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At-home anthro live.

1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

Alumni Weekend 2024

Various locations

268th Commencement

Franklin Field

Wawa Welcome America Day

10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Penn Museum, 3260 South St.

Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

A virtual tour of architectural masterpieces

In this video series,  David Brownlee , Frances Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Professor of 19th Century European Art in the School of Arts and Sciences, leads a virtual tour of some of Penn’s best-known historic buildings.

Brownlee’s video series begin at Penn’s earliest campus at Fourth and Arch Streets in Center City, and its second campus at Ninth and Market. In the mid-1800s, with Penn’s move to West Philadelphia came College Hall , Fisher Fine Arts Library , the Quadrangle ,  Frankin Field , and the Penn Museum , all blending architectural styles with iconic styles.

Read more at The Power of Penn.

Class of 2025 relishes time together at Hey Day

Picturing artistic pursuits

Hundreds of undergraduates take classes in the fine arts each semester, among them painting and drawing, ceramics and sculpture, printmaking and animation, photography and videography. The courses, through the School of Arts & Sciences and the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, give students the opportunity to immerse themselves in an art form in a collaborative way.

Campus & Community

Penn celebrates operation and benefits of largest solar power project in Pennsylvania

Solar production has begun at the Great Cove I and II facilities in central Pennsylvania, the equivalent of powering 70% of the electricity demand from Penn’s academic campus and health system in the Philadelphia area.

Education, Business, & Law

Investing in future teachers and educational leaders

The Empowerment Through Education Scholarship Program at Penn’s Graduate School of Education is helping to prepare and retain teachers and educational leaders.

‘The Illuminated Body’ fuses color, light, and sound

A new Arthur Ross Gallery exhibition of work by artist Barbara Earl Thomas features cut-paper portraits reminiscent of stained glass and an immersive installation constructed with intricately cut material lit from behind.

Architectural Masterpieces at Penn

A virtual walking tour with professor david brownlee.

For many of us, seeing the historic buildings of the University of Pennsylvania—buildings like College Hall, Fisher Fine Arts Library, and Franklin Field—stir up memories of our own time and experiences on campus.

In this video series, join David Brownlee, Frances Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Professor of 19th Century European Art in the School of Arts and Sciences, as he leads a virtual tour of some of Penn’s best-known historic buildings.

A Brief History of Penn’s Early Architecture

The University of Pennsylvania was not always located in West Philadelphia. Based first in its earliest campus at Fourth and Arch Streets in Center City, and its second campus at Ninth and Market, Penn’s presence has guided and influenced the course of city history for more than two and half centuries.

College Hall

With its move to West Philadelphia in the mid-1800’s, College Hall was one of the first buildings constructed on the new campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Built in 1870, this iconic structure was designed to serve a wide range of educational functions for Penn’s growing student body.

Fisher Fine Arts Library

In the late 19th century, Penn began to create buildings that were intended to fulfill the specialized needs of its various schools and departments. The first of these was the University Library, now known as Fisher Fine Arts Library, designed by renowned Philadelphia architect Frank Furness.

The Quadrangle

Beginning in the 1890’s, the University worked with the architectural firm of Cope and Stewardson to create on-campus housing for Penn students. Continued into the 1920’s and then delayed by the Depression and World War II, the “Quad” was finally completed in the 1950’s.

Franklin Field

Home to the Penn Relays, Franklin Field has been the stage for some of Philadelphia’s fiercest athletic competitions. Explore the humble beginnings of this historic stadium and its adjoining gymnasium, Weightman Hall.

Penn Museum

In the late 19th century, the collections of the University Museum were rapidly outgrowing their home inside the Furness Library. Four bright young architects worked together to build a new museum building, based on an ambitious plan and a rich blend of architectural styles.

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• School of Arts & Sciences
• College of Arts & Sciences
• Graduate Division
• College of Liberal and Professional Studies

Major in Architecture

The major in architecture is studio-based liberal arts program with two concentrations: design and intensive design., the design concentration (13 cu) consists of a five-semester sequence of design studios combined with courses in the history and theory of art and architecture, a course in "culture, society, and the city," and a course in "environmental science." learn more, a selected number of students may be admitted to the intensive design concentration (19 cu) that includes an advanced design workshop, further study in architecture theory, and enrollment in graduate-level technology courses during the senior year. students must enroll in arch 1010 or arch 1020 in the freshman year to be eligible to apply for this concentration.  learn more.

