About the Cal Poly Architecture Department

Architecture is one of five departments in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED), along with Architectural Engineering, City and Regional Planning, Construction Management, and Landscape Architecture. This unique combination of disciplines, all responsible in some way for the conception and production of the built environment, makes possible an integrative and interdisciplinary approach to the learning of architecture. For additional information, visit the CAED's web page.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Architecture Department is to provide diverse and comprehensive educational opportunities for persons preparing to serve society as responsible, ethical and creative individuals involved in the design of a sustainable built environment through the profession of architecture.

The department achieves its mission through excellence in teaching, scholarship, creative work, and service. We have a strong commitment to providing a learning environment that develops the ability to make design judgments that integrate and synthesize technical, contextual, environmental, and experiential issues in the creation of the built environment.

Departmental Goals

To create a teaching/learning environment that develops an ability and passion for the lifelong pursuit of knowledge and understanding in the design of the physical environment and the practice of architecture.
To create teaching, learning and work environments that support physical and mental health and personal and professional growth.
To provide educational opportunities to pursue design excellence, technical knowledge and contextual understanding in the creation of the built environment.
To provide educational opportunities to gain an understanding and appreciation for the interdisciplinary nature of design and the profession of architecture.
To provide educational opportunities to gain an understanding and appreciation for the diversity manifest in the people, societies and cultures in relationship to the design and use of the built environment.
To educate architects that understand the connections and balance between ecologies of nature, economies of production and occupancy, and the stability of social equity, commonly known together as "sustainable design."

Program Admissions Statistics

Acceptance into Architecture at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo is highly competitive due to its reputation for excellence. The program receives many more applications than it can admit students. For more information, see the Admissions statistics. Our students are some of the best and brightest in California. We encourage you to apply and join their ranks.

Polytechnic Education

The education offered in the Architecture Department at Cal Poly is based on the polytechnic tradition, offering both technical and humanities-based coursework. This curricular approach has been central to the Department’s tradition for 45 years and provides our graduates with a balanced education enabling them to be responsible design professionals in an ever-changing world.

Active Learning: Learn by Doing

Cal Poly’s historical commitment to the pedagogy of learn by doing means an emphasis on hands-on, project-based learning that amplifies the interdisciplinary opportunities offered by the College’s five departments. Students learn to think creatively and critically, while directly applying their knowledge through a design-based education.

Studio Culture

Architecture students are fortunate to have large studio spaces and dedicated equipment, available 24/7, to help foster their work. Studio refers to both a place — a big, open room with tables for creative work — and a way of learning that is communal, exploratory and experimental. This comes with responsibility to foster a sense of care and respect for these resources and the community it builds. This is summarized in our Studio Use Policy founded on three mutually dependent principles:

Cultivation of Respect

We value and support diverse ideas and promote a culture of respect. The excellence of our school depends on our ability to appreciate the value of ideas and experiences that are divergent from our own.

Cultivation of Community

Studio is a communal and social form of learning. Students learn as much from each other as they do from faculty. Learning how to make positive contributions to teams and build productive relationships is essential.

Cultivation of Ideas

Ideas are cultivated through observation, experimentation, questioning, and dialogue. The design process hinges on your willingness to think both abstractly and concretely. Learning will come from success as well as mistakes, which are both productive aspects of the studio experience.

Visit Us

We invite you to visit our campus and schedule a tour of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED) facilities. Contact the CAED at caed@calpoly.edu. A self-guided tour of the CAED is also available for unscheduled visits and can be downloaded HERE or picked up at the CAED lobby. Campus Map. Please see Cal Poly Visitor Parking to help you prepare for your visit.

Address and directions

Cal Poly State University
Architecture Department
Bldg 05-212A
1 Grand Avenue
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407

Phone: 805.756.1316
architecture@calpoly.edu

For Architecture Department Administration and Staff contacts, visit the Faculty & Staff Directory.

NAAB Accreditation Documents

For the statement on NAAB-accredited degrees, please see the Prospective Students webpage.

Updated 11.18.24

Architecture

College of Architecture and Environmental Design

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