Prospective Transfer Students - Architecture Department

Prospective transfer students should review all admission information posted on the Cal Poly Admissions web site. Admission to Cal Poly is all handled by the Admissions Office, not by individual academic departments. You can view prospective student information available 24/7 through Cal Poly's Admissions web site (link available under "Resources" to the right). The site contains all official admission information and most questions regarding the admission process and qualifications are answered on this site.

Refer to the Prospective Students page for information about computer and drawing equipment requirements.

Preparing To Transfer

The key questions that prospective transfer students need to research and answer are; What courses must I take to apply for admission? and What community colleges offer the courses? Resources to help you answer these questions along with other articulation information is provided below.

Transfer Evaluation Model

The Transfer Evaluation Model for the Architecture program provides information required to answer the first question—it identifies the courses that are required before a student applies to transfer to Cal Poly. Each of the courses identified in the Transfer Model earns points toward admissions.

ASSIST

ASSIST is an online student-transfer information system that shows how course credits earned at one public California college or university can be applied when transferred to another. ASSIST is the official repository of articulation for California’s public colleges and universities and provides the most accurate and up-to-date information about student transfer in California.

ASSIST Web Site: www.assist.org

Use ASSIST to research which California Community Colleges offer the courses identified in the Transfer Model.

Equivalent First Year Architecture Courses

The 1st Year Syllabi links under "Resources" on this page are provided to help prospective students assess if they have had comparable courses. The specific architecture courses are:
Architectural Practice - ARCH 105;
Beginning Design & Drawing - ARCH 121 & 122 & 123;
Computer Applications: Digital Tools for Architecture - ARCH 160.

These are the only architecture courses that earn points toward admissions as shown in the Transfer Model. Second year architecture courses may be taken and articulated but do not earn points toward admissions. However, they do affect where a transfer student starts in the architecture program.

Equivalent Second Year Architecture Courses

The architecture curriculum links second year design studios (ARCH 251, 252, 253) with Practice (ARCH 241, 242) and ECS (ARCH 207) courses. This means that students enroll in the linked courses simultaneously and the content of the courses is interwoven. Fall quarter students take ARCH 251 & 241, Winter quarter they take ARCH 252 & 242 and Spring quarter they take ARCH 253 & 207.

Because of the linkage, transfer students must take both linked courses before transferring or at Cal Poly. For example, ARCH 251 will not be articulated unless ARCH 241 can also be articulated.

Taking courses that articulate with the linked courses Arch 251 & Arch 241 is strongly recommended for students applying to start at Cal Poly Winter quarter to ensure that they can take ARCH 252 & 242 when they begin Winter quarter.

Finally, the second year structures courses ARCE 211 and 212 must be articulated before the linked courses ARCH 253 & 207 will be articulated. This is because all four of theses courses must be completed before an architecture student can begin third year.

ARCE 211 & 212: Structures Equivalents

Most students will start the Architecture curriculum as a second year student because of the second year structures courses that must be completed before beginning third year design.

Transfer students may be able to take courses that articulate with Cal Poly courses ME 211 Engineering Statics (3) and CE 204 Strength of Materials I (3) at their community college. For example, ENGR 50 and ENGR 52A at Cuesta College and ENGR152 and 156 at Allan Hancock are equivalent courses.

If a student takes both ME 211 Engineering Statics and CE 204 Strength of Materials at Cal Poly or equivalent courses at their community college, the two courses can be substituted for ARCE 211 & 212. You must take both courses or their equivalent to receive substitution credit.

Meeting The Math Requirement

Architecture students are required to take either Math 141 and 182 or Math 141 and 142. Transfer students have the following options for meeting this requirement.

Transfer students who took one semester of pre calculus math and at least 4 semester units of calculus have completed all math requirements and will receive credit for Math 141 and Math 182 at Cal Poly.

Transfer students who placed directly into calculus and took one 5 unit semester of calculus have completed all math requirements and will receive credit for Math 141 and Math 182 at Cal Poly.

Transfer students who placed directly into calculus and took two semesters of calculus have completed all math requirements and will receive credit for Math 141 and Math 142 at Cal Poly.

Transfer students who placed directly into calculus and took one 4 unit semester of calculus will receive credit for Math 141 and must take Math 182 or another course that meets Cal Poly's GE&B math requirements. Students employing this option may take ArcE 211 concurrent with the additional Math course.

Transfer Student Portfolio Review

While credit for general education courses is predetermined between Cal Poly and the various California Community Colleges and published on ASSIST, a portfolio review is required to receive transfer credit for architecture major and support courses. To assist you in determining if the courses you have taken at a community college are comparable to those at Cal Poly, download the first year syllabi provided under "Resources" on this page. Compare their educational goals and student outcomes with the courses you have taken to see if they are similar and therefore can be articulated.

All newly admitted transfer students must participate in a portfolio review and meet with a faculty advisor prior to registering for classes for the first time. This is to ensure that the student knows exactly which courses in our program have been fulfilled by community college or other university course work, and what their recommended enrollment plan is for their first term. Making the wrong enrollment decisions in the first quarter can cost a student an entire year in progress toward their degree.

You will not be authorized to enroll in classes until you participate in a portfolio review and meet with a faculty advisor.

If you cannot attend the Open House portfolio review, call the Architecture Department at 805-756-1316 to make an appointment for a portfolio review.

Open House Portfolio Review

The portfolio review conducted during Open House in the Spring is the only comprehensive review opportunity prior to registration for Summer or Fall courses. Architecture faculty will be on hand to review your work toward credit for first and second year architecture major and support courses. Once your portfolio has been evaluated, you will have a brief individual meeting with an advisor to determine the architecture classes you should take during your first quarters at Cal Poly.

It is strongly recommended that all transfer students attend this review.

Friday, April 18, 2008 from 1:15-5pm in 05-203 & 204

For information, visit http://orientation.calpoly.edu/openhouse/

Portfolio Format & Content

Bring the following with you to the portfolio review to ensure that faculty can appropriately evaluate your work for academic credit. There is no set format or size for portfolios but they should be organized by course. Do not mail your portfolio!

Transcripts indicating all course work completed or in progress
Syllabi and college catalog course descriptions for all courses that you wish to articulate
Reproductions of the final presentations of all design and practice projects
Representative examples of freehand drawing

If you have additional questions about what to bring, contact the Architecture Department using the phone number or email link below.