Join Us for a Campus Visit

Penn Admissions will resume on-campus tours and information sessions on August 29   with the start of the fall semester. 

Our Admissions Visit Center will remain open during regular weekday hours from August 7-August 28, and staff will be happy to answer questions and provide self-guided tour materials. No information sessions or student-led campus tours will be offered at this time. We encourage you to explore Penn through our many virtual resources.

ON-CAMPUS OPTIONS All  prospective student s  (grades 9-12)  should individually register for a visit.  If you are looking to register for a group visit (15-50 students), please email  [email protected]  for scheduling assistance.

See below for the dates and times of our upcoming events.

We also encourage you to get to know Penn through our virtual campus tour , our student stories , and our application advice videos that will help you navigate the application process.

* Please be advised: due to ongoing construction on campus, some routes to the Admissions Visit Center will not be accessible during your visit. Please consult the below map to plan your route. We advise arriving an extra five minutes early in order to navigate to the building.

At this time, the most direct routes to Claudia Cohen Hall are available when entering through 36 th St. and Spruce St., or 36 th St. and Walnut St. For those requiring wheelchair accessibility, we recommend entering via 36 th St. and Spruce St.

Please note, the Admissions Visit Center is not accessible via the Penn Commons , and there are longer detours for those entering via 34 th street.

Campus Construction Map

Special Exhibitions

Anthropology Summer Camp

Help us share the power of our common human history.

Virtual Guided Tours

Book a live Q&A session with a Graduate Guide and allow your family, group, or class to participate in a deeper discussion with one of our experts!

Bring the insight and awe of a Penn Museum guided tour directly into your home or classroom! Graduate Guide Virtual Tours are now available for a range of Penn Museum galleries. Tour presentations are narrated by Penn Museum Graduate Guides, Penn PhD or master’s students working in the fields of archeology and anthropology. Follow along as they virtually lead you through the galleries to explore objects on display and in storage.

Mediterranean Galleries Tour

Explore eight objects and themes in the Etruscan Italy, Greece, and Rome Galleries. Beginning in the 8 th century BCE and covering roughly 1,000 years of history, the tour takes you from early Italian tombs to Roman imperial burials in Syria. Learn about the developmentof coinage, mythological scenes on Greek vases, Greek social practices, Etruscan architecture, Roman technological innovations in glass, and an erased Roman imperial inscription.

Greece Gallery Tour

Discover almost 1,000 years of Greek history, from the 8 th century BCE to the 1 st century CE. This tour looks at burial goods, pottery, coins, and marble sculptures to address themes such as representations of women, burial practices, and the intersections of archaeology, myths, and literature. Learn about the ancient Olympic Games, Greek social practices, and the development of coinage.

Etruria and Rome Galleries Tour

Learn more about the Penn Museum’s important collections from Etruscan and Roman Italy. This tour covers eight themes and objects, from burial practices in early Italy to those at the at the height of the Roman Empire. Discover more about everyday objects like glass vessels and lamps, ceramic manufacturing, Etruscan architecture,and an erased Roman imperial inscription.

Middle East Galleries Tour

The Penn Museum began with the first American expedition to the Middle East. On this tour, explore six topics from the Museum’s Middle East Galleries – from the earliest temples in Mesopotamia to daily life in the Islamic Empire. Learn more about Queen Puabi’s royal tomb at Ur, how school children learned to write cuneiform, and how an Iron Age city became frozen in time.

Mexico and Central America Gallery Tour

Examine eight objects, sites, or themes from Central America and Mexico, from around 1,200 BCE to contemporary heritage practices. This tour takes you from the earliest Olmec figurines to contemporary representation of the Aztec god Ehécatl. Learn more about the sites of Teotihuacán and Sitio Conte, the decipherment of Maya glyphs, Ulúa marble vases, and Aztec earspools created within the dynamics of Spanish colonial rule. The tour also addresses the role of museums and Penn’s excavations within this region’s cultural heritage.

Africa Galleries Tour

The Africa Gallery offers over 300 objects on display from the continent of Africa as well as artwork created by contemporary artists in the African Diaspora. Each object serves as a glimpse into various African histories and brings into conversation the role of context when examining the objects. This tour reminds guests of the thriving African Diaspora as well as the ever evolving multiplicity of African societies.

