Environmental Design Degree | Marywood University

Build a Sustainable Future with an Environmental Design Degree

The four-year, pre-professional Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture (BEDA) degree at Marywood is intended for students who will pursue a career in the design of the built environment or advanced study in the field of architecture. To this end, Marywood students who have earned an Environmental Design degree are eligible for up to 60 credits of advanced standing in the Master of Interior Architecture program.

Focused on acquiring the skills needed to design buildings and their environments, this accredited degree option trains students to anticipate the impact of their designs on physical, aesthetic, social, and ecological environments. Students in the BEDA program will benefit from an integrative curriculum that requires:

Eight sequential semesters of design studios of increasing complexity culminating in an integrative building design project
Building technology courses introducing building structures and environmental systems, onsite renewable energy sources, and passive design strategies for energy efficiency
Hybrid representation courses, including skill building in hand drawing, digital and physical model making, as well as digital rendering, animation, and fabrication
Architectural history and theory courses with a broad understanding of how cultural, philosophical, political, and religious traditions influence the cultural relevance of the built environment
Program electives that have included courses in community design build, global urban ecologies, architectural details, lighting, as well as materials and methods
Semester abroad in Italy studying with ISI Florence (International Studies Institute) in the Palazzo Rucellai

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Marywood has brought me so many wonderful experiences throughout my 4 years of attendance. The architecture program helped guide me into the career I always dreamt of pursuing. It taught me lifelong skills and brought me lifelong friends. The importance of collaboration and attention to detail has helped me tremendously in the working world. I came into college unsure of what the future held for me, and left excited and equipped for everything the world had to throw at me. Marywood has given me so much to be thankful for and looking back, I couldn't have imagined myself anywhere else.
Kyle Colucci, BEDA 2021 Read All Testimonials

Design Your Future 2024

An Architecture + Design Summer 2024 Program

Design your Future Program 2024 will be housed in the Center for Architectural Studies at Marywood University. Students will be assigned individual desks and will have the opportunity of using the same spaces as our undergraduate and graduate students.

Students enrolled in the program will have the opportunity of seeing in action various laboratories and shops (wood / metal / 3D printing / CNC router / laser cutting / etc.). This program is designed with the desire of an immersive experience, engaging students in a number of demonstrations anchored to the Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Construction Management Programs.

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Outcomes & Opportunities

#3in Best Architecture Schools in Pennsylvania by PLEXUSS

$80,180 2021 median salary

MUSOA American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) , Women in Architecture and Design , National Organization of Minority Architecture Students

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LEED® GOLD Center for Architectural Studies has open studios, with an individual workspace for each student

Top Employers

Architecture
Construction
Design
Environment

Top Career Paths

Architectural Designer
Construction Manager
Industrial Designer
Interior Designer
Project Manager
Stage and Film Set Designer
Urban Designer
Video Game Environment Designer

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Admission Requirements

Undergraduate Admissions Requirements

Completed application
Official transcripts
Letter of recommendation
Official SAT and/or ACT test scores (Marywood is test optional)
Essay (optional)

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Facilities & Technology

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The front of Marywood's architectural studies center

Center for Architectural Studies

201 Morgan Road
Map & Directions

The School of Architecture is housed in this spacious adaptation of Marywood's former gymnasium. The building features a variety of green components, including a vegetative roof and an innovative heating and cooling system that utilizes geothermal energy from abandoned mine shafts beneath campus.

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School of Architecture Classrooms

Map & Directions

The School of Architecture is a state-of-the-art example of sustainable design. It's a spacious, adaptive re-use of Marywood's former gymnasium and natatorium.

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