The Integrated Path at SCAD: Year One!

by Cristina Gutierrez, SCAD IPAL Coordinator

Architecture firms look for great designers as well as great employees. Firms agree that, in addition to having design potential, students must successfully demonstrate “soft” skills to be successful in the work force. Early exposure to these skills allows interns to secure the best positions, and SCAD’s career-focused curriculum for an Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL) balances both hard and soft skills with equal weight.

Students must be hardworking, effective communicators, punctual, and smart about time management to be a contributing member of a design team. We are in contact with over 60 firms across the U.S., the majority of the firms being medium in size. Over 60% of companies that hired our IPAL interns this summer were small firms, 25% were large firms, whereas only 15% were medium sized firms. Our research helps students target firms where they have better chances of being hired.

SCAD accepted our first group of students into the IPAL program for the 2017 academic year during which these select students have shown great promise as rising sophomores. The path is rigorous, so these students are high performers and focused on becoming architects. Thirteen of our seventeen IPAL freshman secured paid internships during the summer of 2017! These freshman students traveled to internship opportunities across the United States, accruing AXP hours recorded with NCARB. Some of the firms that hired our IPAL interns were Gensler in Atlanta, Georgia; HKS in Dallas, Texas; RS&H in Jacksonville, Florida; Jerde Construction in Venice, California; Cadmus Construction in Roswell, Georgia; and Pfluger Architects in Austin, Texas to name a few.

SCAD is leading the way for the next generation of architects. As our rising sophomore class moves forward on their journey toward licensure, SCAD has also now begun accepting graduate students into the IPAL program, with six students enrolled in Fall 2017. Students entering at the graduate level must have accrued at least 1,200 AXP hours and maintain a 3.5 GPA. The program continues to adjust to the demands of the industry and the aspirations of the Millennial and Gen Z generations.

SCAD’s IPAL program continues to forge mutually beneficial relationships with firms. We strive to increase a student’s value to a company by the end of their first academic year by ensuring they have a working knowledge of Revit and Adobe software. An internship allows students to experience the professional environment and hone in on real world design skills early in their career. This has a great impact on the student’s maturity in the professional work environment as they continue their academic coursework and prepare to be immediately productive as licensed professionals.

During internships, we closely monitor the student’s progress, and conduct bi-weekly workshops to ensure they have the support necessary to be successful. We also provide support to students regarding class schedules, job applications, resumes, portfolios, interview preparation, offer letters, NCARB profiles, AXP hour submissions, and A.R.E. exam preparation. SCAD’s IPAL students will begin to take the Architectural Registration Exam (A.R.E.) during their first year of the graduate portion of the IPAL program for which we will provide support through group study workshops, sample tests, and library resources.

The Integrated Path at SCAD adopts a holistic and fully integrated approach to architectural education by adapting to leading evolving technology, new industry demands, and the changing culture that we live and work in today.

Cristina Gutierrez is the Coordinator of the Integrated Path at SCAD. She supports IPAL students, provides mentorship for them during their academic career and as they seek internships with firms nationwide. She bridges the gap between a relatively inexperienced student and an employer’s perception of a successful internship. She is the liaison between the student and the employer, as well as being involved in facilitating the student’s recruitment and internship with the firm.

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