La galería de México y América Central

Examine ocho objetos, sitios o temas de Centroamérica y México, desde el 1,200 a.C hasta prácticas patrimoniales contemporáneas. Esta visita virtual lo llevará desde las más antiguas figuras Olmecas a representaciones contemporáneas del dios azteca, Ehécatl. Aprenda más sobre los sitios de Teotihuacán y Sitio Conte, el desciframiento de los glifos mayas, jarrones de mármol Ulúa, y orejeras aztecas creadas dentro las dinámicas del dominio colonial español. La visita también aborda el papel que toman los museos y las excavaciones de Penn dentro del patrimonio cultural de esta región.

Asia Galleries Tour

The Asian Section of the Penn Museum is famous for its large collection of Chinese Buddhist sculptures. On this tour, see representations of Buddhist deities and Buddhist paradise as you explore how pre-modern Chinese artists transferred their faith into physical forms and how ancient artifacts record Chinese history.

Egypt Galleries Tour

Follow along as we delve into 5,000 years of ancient Egypt. Drawing on some of the more than 40,000 objects in the Penn Museum’s Egyptian collection, we’ll follow the rise of the ancient Egyptian kingdom, learn about Egyptian medicine and protection practices, and discover the importance of Egyptian names. We’ll look at artifacts that teach us about the might of kings, the power of temples, the journey to the afterlife, and the networks and connections that linked Egypt to other ancient societies.

Native American Voices Gallery Tour

Take a closer look at the Penn Museum’s North American collections and learn about Native American communities past and present. The tour covers six themes, from the enduring presence of local Native peoples to some of the oldest stone tools ever recovered in North America. Find out more about sacred places for Native peoples and their efforts to protect them, legislation that strives to ensure Native sovereignty and the return of cultural objects, how Native communities celebrate their cultural identities through practices such as lacrosse and powwows, and contemporary Native artists.

宾大博物馆的亚洲部因其丰富的中国佛教雕塑藏品而倍受瞩目。在这条导览路线的七个站点中，您将在主要关注博物馆佛教收藏的五站中参拜佛教神明和参观佛教极乐世界，并在最后两站欣赏两组举世闻名的中国艺术品。在这里一起探索古代中国工匠和艺术家们如何将他们的信仰具象化，以及如何用精美的文物记录中国历史。

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Architecture: Intensive Design, BA

Related programs.

• Architecture: Design, BA
• Architecture: Advanced Architectural Design, MSD
• Architecture: Environmental Building Design, MSD
• Architecture: Robotics and Autonomous Systems, MSD

The Intensive Major in Architecture is for students in the Design Concentration who intend to pursue a graduate professional degree in architecture. Students in the Intensive Major enroll in their senior year in the technology courses offered in the first year of the Master of Architecture Professional Degree Program. Those accepted into the School of Design’s Master of Architecture Professional Degree Program are qualified to be admitted with advanced placement into the second year of the graduate program, reducing the length of study from three to two years.

The minimum total course units for graduation in this major is 36. Double majors may entail more course units.

Application requirements: At least Sophomore Standing. Please consult with the Undergraduate Chair for other important criteria.

For more information: www.architecture.sas.upenn.edu

For information about the General Education requirements, please visit the College of Arts & Sciences Curriculum page.

You may count no more than one course toward both a Major and a Sector requirement. For Exceptions, check the  Policy Statement .

A minimum GPA of 3.75 in ARCH courses is required.

The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2023 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.

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Penn Campus Architectural Tour

Wednesday, May 21, 2014, 11:00a - 12:30p

ASEF will be sponsoring a walking tour of Penn's architecture on Wednesday, May 21st, rain or shine. This tour will be hosted by University Architect, David Hollenberg. The group will meet at the Ben Franklin statue in front of College Hall at 11:00am.

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Architecture Summer Programs at Penn

Interested in preparing for college over the summer? Architecture summer programs for high school students at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design are based on the approach of the undergraduate architecture program. You will be encouraged to develop a unique creative process as you learn specific architectural design skills. Working with Penn faculty, you will experiment with different techniques and design tools and use the city of Philadelphia’s historic and modern architecture for inspiration.

Architecture Pre-College Program

For any high school student thinking about pursuing a degree in architecture, a great first step is attending a pre-college summer program. Many top universities offer summer programs specifically designed to give high school students a glimpse of what it will be like to study architecture at a university. These types of programs are great at helping students explore an architecture degree and see if that career path is right for them. 

About Architecture: Summer at Penn

The University of Pennsylvania School of Design offers a four-week summer architecture program designed to mimic the classes and life of an architecture student. Students live in the dorms at UPenn, take classes with design faculty, and work in the same studios and facilities as undergraduate students. This program is perfect for any student who wants to see what architecture school is like, is unsure if it is the right degree for them, or is curious to learn more about architecture and design as a career. 

