Architectural Engineering

Students may specialize in building construction, building illumination systems, building mechanical and energy systems, or building structural systems.

Admission Requirements

Applicants apply for admission to the program via the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School application for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-300 Admissions Policies.

Scores from the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) are required for admission to the Ph.D. and M.S. programs. GRE scores are not required for admission to the M.Eng. degree program.

Students with a 3.00 junior/senior grade-point average (on a 4.00 scale) and with appropriate course backgrounds will be considered for admission to the AE graduate programs. Students accepted into the Architectural Engineering program generally have an undergraduate degree in:

• mechanical engineering
• electrical engineering
• civil engineering
• architectural engineering
• science
• or architecture

All degree candidates are required to provide a letter of intent outlining the student's intended area of study as well as three letters of recommendation. The best-qualified applicants will be accepted up to the number of spaces that are available for new students.

Degree Requirements

All students in the M.Eng., M.S., and Ph.D. programs must also attend a minimum of 10 approved lectures during their degree program.

M.Eng. in Architectural Engineering

Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-700 Professional Degree Policies.

The M.Eng. in Architectural Engineering degree is a non-thesis professional master's degree. Candidates for the M.Eng. degree are required to complete 30 credits of course work. Each student’s program can be tailored to their career goals and prior academic history, and must include a minimum of 18 credits at the 500 or 800-level, with at least 6 at the 500-level. Each student must also complete a capstone project, supervised by a member of the Graduate Faculty, while enrolled in AE 596. The capstone project requires students to work individually or within a group on an aspect of architectural engineering of their choosing. The project should demonstrate the ability of the student to integrate and apply concepts and techniques learned in their program's courses.

M.S. in Architectural Engineering

Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-600 Research Degree Policies.

The M.S. degree consists of a minimum of 30 credits: 24 credits of course work and 6-credits of thesis research through either AE 600 or AE 610. A minimum of 12 of the course credits must be completed at the 500 level. A student's program of courses in the M.S. program is developed in cooperation with the student's academic adviser.  The M.S. thesis is presented in a public forum and must be approved by the student’s graduate committee.  Additional details are provided in the AE Graduate Handbook

Ph.D. in Architectural Engineering

Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-600 Research Degree Policies.

For the Ph.D. degree, a dissertation that displays a student's ability to conduct high-quality original scholarly work is required of all Ph.D. students. The dissertation must be accepted by the Ph.D. committee, the head of the graduate program, and the Graduate School. Each student accepted into the Ph.D. degree program must pass the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination, which requires students to display an understanding of basic material across a selected set of topic areas. This examination must be taken no later than the beginning of the student's second year in the program. Each Ph.D. student must also pass an English Proficiency Examination that is administered by the department, typically during the first semester. The English Proficiency Examination must be passed before scheduling the Comprehensive Examination.

The student's program of courses is developed in cooperation with the student's academic advisor and their Ph.D. committee, and must consist of at least 42 course credits beyond the bachelor’s degree. At or near the completion of the coursework, the Ph.D. student must pass an oral comprehensive examination that involves the presentation of a proposal on their dissertation topic followed by questioning on topics related to their PhD program by their PhD committee. Following the comprehensive exam, continuous registration is required for all Ph.D. graduate students until the dissertation is accepted by the doctoral committee and the final oral examination is passed. Each student presents a comprehensive dissertation proposal to their committee prior to starting their dissertation research and must present the results of this research in a final oral examination.

Integrated Undergrad-Grad Programs

Integrated Bachelor of Architectural Engineering (B.A.E.) and Master of Architectural Engineering (M.A.E.) or Master of Science (M.S.) in Architectural Engineering

Undergraduate Degree

• University Park

Graduate Degree

• University Park

Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements listed in GCAC-210 Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate (IUG) Degree Programs.

Admission Requirements

Applicants apply for admission to the program via the Graduate School application for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-300 Admissions Policies.

