For College Students

Students work in teams or independently to create projects. William Staffeld / AAP

Students are assigned studio space in Milstein Hall. William Staffeld / AAP

Model assembly during open studio hours. William Staffeld / AAP

SYZ prepares for a review during the 2016 summer program. William Staffeld / AAP

Students present their work to faculty and visiting critics at various stages. William Staffeld / AAP

A weekly review with faculty and visiting critics is held every Thursday. William Staffeld / AAP

Weekly field trips to local museums or other sites of interest take place each Friday. William Staffeld / AAP

Instructors work closely with students during project development in open studio time. William Staffeld / AAP

Final reviews take place in the Milstein Hall dome. William Staffeld / AAP

Students collaborate on a project during open studio hours. William Staffeld / AAP

Luben Dimcheff, the Richard Meier Associate Professor of Architecture and one of the summer program instructors. William Staffeld / AAP

A view of the L. P. Kwee Studios in Milstein Hall during the summer program. William Staffeld / AAP

Final projects are displayed in Milstein Hall. William Staffeld / AAP

Students work in teams or independently to create projects. William Staffeld / AAP Students are assigned studio space in Milstein Hall. William Staffeld / AAP Model assembly during open studio hours. William Staffeld / AAP SYZ prepares for a review during the 2016 summer program. William Staffeld / AAP Students present their work to faculty and visiting critics at various stages. William Staffeld / AAP A weekly review with faculty and visiting critics is held every Thursday. William Staffeld / AAP Weekly field trips to local museums or other sites of interest take place each Friday. William Staffeld / AAP Instructors work closely with students during project development in open studio time. William Staffeld / AAP Final reviews take place in the Milstein Hall dome. William Staffeld / AAP Students collaborate on a project during open studio hours. William Staffeld / AAP Luben Dimcheff, the Richard Meier Associate Professor of Architecture and one of the summer program instructors. William Staffeld / AAP A view of the L. P. Kwee Studios in Milstein Hall during the summer program. William Staffeld / AAP Final projects are displayed in Milstein Hall. William Staffeld / AAP

The Cornell Introduction to Architecture Program is an immersive and rigorous course of study, concurrently providing exposure to architectural ideas, principles, and methods through explorations of architectural concepts, precedent, and a sequence of creative design projects in visualization and space-making. The intensive program — pairing studio design and lecture courses — is suited for motivated high school students with a strong interest in architecture, as well as undergraduates considering a master's degree in the design field.

The carefully curated curriculum is rooted in making and thinking through making, as well as critical analysis of architecture and learning from immediate and broader contexts. The outcome is a course project and a related body of work suitable for a college application portfolio, complemented by a deeper understanding of architectural education and the discipline as a whole.      

The program is offered globally online, taking advantage of the latest platforms and techniques of remote learning with a strong emphasis on digital tools, while embracing and further enhancing analog and hybrid modes of design. Studio sessions in small sections, led by a group of experienced teaching associates, take place daily, with lectures and design critiques from full-time Department of Architecture faculty. Individual evaluations and a certificate of completion will be issued to each student at the end of the program.

Participation in-person is available only for students over 18, with a studio space set up in Milstein Hall. These applicants also have the option to enroll entirely online.

The final review will strengthen and advise prospective graduate school application portfolios.

Students can expect to learn the fundamentals of the architectural program including:

• The art of making and the importance of craft
• The relationship between two-dimensional and three-dimensional design
• Drawing and model making as a means of discovery and exploration
• Analog and introductory digital representation
• Conceptual clarity and expression
• The basics of architectural composition

The program is open to college students seeking to study architecture at a graduate level, or as a minor at their home institution. The course requires no specialized knowledge or background beyond a serious interest in architectural design.

• Summer Session tuition and fees
• Summer Session dates and deadlines

Learn More and Apply

Student Work

• 
  Cube model project
  https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/AAP_INTRO_SUMMER%202016-45_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/IMG_0772_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Samuel%20May_cube2_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/IMG_0782_870x450.jpg
• 
  Drawings
  https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Plan_870x540.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Samuel%20may%20drawing_3_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Section_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Samuel%20May%20drawings_1_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Samuel%20May%20drawings_2_870x450.jpg
• 
  Cardboard model
  https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/IMG_0680_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Samuel%20May_model_2_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Samuel%20May_model_1_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Samuel%20May%20model_3_870x450.jpg
• 
  Landscape model
  https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/IMG_9512_870x450.jpg https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/IMG_9523_870x450.jpg
• 
  Performative model
  https://aap.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/Joanne1_870x450_0.jpg