When applying to an architecture college or university, some schools will give you the option or even require you to submit a portfolio. Architecture portfolios submitted to universities often include photography, pencil drawings, model making, and 3-D work. The goal is to include the strongest examples of your work and to include the mediums at which you feel you excel. The goal of your portfolio should be about quality, not quantity.

During the UPenn summer program, students receive one-on-one attention during their daily studio sessions. You will get to work on traditional art skills, like hand drawing, and dive into other areas you may not have had a chance to work on before, like creating 3-D models. You will also work on creating professional-level photographs of your work to include in a portfolio. 

Studio Experience

Unfortunately, many high schools do not offer curriculums that are specific to architecture. A summer program can solve this problem for many students. High schoolers can get the opportunity to work in UPenn’s architecture facilities, learn model making, 3-D digital software, and digital fabrication using laser cutting and 3-D printing. It is an extremely unique opportunity to use state-of-the-art facilities and experience what an Ivy League architecture facility is like. Students typically have time in the studio every day from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., with optional additional time after that.

Summer Program at Penn

Explore Careers

Part of the program is designed to help students get a better understanding of career options in architecture . You will visit local architecture firms, giving you the opportunity to talk to industry experts. You will also attend lectures where you will discuss different career options. 

Penn Faculty

The studio class size is limited to 12 students, which means each student has time to work one-on-one with faculty. Not only does this ensure you get personalized advice and guidance, but you are also able to get to know the professors. They often become mentors for the students and can even reference when the time comes to apply to college. 

Connect with Students

Another wonderful aspect of going to a summer program focused entirely on architecture means you will be working alongside students from all over the world who have similar interests as you. Students bring different ideas, perspectives, and advice from each corner of the world and connect based on their similar passions. 

Philadelphia Architecture

UPenn is located in the heart of Philadelphia, allowing students to explore architecture outside of the classroom. The summer program includes field trips to see many famous architectural sites, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, and a day trip to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. 

Experience College Life

During the summer program, high school students live in the dorms at UPenn. They live with other high school students who are attending other summer programs. So while the classroom time helps architecture students connect, the dorms offer the opportunity to meet students with different interests and backgrounds. In the evenings, a mix of organized outings and free-time allows students different ways to experience college life. Each Saturday, students can also choose from several day trips to nearby places like Washington, DC and New York City. 

Summer Program at UPenn

Art Gallery Exhibition

At the end of the program, students get a chance to display their artwork in a final exhibition in UPenn’s art gallery. Students, teachers, and locals come to see everyone’s work on display. It’s a real glimpse into what it feels like to be part of an architecture program at a prestigious university. 

For more information about the Architecture: Summer at Penn program, please visit www.jkcp.com/architecture .

Read more about the University of Pennsylvania on their profile page. 

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About Study Architecture

Architecture for a changing world

Environmental Building Design

Two EBD degrees help architects learn the new skills and knowledge required for environmental design and especially in the design techniques with which those skills must be integrated into the practice of architecture. The course of study includes coursework on building performance simulation, integrated building design, building envelopes and systems, lighting, daylighting, and the theory and practice of environmental design. 

Recent Work

Program Brief

Penn offers two advanced, post-professional degrees in Environmental Building Design, a 2-semester, professionally oriented MEBD degree and a 4-semester, research-oriented MSD-EBD degree. The two degrees share a common first year, while the MSD-EBD continues for a research intensive second year.

Students already enrolled in Master level programs at Penn can enroll in two certificates: the Ecological Architecture Certificate (EARC) and the Environmental Building Design Certificate (EBDC). The EARC is a more flexible certificate, while the EBDC allows students in the MArch to complete the required courses and studio with the MEBD students.

Teaching and research opportunities available to students in the MSD-EBD program.

Learn to design buildings that positively contribute to local, regional, and global ecosystems.

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Case studies in design: open call to study projects designed in community.

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Case Studies in Design is a new effort to create opportunities for community and design leaders to think together about ways to catalyze transformational design, planning, and place-keeping from the ground up. The goals are to learn from ambitious projects designed in community, to share knowledge and experience through dialogue and a public library of case studies, and to train ourselves for new practices of creative, collective action. We hope to build conversation among thinkers and doers in community organizations, movements, public agencies, schools, and the architecture, landscape, planning, heritage and art fields.  

