Architecture Product Design Minor
Description
The common core of courses shared by students in the College of Architecture (interior design, architecture, landscape architecture) provides students with an understanding of the design and fabrication process at a range of scales. The minor in product design provides an opportunity to explore design at a smaller, yet related scale. It allows students to develop academic strengths that will prepare them for advanced study and careers in the design of objects that people interact with on a personal level, of a size and function related to human dimensions. This includes furniture and a variety of manufactured objects.
The minor is available to students majoring in interior design, architecture, landscape architecture, emerging media arts, graphic design, art, and mechanical engineering.
College Requirements
College Admission
Admission to the College of Architecture
Students accepted by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln must also seek enrollment into the College of Architecture by marking the proper major code on the University application form.
Freshmen and transfer students applying for admission to the architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture programs must submit complete admission application materials by May 1 for fall admission and December 1 for spring admission. These admission procedures apply to high school students seeking admission, as well as transfer students, international students, and also those transferring from the University of Nebraska Omaha and the University of Nebraska at Kearney to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
High School Standards Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture Programs
Prospective students interested in the professional programs in the College of Architecture are eligible to apply for admission into the architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture majors if their high school records meet the following standards:
- Mathematics–4 units of Algebra I, II, geometry, and one-half unit of trigonometry, one-half unit that builds on a knowledge of algebra or pre-calculus.
- English–4 units of intensive reading and writing.
- Social Studies–3 units. At least one unit of American and/or world history and one additional unit of history, American government, and/or geography.
- Natural Science–3 units. At least two of the three units selected from biology, chemistry, physics, and earth sciences. One of the units must include a laboratory.
- Foreign Language–2 units.
General Admission Requirements for the College of Architecture
In addition to the high school admission requirements, the College of Architecture has established the following general admission requirements for all undergraduate students.
New freshman students must:
- Graduate in the upper quartile of their high school class, or
- Have a high school GPA of 3.2 or higher, or
- Have an enhanced ACT composite score of 22, or
- Have a combined SAT verbal and math total of at least 1110 enhanced, or
- Receive permission from the program director with a waiver from the above requirements.
New international freshman students must:
- Meet University of Nebraska–Lincoln entrance requirements for new international freshman students.
- Have a MELAB score of at least 80, or a minimum TOEFL score of 550, or computer-based score of 213, or Internet-based score of 79-80, or an IELTS of 6.5.
New transfer students must:
- Have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA for architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design and be in good scholastic standing.
NOTE: New transfer students must comply with new freshman student entrance requirements if they have completed less than 12 credit hours of college study.
New international transfer students must:
- Meet University of Nebraska–Lincoln entrance requirements for international transfer students.
- Have a MELAB score of at least 80, or a minimum TOEFL score of 550, or computer-based score of 213, or Internet-based score of 79-80, or an IELTS of 6.5.
- Have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and be in good scholastic standing.
Students who transfer into the College of Architecture from other colleges at UNL must:
- Have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA for architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design and be in good scholastic standing. Students transferring from UNO and UNK are included in the new transfer student category.
NOTE: New transfer students must comply with new freshman student entrance requirements if they have completed less than 12 credit hours of college study.
Readmission
Students who apply for readmission to the College of Architecture must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA for architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design, be in good scholastic standing and receive permission from the dean of the College.
Former students who withdraw after being admitted to the College, or who have been academically suspended and wish to be readmitted, must: a) be readmitted to the College in good scholastic standing and b) be in good scholastic standing in accordance with the program standards and receive permission from the program director. Applicants for readmission will compete for spaces available with all other admission applicants.
College Degree Requirements
Minimum Hours Required for Graduation
Bachelor of Science in Design (BSD-Architecture) – 120 hours
Bachelor of Science in Design (BSD-Interior Design) – 120 hours
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) – 120 hours
Grading Appeals
A student wishing to appeal a grade should contact his or her professor for clarification first before an appeal can be filed. If the dispute cannot be resolved with the instructor it is recommended that the student meets with their advisor to get clarification on the appeals process. Appeals are only considered where it can be demonstrated that prejudice or capricious treatment influenced the grade received by the student.
Having exhausted these avenues, a student may then choose to make a formal appeal. The appeal is in the form of a written statement from the student to the program director. The director will then forward the letter to the Faculty Affairs Committee. The deadline for filing a grade appeal (which includes a written statement from the student) is 30 calendar days after the first day of classes of the next regular semester (fall or spring). Appeals filed after the deadline will not be heard.
Incomplete Grades
Incompletes for students in the pre-professional program shall be granted only for reasons outlined in the policy statement adopted by the University Senate. See the Office of the University Registrar’s website for the complete text.
