Eric Kahn
Central Office of Architecture
800 Traction Avenue Suite 21
Los Angeles CA 90013-1854
213 621 7676
SCI-Arc Admissions:
Advanced placement for transfer students from other Architecture programs is not guaranteed, but is determined on a case-by-case basis on review of the applicant's portfolio of architectural and creative work, the number of architectural design studios completed, their personal statement, academic standing, and letters of recommendation. Students who begin their studies in the B.Arch program with advanced standing (1B studio placement or higher) may be required to complete additional prerequisite seminars at SCI-Arc before advancing to the next studio level.”
http://www.sciarc.edu/portal/admissions/transfer_students/index.html
Application materials
All applications must include the following materials:
http://www.sciarc.edu/portal/admissions/apply/application_procedure.html
General Studies
Requirements
In addition to SCI-Arc's Humanities core program, undergraduates entering the
B.Arch program must successfully complete the general studies requirements
listed below, with a grade of "C" or higher. These courses should be completed
at other two or four-year institutions.
SCI-Arc has articulation agreements with three Los Angeles colleges:
Pasadena City College,
Los Angeles City College and
Orange Coast College, but many
other schools are available.
(If the student begins their studies at SCI-Arc before fulfilling these
requirements, they should plan to take most of the courses during the summer
following their first, second and / or
third year at SCI-Arc.)
Required
History of Eastern OR Western Civilization
Trigonometry
Social Sciences and Humanities (3 from this list)
Psychology
Anthropology
Economics
Geography
Sociology
Political Science
Comparative Religions
Philosophy
Classics
Natural Science and Mathematics (2 from this list)
Mathematics
Physics
Chemistry
Astronomy
Biological Sciences
Geological Sciences
Computer Sciences
http://www.sciarc.edu/portal/programs/undergraduate/index.html
FOR EXISTING SCI-ARC STUDENTS - BUT CAN BE APPLIED TO TRANSFER STUDENTS
1. Overview: What is a Portfolio and Why You Need One:
A student portfolio is a meeting place, an intersection of architecture and architectural student. Not to be underestimated, this convergence can and should be a powerful one. Learning, analyzing, organizing, formatting, designing and reflecting, are all ways of developing a point of view, forging a binding relationship between the discipline of architecture and the student. The sense of architecture is one that develops through many modes; from conception through process, from fabrication to reflection of one’s work to its eventual cataloging and graphic formatting. The portfolio works to develop and convey the sense of architecture within the physical parameters of the portfolio. In keeping with SCI-Arc’s mandate, the portfolio is conceived as an experimental tool for engaging in a discussion of architecture, and is to be developed by each student as a self-contained project in its own right.
2. DESCRIPTION / DEFINITION / SPECIFICATIONS
In addition to the Overview (above), The Undergraduate Portfolio will document
clearly and concisely each student's progress through the curriculum. The
portfolio is a document that organizes one’s work chronologically and
cumulatively. The intention of the portfolio is to support the
pedagogical intentions of the Undergraduate program: as a teaching tool, it is
conceived as an interactive means for facilitating in depth commentary and
feedback to each student, and to increase their insights into their progress in
the acquisition of key concepts and skills.
Furthermore, the Portfolio provides the Undergraduate Faculty, and the SCI-Arc Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, with a broad indicator regarding how the student body as a whole is being served by the curriculum. In turn, this will facilitate a response to particular emergent interests and trends, and to better support their discussion, and when appropriate, their integration within the curriculum. Aside from the formatting and binding requirements stated below, the Undergraduate Portfolio imposes no limitations on questions of representation of the work documented. This will allow modes of representation to evolve along with the culture of the school
The 1A-2B sequence is considered as the “Foundation” block of the Undergraduate Curriculum. During this sequence, the student will undertake the compilation of their SCI-Arc Portfolio. The ensuing review and meeting with the student will provide the Portfolio Committee an opportunity to evaluate candidate’s success in engaging key concepts and skills at the conclusion of the Foundation sequence. With this in mind, the Portfolio submission may be iterative; in other words, the committee may, in certain instances, call for the
re-submission of the portfolio to enable the student to better articulate their knowledge and skills. (Each student may be allowed up to two resubmissions)
The 3A-4A studios complete the undergraduate core curriculum, with the 4A studio providing the undergraduate “bridge” between core studios and vertical studios. Completion of 4A will occasion the 2nd portfolio review. The 2nd Undergraduate Portfolio Review will be used as a means to gain insight into each student’s ability to internalize / conceptualize spatial design concepts and skills necessary for successful participation of the self-directed work expected in the vertical studios. In addition, it is expected that this work will provide an insight as to each student’s capacity to integrate knowledge into their work from the associated disciplines of Hard Technology, Soft Technology, and the History, Theory, and Humanities courses, as it is synthesized into architectural proposals.
Undergraduate Portfolio Review: integration into the UG curriculum
1
st year Core Program Foundation 1A + 1B
2nd year Core Program Foundation 2A + 2B
UGPR #1 Will examine the students’ work for understanding and development of the following important concepts: Syntax of architecture / Abstract programming / complex ordering systems / networks / context / site conditions / environment / geographies / analytical processes /
3rd
year Core Program 3A + 3B
4th year Core Program 4A
UGPR #2 Will examine the students’ work for in depth development of the following key works and concepts: Development of a coherent body of design projects / transformation and behavior alteration of simple tectonic systems / performative issues in architecture / architecture in a context of interrelated cultural, social, political and economic forces
Verticals (2 independent chronological chapters followed by UG Thesis Studio)
4. The UnderGraduate Portfolio is to include the following:
Architecture is the raw power of techniques leveraged against…(example)
(each studio project should be delineated fully and in a clear linear sequence)
4.
COURSE WORK OTHER THAN STUDIO:
Visual studies (hard and soft), Environmental Technologies, History
Theory papers reformatted for portfolio would be included within a
separate portion of the portfolio (final or term papers only)
Reminders:
• Develop a page template for the entire portfolio: remember, the portfolio is cumulative and all of your work will be included. The template needs to plan for this.
Use clear layout strategies, and incorporate underlying page grids. Make exceptions strategically.
• Clear use of font types and sizes (see diagram included) help to insure legibility and hierarchy within the overall flow of the portfolio. Fonts and sizes are generally the same throughout the portfolio, they are not particular to each studio project.
• clear editing and concise writing about studio/seminar work is crucial.
• use InDesign (available in both pc and mac labs)