Projects designed in community Case Studies in Design will support the development of 5 case studies per year, over 3 years (15 case studies prepared by 15 people in total). The aim is to study projects where design and planning helped build community power, and where community-led processes produced new forms of design agency through:

1. Deep conversation to shape the nature and time horizon of the project 2. Openness and deference to rooted leadership 3. Reciprocal (not extractive) processes, creatively designed 4. Collaboration and resource-sharing 5. New alliances to achieve leverage.

Collective writing and thinking project Case Studies in Design is coordinated by PennPraxis , a center at Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania that is dedicated to the translation of theory into praxis (or action). Our aspiration is to bring together people from a wide geography and set of perspectives on diverse change efforts. Case study projects could range from outstanding examples of community- engaged design practice to more radical roles and results of design, planning or place-keeping. To propel this collective writing and thinking project, we are seeking applications from people who would like to research and author a case study.

We will support 5 case study writers in 2024 with a fee and expense allowance of $50,000 per author to research, write, and curate or create illustrations for a case study over a period of 8 months. Fees for community members participating in interviews, travel and other expenses will be managed by authors within the resources of the $50,000 lump sum for fee and expense. (Two people may apply to work together on a case project, sharing the fee.)

Public library and action—oriented summit PennPraxis will publish the case studies and create an online public library to disseminate them. We will organize a variety of forums from the classroom to gatherings with policymakers and funders to propagate strategies that increase community conversation and influence in the built environment. In the third year of the effort, with 15 case studies in print, we will organize a summit for community leaders, policymakers, students, practitioners, and thinkers to probe more deeply into methods and to shape lessons learned for key audiences. The aim of the summit is to create culture-shifting dialogue between disciplines, spheres of action, governments, funders and community leaders, practice and theory.

Case study method of conversation and analysis Most design “case studies” are project descriptions and images that focus on the what, not the how—the built project and perhaps its reception and performance. Designers are skilled at presenting the thesis, appearance and materials of their projects; so much so, that it can be difficult to understand whether the project outcomes and process measure up to the image for those who will live with them. The statement of the designer rarely conveys how the project was made, or the perspectives of community leaders, policymakers, scientists and other participants in the process.

Our case studies will place focus on the process—the many collaborators and contingencies—and offer insight into how communities and interdisciplinary teams have attempted to traverse the “valley of death” between ideas and implementation.

We aim to create a case study method that invites analysis and requires participants to shape their own values and strategies—active learning for would-be activist designers and community leaders interested taking on complex challenges. Similar to teaching case studies developed in policy and business schools, we are interested in supporting the creation of case studies that are intentionally open-ended presentations of a compelling situation that carries some conflict and uncertainty, with many different viewpoints included in the reporting, rather than critical essays that offer the authors’ conclusions or a how-to guide. The purpose is to cultivate the users capacity for critical analysis, bias recognition, collaboration, leadership, decision-making and action on challenging issues and projects. We believe that, done well, case research and discussion can help us develop theory from practice, and apply new theory to practice.

Applying to study and document a project Individuals (or pairs) can apply to develop a case for a fee of $50,000 by submitting the following material via this webform in a single pdf file of no more than 20MB:

1) a writing sample—past work that demonstrates capacity for narrative and analytical writing 2) CV or résumé with current contact information 3 a) 2,000 to 3,000-word description of a project that you think would make an interesting case study in community-engaged design, planning or place-keeping, and why (project images are optional) AND / OR 3 b) 500 to 2,000-word response to our outline of the intent of the case study program, including any critique that you think would make it stronger.

An applicant who does not apply with an interest in a particular project (outlined in response to 3a above) may be invited to document a project suggested by someone else. The length of your résumé is less important than your perspective on projects designed in community and capacity to enrich the knowledge base through the medium of case study writing and illistration.

Suggesting a project if you are not applying to write a case study We also welcome suggestions of exemplary projects worthy of deep analysis from colleagues in community and indigenous organizations, movements, public agencies, design and planning practices, and foundations. You can submit a project suggestion (with or without images) via this webform . Recommendations can be of any length, even just a project name and location or link. We can accept file sizes up to 20MB. Please include your contact information in case we would like to reach out to learn more.

Send any questions to [email protected] .

Timeline Applications will be reviewed as they come in until the deadline at 12pm on June 30, 2024. We aim to award all contracts by July 28, 2024, and may award some contracts for early applicants prior to that date. Authors will have 8 months to submit a completed case study (April 1, 2025), with an interim review at roughly 4 months.  

Documentation

Download a PDF version of the Call for Applications