ARC495Y1F L0101 
Coordinator: Sonia Ramundi 
Summer 2025
Dates: May 5-June 16

The Design Research Internship Program (DRIP) bridges academic knowledge and professional practice, exposing third- and fourth-year Architectural Studies undergraduate students to multiple modes of practice, research, and interdisciplinary design. In the form of a six-week internship with leading Toronto design practices, it offers participating students the opportunity to apply critical research and visual communication skills to focused work in a professional context. Successful applicants will be hired to work on a research project defined by the host office that is intrinsically linked to the office’s ongoing professional activity. 

Between May 5 and June 16, 2025, interns will work full-time, four days per week with their employer, while Wednesdays will be reserved for academic activity, including a weekly seminar. Attendance at the seminar is mandatory. 

Practitioners compensate their interns for time worked in the form of a lump sum stipend in the amount of $3,360 paid at the conclusion of the internship. This is based upon a rate of $20 per hour, 4 days per week, for the duration of six weeks. 

Evaluation and final grading are determined by internship performance and employer feedback, contribution and participation in the weekly seminar, and quality of final DRIP document. 

ARC495 Y1 F is a full (1.0) credit course. 

This course is available to undergraduate Architectural Studies and Visual Studies students in all streams who have completed 1.0 credit of ARC courses at the 300-level before Summer 2025. This includes fourth-year students graduating in June 2025. 

Applicants must submit a CV, Statement of Interest, and a Portfolio (max. 10MB), all in PDF format. Applications should be submitted online HERE. (Please note the form is limited to one submission. Further editing and amendments are NOT allowed after the form has been submitted.) 

Your CV should include both curricular- and extracurricular activities. Please also identify any software knowledge, workshop training, and other practical skills. The purpose of the CV is to aid in the matching process between applicants and participating firms. Previous professional experience is not required to participate in DRIP. 

Your Statement of Interest should be concise, address your motivation for participating in DRIP, and describe course, studio, or project highlights while at Daniels. 

Your Portfolio of creative work (max. 10 MB) must include visual representation of your design and or research work graphically well-presented. It does not need to include both design and research, just work that best represents your strengths. This can include work produced in extra-curricular activity. 

As part of the application, you will be asked to identify and rank your top five areas of practice from the following list: 

Urbanism, Landscape, Building Tectonics, Building Details, Public Space, Infrastructure, Digital Fabrication, Heritage, Energy Performance, Interdisciplinary, Representation, Housing, Public Policy, Community Engagement, Exhibition, Publication 

You will also be asked to Identify your top five areas of research methods from the following list: 

Conceptual Drawing, Mapping, Model Making, Technical Drawing, Archival Research, Historical Research, Photo Documentation, Rendering, Computation, Diagramming, Fieldwork, Spatial Analysis 

The deadline to apply is Wednesday, February 26 at 11:59pm EST. 

A committee of Daniels faculty members will review and assess student applications, including CV, Statement of Purpose, and Portfolio, as well as academic performance to create a shortlist of recommended applicants for each participating firm. The final ranking, matching students to internships, will be made by the firms themselves. At this point, any declared preferences on the part of the applicant will be taken into consideration. Selection is based on academic performance, strength of Portfolio and Statement of Purpose, and DRIP fit.