Program Overview

Introduction to the Lighting Design Certificate

The Lighting Design Certificate is offered to undergraduate students pursuing non-engineering degrees to help them prepare for entry-level jobs in lighting design firms. Combining lighting design with architecture, landscape architecture, or design studies could also open doors in architecture and interior design firms.

Program Structure

The certificate is achieved through completion of a series of four lighting courses - two required courses, one technical elective, and a capstone course.

Required Courses

• AREN 3430: Architectural Lighting Design (Spring)
  • Some experience with Revit and/or AutoCAD is preferred for this course
• AREN 4540: Architectural Exterior and Landscape Lighting Design* (Fall, prereq Architectural Lighting Design)
  • *AREN 4540 will be offered starting Fall 2024. For students that took their second required certificate class in previous semesters, please note that we previously accepted the following classes for this requirement: AREN 3440 Architectural Daylighting Design prior to Fall 2022, AREN 4530 Advanced Lighting Design for the Fall 2022 semester, and AREN 4830 Landscape Lighting for the Fall 2023 semester.

Technical Electives

• AREN 4530: Advanced Lighting Design (Spring, prereq Architectural Lighting Design, must have declared the certificate)
• AREN 4620: Adaptive Lighting (Fall, prereq Architectural Lighting Design, must have declared the certificate)
• THTR 3055: Stage Lighting Design 1
  • If possible, students should take a technical elective offered by our lighting program (AREN class options). If a student needs to take THTR 3055 instead, they should first consult with Sandra Vásconez. Additionally, students should be aware that if the requisites for THTR 3055 aren't met, instructor permission is required to take the course.

Capstone

• AREN 4440: Lighting Design Capstone (Spring, prereq Architectural Lighting Design and technical elective, must have declared the certificate)

Course Sequence

The strongly preferred course sequence is as follows:

• Spring of sophomore year: AREN 3430
• Fall of junior year: AREN 4540
• Fall of senior year: Technical elective
• Spring of senior year: Capstone

Admissions and Grade Requirements

• Cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher is required to enroll.
• Certificate is not open to students rostered in the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
• First-year students are not eligible to take certificate courses. Students may sign up for the certificate in the spring of their freshman year and start taking classes in their sophomore year.
• To stay in the program, a cumulative GPA of 2.5 for all certificate courses is required.
• A grade of C or higher is required in the certificate capstone class, AREN 4440. For all other certificate courses, a grade of C- or higher is required. A course not passed with the minimum grade may be repeated one time.