About

The Cornell Introduction to Architecture and Design Precollege Program is a six-week residential summer program offered by Cornell's College of Architecture, Art, and Planning — consistently ranked among the most prestigious architecture programs in the United States. Students enroll in two actual Cornell undergraduate courses simultaneously: ARCH 1110, a design studio, and ARCH 1300, a lecture survey of architecture history, principles, and theory. Both courses are credit-bearing, appear on an official Cornell transcript, and earn a combined six transferable credits. No prior drawing or architectural experience is required.

The studio course introduces students to foundational methods of solving architectural problems — space, form, function, and technology — through iterative design projects, regular studio critiques by teaching associates, and formal reviews by invited faculty and guest critics. The lecture course surveys architectural practice past and present, covering design history, preservation, landscape, cultural context, and emerging technologies. Both courses are taught by Cornell AAP faculty. Students work in Cornell's world-class facilities, including the Rem Koolhaas- and OMA-designed Milstein Hall, with access to dedicated studio space, state-of-the-art physical model-making tools, and the Mui Ho Fine Arts Library. The program culminates in a portfolio and a show of student work.

For students seriously considering architecture as a field of study, the Cornell program occupies a distinct position relative to most pre-college design offerings. Unlike enrichment programs that simulate design thinking, this is an actual Cornell undergraduate course sequence taught to the same standards as the degree program — credits transfer at the discretion of the receiving institution, and the work produced contributes directly to a portfolio applicable to architecture school admissions. Cornell AAP's undergraduate architecture program is one of the most sought-after in the country, and the pre-college program gives students direct exposure to its pedagogy, faculty, and facilities.