as many as four semesters at the university to complete preprofessional requirements because of the sequential nature of the courses.
Each department/school may consider any or all of the following for admissions review:
- Quality of work completed
- 2.75 overall minimum GPA required for admission to the summer semester
3.0 overall minimum GPA required for admission to the fall semester - Preprofessional GPA
- Achievements in preprofessional courses and/or courses related to the chosen plan of study
- Portfolio review or pin-up (design students)
Admission Protocols for Transfer Students Without Course Work in Interior Design or Landscape Architecture
Conditional admission is open to applicants who have
- Accumulated 60 credits of college-level course work (for university transfer only) or earned the A.A. degree (community college transfer students only),
- Completed two sequential foreign language courses in secondary school or 8-10 credits at the postsecondary level (or documented an equivalent level of proficiency), and
- Met the general admissions criteria, yet still need to complete first-year and second-year preprofessional courses.
Summer A is the primary semester for transfer admission for students without architecture or interior design prerequisites. Fall is the primary entry semester for landscape architecture. Transfer students without preprofessional courses are admitted conditionally and will be reviewed for selective admission into the third year of the program upon completion of the preprofessional courses, review of their academic performance and portfolio of work. These students may require as many as four semesters at the university to complete preprofessional requirements because of the sequential nature of the courses.
Each department/school may consider any or all of the following for admissions review:
- 2.75 overall minimum GPA required for admission to the summer semester
3.0 overall minimum GPA required for admission to the fall semester - Preprofessional GPA
- Achievements in preprofessional courses and/or courses related to the chosen plan of study
- Portfolio review or pin-up (design students)
Admission Protocols for Transfer Students in the Sustainability and the Built Environment Program
Conditional admission is open to applicants who have
- Accumulated 60 credits of college-level course work (for university transfer only) or earned the A.A. degree (community college transfer students only)
- Completed the standard online UF transfer application as well as the BSSBE application
- Completed two sequential foreign language courses in secondary school or 8-10 credits at the postsecondary level (or documented an equivalent level of proficiency)
- Completed ECO 2013 and ECO 2023 with minimum grades of C
- Achieved an overall minimum GPA of 3.2, and
- Submitted quality admissions materials such as essays and letters of recomendations.
Admission Protocols for Transfer Students With Course Work in Architecture, Interior Design or Landscape Architecture
Transfer students who will receive their Associate of Arts degree from a Florida public institution must meet or exceed the 60-hour admission protocols for admission to the college. The admission protocols for each department are as follows:
Architecture - Uppder-division Transfer: Any student who has earned an Associate of Arts degree in the course of completing a two-year pre-architecture program at one of the Florida community colleges and universities (Broward Community College, Hillsborough Community College, Indian River Community College, Miami-Dade Community College, Palm Beach Community College, St. Petersburg Junior College, Valencia College) can apply for admission into the UF Bachelor of Design program’s upper division.
Both UF and community college applicants for upper-division placement are ranked competitively according to overall grade point average, architectural grade point average and faculty evaluation of design studio work in the annual Pin-Up Exhibits (all calculated by UF standards) to determine whether or not they qualify for placement into UF's upper-division Bachelor of Design curriculum. All applicants must apply to the university's Office of Admissions by the deadline in order to qualify for admission to the School of Architecture. This is in addition to sending the School of Architecture the Notice to Pin Up by the deadline indicated on the document.
Students wishing to transfer from an institution with some design and related preprofessional courses may present a portfolio of work to the school for review and placement. Students will be placed in the program the committee determines is appropriate. This may necessitate a repeat of previous coursework.
Interior Design: Transfer students must contact the department to determine admission timing and eligibility. All students must complete the general education and preprofessional course work before admission to professional studies. Criteria for admission include review of design performance, transcript, letter and interview.
Students who need to complete preprofessional requirements should apply to the Summer A term to begin the required tracking courses. The remaining preprofessional courses may be completed during the next academic year. Students accepted for the sequence are admitted conditionally, and their records will be reviewed during the next spring term for entry into the professional courses in the junior year.
Students are admitted selectively to the professional program on the basis of portfolio review, overall grade point average, interview and letter of application. Notification of the admission decision will be made before the end of the spring semester for the junior class that begins that fall. Contact the department for current information.
Landscape Architecture: Transfer students must contact the department to determine admission timing and eligibility. All students must complete the general education and preprofessional course work before admission to professional studies. Criteria for admission include review of design performance, transcript, letter and interview.
Building Construction: Refer to the M.E. Rinker Sr. School of Building Construction.
Application Deadlines
The programs in architecture, interior design and landscape architecture will admit students for third-year professional course work only in the fall semester. Students who need to complete some or all of the preprofessional requirements shall be reviewed for the fall and Summer A semesters only. The Office of the University Registrar (for transfer students) or the dean’s office (for UF students) must receive applications and all required credentials by the application deadlines.
The M.E. Rinker Sr. School of Building Construction will admit students for third-year professional course work in the fall and spring semesters. Refer to the school's application deadlines.
College Regulations
Maximum and Minimum Loads: A normal load is 14-16 credits per semester. A student may be permitted to register for more than 17 hours when the adviser feels the student’s record justifies it.
The minimum is 12 credit hours for full-time status; students who wish to take fewer credits should be aware that certain university privileges and benefits require full-time status. It is the student’s responsibility to verify the minimum academic load necessary.
Students who seek an adjustment to their academic load may petition the dean through the director of student services and the appropriate department chair.
While the preprofessional and professional course sequence must be maintained, variation of General Education and elective course work may occur. The four-year plans shown require an average of more than 16 credits per term, which may not be appropriate for all students. Students should plan their curricula well in advance so the course sequence and credit-hour loads will accommodate the most effective academic progress, regardless of the number of terms required.
Student Work: The college can retain student work for the purpose of record, accreditation, exhibition or instruction. Work produced while the student is enrolled in the college is the property of the college.
Practical Experience: Before graduating, students should get experience in the employment of practicing professionals in their field or in some allied profession. Such employment provides an introduction to the methods of actual practice and enables the student to derive increased benefit from advanced work in school. Students should contact their adviser for recommended or required practical experience.
Field Trips: Each year there are field trips to give students an opportunity to broaden and expand their educational experience through study of planning, design and construction projects. Students frequently combine such studies with attendance at state and national professional meetings.
Students should plan to have adequate funds available for field trips, equipment and tools essential to their education as design, planning or construction professionals. These expenses also include a weeklong field trip that is required of all junior- and senior-level architecture, interior design and landscape architecture students.
Supplemental fees also are required for participation in off-campus programs, including the Vicenza Institute of Architecture (VIA), Hong Kong Summer Architecture Program and Preservation Institute: Caribbean. It may be necessary to assess studio fees to defray increasing costs of base maps and other materials.