Qualified undergraduate students in the B.A.E. program will be considered for admission to one of two integrated undergraduate-graduate degree programs. The first leads to the student earning both the B.A.E. and M.A.E. degrees.  The capstone project for the M.A.E. degree involves graduate-level work on the building that the student used for their undergraduate senior project. The second integrated degree option provides the student with the opportunity to earn both the B.A.E. and M.S. degrees and applies a six-credit research thesis.  B.A.E./M.S. students must also complete the undergraduate senior project. 

Students must apply to and meet admission requirements of the Graduate School, as well as the Architectural Engineering graduate program. Before applying to the Graduate School, students must have completed entrance to their undergraduate major and have completed no less than 60 credits. Students must be admitted no later than the end of the second week of the semester preceding the semester of expected conferral of the undergraduate degree. Transfer students must have completed at least 15 credits at Penn State to enroll in an IUG.

Application materials for both programs are available through the AE Department. To be considered for admission to either program, students must have attained an overall GPA of at least 3.0.  Grades in AE courses will also be considered in the review of applications to the AE IUG programs. For admission to the B.A.E./M.S. program, a commitment from an AE Graduate Faculty member to serve as the student’s M.S. thesis adviser is required.

In consultation with an adviser, students must prepare a plan of study appropriate to their integrated program. Students must present their plan of study to the MAE program coordinator or the appropriate committee overseeing the integrated program prior to being admitted to the program.  The plan should cover the entire time period of the integrated program, and should be reviewed periodically with an adviser as the student advances through the program.  Any subsequent changes to a student’s M.A.E. or M.S.  course plan must receive approval from their MAE academic adviser and the  MAE program coordinator. 

Degree Requirements

Students admitted to an integrated program (B.A.E./M.A.E. or B.A.E./ M.S.) must maintain a GPA in all classes used toward the M.A.E. or M.S. degree of at least 3.0. For both the integrated B.A.E./M.A.E. and B.A.E./M.S. degree programs, 30 credits of the 172 total credits required to receive both degrees are applied toward the master's degree, with up to 12 credits counting toward both degrees. For the B.A.E./M.S., a minimum of 18 credits is required at the 500 and 600 level combined. For the 
B.A.E./M.A.E., a minimum of 18 credits is required at the 500 and 800 levels, with at least 6 credits at the 500 level. For the B.A.E./M.A.E. degree program, all of the graduate credits are course credits, with AE 882 serving as the capstone project course for this program.  For the B.A.E./M.S. degree program, a thesis is required and six credits of thesis research (AE 600 or AE 610) must be included in the candidate’s academic course plan. Complete details on required courses, available electives, and other requirements related to these plans are provided in the Architectural Engineering Graduate Student Handbook for each of the undergraduate option areas.

The courses that can double-count for the B.A.E./M.A.E. are as follows:

The courses that can be double-counted for the B.A.E./M.S. are as follows:

At least 6 of the double-counted credits must be at the 500- or 800-level. Independent study courses and credits associated with the culminating experience for the graduate degree cannot be double-counted.

Students are expected to complete the undergraduate degree requirements within the typical time to degree for the undergraduate major. In the semester in which the undergraduate degree requirements will be completed, IUG students must apply to graduate, and the undergraduate degree should be conferred at the next appropriate Commencement. If students accepted into the IUG program are unable to complete the M.A.E. or the M.S. degree, they are still eligible to receive their undergraduate degree if all the undergraduate degree requirements have been satisfied.

Minor

A graduate minor is available in any approved graduate major or dual-title program. The default requirements for a graduate minor are stated in Graduate Council policy GCAC-218 Minors.

Student Aid

Graduate assistantships available to students in this program and other forms of student aid are described in the Tuition & Funding section of the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School’s website. Students on graduate assistantships must adhere to the course load limits set by the Fox Graduate School.

A limited number of research and teaching assistantships, scholarships, and fellowships are available to M.S. and Ph.D. students in the Department of Architectural Engineering. The intent of these assistantships and awards is to support students conducting research under faculty supervision. For this reason, students in the M.S. and Ph.D. programs who receive these types of financial support are expected to complete their degree program, including the thesis or dissertation, and may not transfer to the Master of Engineering degree program.