Incompletes given to students in the professional programs are granted at the discretion of the faculty awarding the grade. The faculty and student together must file an incomplete form in the Student Success office to register the anticipated completion date and the grade that will be registered if the work is not completed by that time.
Students will be allowed a maximum of two weeks to remove incompletes from courses that are prerequisites to classes in which they are currently enrolled, or they will be administratively dropped from those courses.
Scholastic Standing
The following scholastic standards have been established to maintain the level of quality for students enrolled in the architecture program:
First Year – Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Interior Design
Students in the first year (d.ONE) are required to maintain both a semester and cumulative grade point average at or above 2.0. The College places students who fail to meet these standards on academic warning.
Second, Third, and Fourth Year – Architecture
Students in the second, third, and fourth years of the architecture program are required to maintain both a semester and cumulative grade point average of 2.6 to remain in good academic standing. The architecture program also requires that students earn a grade of a C or higher in all required courses. Students who fail to meet this standard are placed on academic warning and will not be permitted to take any new architecture courses without the permission of the program director.
Second, Third, and Fourth Year – Interior Design and Landscape Architecture
Students in the second year are required to maintain both a semester and cumulative grade point average of 2.6. Students in the third and fourth year of the BSD and BLA programs are required to maintain a 2.6 cumulative grade point average to remain in good academic standing. The program also requires that students earn a grade of a C or higher in all required courses. The program places students who fail to meet this standard on academic warning.
Master of Architecture
Students in the M.Arch program are required to maintain a semester grade point average of 3.0 to remain in good academic standing. The program places students who fail to meet this standard on academic warning.
Grade Rules
Students must earn at least a C (2.0) in all courses with an ARCH, DSGN, IDES, or LARC prefix to earn credit toward their degree. Students will be required to retake all required core courses with a grade of C- or below, but will not be required to repeat courses that were taken as electives.
Removal of Grades C- or Below
A student receiving a grade of C- or below for an overall course grade may remove that grade by retaking the same course again and receiving a higher grade at UNL, UNO, or UNK. The higher grade will be used to compute the student’s cumulative grade point average, but all grades appear on the student’s transcript. Students who choose to retake a course at an institution outside of the University of Nebraska system may count the course toward their degree requirement, but the grade will not replace the University of Nebraska–Lincoln grade from the student’s transcript.
The Pass/No Pass option cannot be used to remove these grades from the grade point average. Please be advised that once a course is no longer taught and no longer offered by the department it is not possible to remove a grade of C- or below through substitution or any other means.
Should a student perform poorly in many courses during a semester it is possible to bankrupt the entire semester’s grades. This is a drastic action and should be pursued only after a visit with the student's advisor.
Pass/No Pass Limits
None of the required classes offered in the professional program are offered Pass/No Pass, except DSGN 10. Classes applying toward ACE requirements specified by the College of Architecture may not be taken Pass/No Pass.
A maximum of 12 Pass/No Pass credits from departments outside of the College of Architecture may be taken from the following areas:
- Humanities and social sciences (i.e. open ACE areas where the College does not specify a required course)
- Open electives
Note - DSGN 421, DSGN 422, and/or DSGN 423 may be taken Pass/No Pass for technique, professional, and/or other elective credit and do not count against the 12-credit hour Pass/No Pass limit.
Transfer Credit Rules
Transfer credit is evaluated at the College level for general coursework and at the Program level for technical, professional, and non-accredited credits.
College Evaluation of Transfer Credit
First-time students transferring to the College of Architecture from a similar accredited professional degree program will be evaluated on the basis of the current undergraduate catalog in effect at the time the student enrolls in the College of Architecture.
Confirmation procedure:
- It is the student’s responsibility to initiate this task.
- The student procedure is to seek review of appropriate materials from the Student Success office.
- A “portfolio review” will determine confirmation of credit. This review will be done by the appropriate faculty member or committee.
Evaluation of General Education Credits
Transfer students who have formally applied for admission will have their academic credits evaluated by the Office of the University Registrar and the College of Architecture. The College will evaluate all hours submitted on an admission application but reserves the right to reject any of these credits.
Program Evaluation of Professional Credit
All professional credits earned at another university to be applied toward the master of architecture degree must be approved by the Professional Program Committee in cooperation with the program director. At least 50 percent of the required coursework for the professional degree must be completed at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, with the exception of those students who are applying to enter the program with a four-year degree from an accredited architecture program. No professional transfer credit will be accepted from a non-accredited architecture program.
Process
The program director will select and identify those courses that are applicable to the professional program in architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture programs. The College of Architecture will not accept courses for transfer that are below a 2.0 on a 4-point scale.
Evaluation of Technical and Non-accredited Transfer Credits
Students who desire to transfer credits from technical or non-accredited colleges must have architecture credits evaluated by the director and/or appropriate program representatives. Non-architecture credits will be evaluated by the appropriate university department.
