Info for Gateway Students
Through a Gateway project, you'll work on a team with your peers on a real-world challenge for a nonprofit, civic organization, municipal agency, or other organization. You'll gain meaningful on-the-job skills to launch your professional careers as a designer as you deliver crucial planning and design services to a community partner who needs your expertise.
What Are Gateway Projects?
Launched at the beginning of each semester, most Gateway projects involve direct engagement between a team of students and a community organization, addressing specific community issues or concerns that focus on the built environment. Projects include conducting preliminary feasibility or planning studies, program development, generating preliminary schematic designs, and presenting alternative design solutions.
Why Participate in a Gateway Project?
Through Gateway, you'll find opportunities to:
- Earn Practice Hours
- Enrich your professional portfolios
- Apply learning through project-directed research and action toward the fulfillment of established deliverables
Engage and collaborate with community leaders and stakeholders, fellow students, and design professionals across disciplines
How Do I Sign up for Gateway?
Gateway projects occur twice a year at the Gateway Open House: once at the beginning of the fall semester (August) and once at the beginning of the spring semester (January). You will be notified of the location, date, and timing of the Open House via BAC email.
During the Open Houses, you will learn about that semester's Gateway projects, meet with client representatives, and have the opportunity to submit an application selecting your preferred projects.
How Are Students Selected?
Practice staff review student applications and their project preferences; final team composition balances student preferences with the combination of anticipated skills, blended experiences, and an interest in forming interdisciplinary teams.
Teams are announced several days following the Open House, whereupon teams meet with their instructor and fellow teammates at an initial meeting.
Gateway Policies
Contact the Practice Department