Community College of Philadelphia

Local AIA chapter headquarters, which also hosts design exhibits, walking tours & public events. The Associate of Arts degree in Architecture at Community College of Philadelphia prepares students for transfer to professional schools of architecture. The program aims to provide fundamental professional knowledge and technical skills needed to compete in the challenging and rewarding career of architecture, fostering creative capacities and an integrated understanding of the multi-faceted factors influencing design decisions. The curriculum emphasizes strong design skills and technical experiences early in the education. The design studio is the focus of the Architecture program, where design fundamentals are acquired, and technical, historical, and theoretical concepts are synthesized and applied. Students increase their spatial visualization capabilities, develop a design process, cultivate a personal creative vision, and learn to work as part of a design team. Design projects are organized to build aesthetic understanding, technical abilities, sensitivity to human needs, and awareness of the social consequences of design decisions. The program also provides a broad liberal arts education, drawing upon art, science, humanities, social science, and the history of architecture and interior design.