Courses

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 699 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.

Learning Outcomes

Master of Architectural Engineering (M.A.E.)

1. Know: Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of core principles, methods, and systems related to their selected sub-field of Architectural Engineering that permits them to appropriately develop project goals, address code requirements, and to list the benefits and challenges of alternative building design or process solutions.
2. Apply/Create: Graduates will be able to apply their knowledge of selected sub-fields of Architectural Engineering to assess and evaluate the performance of systems and processes related to the design and/or construction of buildings.
3. Communicate: Graduates will demonstrate proficiency in communication through clear and comprehensive written design reports, oral presentations of design solutions, and appropriate documentation of design and construction details.
4. Think: Graduates will be able to analyze and synthesize building systems and/or processes to deliver buildings which are sustainable, resilient, economically viable, and which ensure the safety, health, comfort, and productivity of occupants and workers.
5. Professional Practice: Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of, and a commitment to academic integrity, lifelong learning, and ethical standards for professional practice within Architectural Engineering.

Master of Engineering (M.Eng.)

1. Know: Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of core principles, methods, and systems related to their selected sub-field of Architectural Engineering that permits them to appropriately develop project goals, address code requirements, and to list the benefits and challenges of alternative building design or process solutions.
2. Apply/Create: Graduates will be able to apply their knowledge of selected sub-fields of Architectural Engineering to assess and evaluate the performance of systems and processes related to the design and/or construction of buildings.
3. Communicate: Graduates will demonstrate proficiency in communication through clear and comprehensive written design reports, oral presentations of design solutions, and appropriate documentation of design and construction details.
4. Think: Graduates will be able to analyze and synthesize building systems and/or processes to deliver buildings which are sustainable, resilient, economically viable, and which ensure the safety, health, comfort, and productivity of occupants and workers.
5. Professional Practice: Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of, and a commitment to academic integrity, lifelong learning, and ethical standards for professional practice within Architectural Engineering.

Master of Science (M.S.)

1. Know: Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of advanced core principles and methods by identifying their relationship in the operation of building systems and construction processes, as well as the benefits and challenges involved across a range of available alternative solutions.
2. Apply/Create: Graduates will be able to apply their knowledge in their selected sub-field of Architectural Engineering to the design, evaluation, and refinement of engineered systems and processes for buildings.
3. Communicate: Graduates will demonstrate proficiency in both oral and written communication by providing clear and comprehensive coverage of the background, literature, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusions related to their thesis research in both the written document and accompanying oral presentation.
4. Think: Graduates will be able to analyze and synthesize knowledge within the field of Architectural Engineering to address a complex research problem of practical relevance through their research thesis.
5. Professional Practice: Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of, and a commitment to, academic integrity and the standards within research and professional practice within Architectural Engineering.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

1. Know: Graduates will demonstrate a high level of understanding of advanced core principles and methods involved in engineered building systems and/or construction processes, as well as modern research methods that are applied in one or more sub-fields of Architectural Engineering.
2. Apply/Create: Graduates will be able to apply their knowledge in their selected sub-field of Architectural Engineering to conduct detailed performance analyses of engineered systems and processes for buildings, evaluate published literature, and generate new knowledge or solutions that improve energy usage, constructability, sustainability, resiliency, safety, health, comfort, and/or productivity of occupants and/or construction workers.
3. Communicate: Graduates will demonstrate proficiency in both their oral and written communication by providing clear and comprehensive coverage of the background, literature, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion related to their thesis research in both their written dissertation and the accompanying presentation.
4. Think: Graduates will analyze and synthesize knowledge within the field of Architectural Engineering in independently formulating, investigating, and solving a complex research problem related to buildings.
5. Professional Practice: Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of, and a commitment to, academic integrity and the standards within research and professional practice within Architectural Engineering through their research conduct and coursework.

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