Evaluation of Graphics, Design, and Production Drawing Credit
Transfer credit for graphics, basic and architectural, landscape architecture, and/or interior design work and production drawings will not be granted until the student’s work has been reviewed by the architecture, landscape architecture, or interior design program director. Allowable transfer credit in the design, production drawings, and graphics areas, whether the grades presented are C, B, or A, will be determined from this review and the student placed accordingly.
Clarification and Appeal
The student who has questions about or wishes to appeal the initial College evaluation of his or her transfer credit should contact the program office. If the evaluation is not satisfactorily resolved, the student has the right to register an appeal with the Student Affairs Committee of the architecture, landscape architecture, or interior design programs.
Transfer Catalog Year
Students who have transferred from a community college may be eligible to fulfill the requirements as stated in the catalog for an academic year in which they were enrolled at the community college prior to attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This decision shall be made in consultation with the student’s College of Architecture academic advising team (e.g., Student Success Center professional advisor and the appropriate faculty Program Director). Eligibility is based on a) enrollment in a community college during the catalog year the student wishes to utilize, b) maintaining continuous enrollment of at least 12 credit hours per semester at the previous institution for at least 2 semesters, and c) continuous enrollment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln within 1 calendar year from the student’s last term at the previous institution. Students must complete all degree requirements from a single catalog year and within the timeframe allowable for that catalog year.
Other College Degree Requirements
Off-Campus Programs
The College of Architecture recognizes the need for some students to pursue their first-year design studies at other institutions. One semester (15 credit hours) of off-campus study should cause minimal delay in students’ educational timetables if courses can be selected from the following list and are approved by the College of Architecture. Students are encouraged to coordinate their off-campus architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design programs with the College of Architecture.
Recommended Courses
Calculus (3 hrs)
English Composition elective (3 hrs)
Humanities and Social Sciences electives (9 hrs) See University of Nebraska–Lincoln ACE requirements.
Calculus-based Physics (4 hrs) for architecture or Introduction to Horticulture (3 hrs) for landscape architecture
Speech (3 hrs)
ACE Requirements
Achievement-Centered Education (ACE)
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln requires all students receive a broad general education as part of their academic experience. This requirement translates into the obligation of all students to fulfill the requirements of the ACE program.
English
Architects, landscape architects, and interior designers must be able to express themselves clearly and concisely. Routinely, architects, interior designers, and landscape architects are called upon to prepare reports, papers, or specifications in which clarity and precision are essential. For this reason, a student must meet more than the English composition course requirement. In daily oral and written work, the student must demonstrate the use of effective English. The dean may require students who fail to meet acceptable standards to do additional work in English composition or speech communication. Each instructor is expected to bring to the dean’s attention the students who need additional work.
Students are expected to take ENGL 150 Writing and Inquiry or ENGL 151 Writing and Argument and COMM 286 Business and Professional Communication.
ENGL 186 ESL/Academic Reading Skills, ENGL 187 ESL/Academic Writing Skills, and ENGL 140 Advanced Academic Writing and Usage may not be used to satisfy the freshman English composition requirement.
Mathematics
All students in the College of Architecture are required to receive credit for MATH 104 Applied Calculus. Courses taken as deficiencies to qualify for MATH 104 will not apply as credit toward their degree.
Requirements for Minor Offered by Department
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum of 12 hours of coursework to include the following: | ||
| IDES 201 | Introduction to Product & Industrial Design | 3 |
| IDES 301 | Material Applications | 3 |
| or DSGN 421 & DSGN 422 & DSGN 423 | CNC Router and Metals and Plastics | |
| IDES 416 | Product Design Vizualization | 3 |
| IDES 417 / ARCH 417 / LARC 417 | Product Design | 3 |
| Credit Hours Subtotal: | 12 | |
| Additional Coursework 1 | ||
| Select 6 credits of the following: | 6 | |
| Ceramics for Non-majors: Wheelthrowing | ||
| Ceramics for Non-Majors: Handbuilding | ||
| Foundations of Entrepreneurship | ||
| Graphic Design I | ||
| History of Interiors and Designed Objects | ||
| Material Culture: The Social Life of Things | ||
| Evidence Based Design | ||
| Manufacturing Methods and Processes | ||
| Special Topics (Making for Innovation) | ||
| Contemporary Marketing | ||
| Sculpture for Non-majors | ||
| Credit Hours Subtotal: | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 18 | |
- 1
Please consult academic advisor regarding potential substitution options for IDES 491.
Grade Rules
C- and D Grades
A grade of C or above is required for all courses in the minor.
Pass/No Pass
No course taken Pass/No Pass will be counted toward the minor, with the exception of the following mini courses DSGN 421, DSGN 422 , and/or DSGN 423 .