Admissions and Applying

Students applying to the Architectural Studies program must have taken the following courses in high school:

• 4 years of English
• 3.5 years of Mathematics
• 2 years of Social Studies
• 2 years of Lab-based Science
• 3 years of the same foreign language
• 2 years of additional credit in the above areas, fine arts, or vocational education

Note: These are minimum requirements. The pool of prospective freshmen is very competitive and applicants who take additional coursework will strengthen their chances of admission. In 2003, 48% of incoming freshman had earned some advanced placement credit.

Effective for all entering freshmen in Fall 2000 and later, the foreign language requirement must be completed for graduation. This requirement may be satisfied by:

• Successfully completing a third semester college foreign language;
• Having taken three years of the same foreign language in high school; or
• Demonstrating proficiency at the third semester level in a language proficiency examination approved by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the appropriate department.

If you enter the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign without three years of the same foreign language in high school, you must take a foreign language placement test to determine the courses in which you should enroll. All curricula in the College of Fine and Applied Arts have a two-year foreign language/fine arts requirement for admission. Students admitted to the university with foreign language taken in high school may continue their study of this foreign language at the placement test level. In those cases where foreign language is taken for elective credit, or to fulfill an admission deficiency requirement, only the Credit/No Credit option may be used.

Essay

In your application essay, please describe your interest in architecture and any experience you may have in the profession.

• Portfolio of student and/or professional work (see requirements below)
• Transcripts from all previous university degree programs (official or unofficial)
• Three (3) letters of recommendation from persons who can evaluate the applicant’s academic qualifications, motivation, and potential for a career as an architect
• A statement that answers the following questions (1,000 words max):
  1. How has your academic background, including any training, research, or other educational experiences, prepared you for graduate study?
  2. What are your intellectual interests, and what scholarly questions are you interested in exploring in graduate study?
  3. Are there any specific faculty members whose research interests align with your own with whom you would like to work?
  4. How will our program help you achieve your academic and professional goals?

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are NOT required for the M.Arch, but if taken are recorded in the applicant’s record.

All applicants to the Illinois School of Architecture whose Native Language is not English must submit the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), IELTS or another acceptable score listed at the Graduate College link provided here: https://grad.illinois.edu/admissions/instructions/04c.

In order to issue an I-20 the Graduate College will need the following: funding documentation, declaration and certification of finances form, and passport. Please see this link for more information pertaining to funding requirements: https://grad.illinois.edu/admissions/instructions/04d.

Application materials are reviewed by a committee of faculty from the School of Architecture using the following criteria in order of importance:

• Portfolio
• Academic performance, grade point average (GPA) calculated for the applicant’s junior and senior year of undergraduate work; specifically, we calculate the last 60 hours of undergraduate work, or, if the applicant is a second semester senior, not less than the last 45 hours
• Letters of recommendation
• Statement of Intent
• Architecture-related work experience
• Extra-curricular leadership and activities

A portfolio of student and professional work is required of all applicants to the M.Arch program. Examples of work should include undergraduate design studio work, sketches, free hand drawings, construction drawings, photos of architectural models, and digital models and drawings demonstrating the applicant’s abilities to use architectural graphic programs such as Sketchup, Sketchbook Pro, Rhino, and others.  Portfolio content should meet the following minimum requirements:

• Show at least six (6) undergraduate design studio projects completed as a student.
• Show introductory analysis, conceptualization, project context, and project development as well as final products for each project entry; a short narrative must accompany each entry
• Demonstrate two- and three-dimensional design development
• Demonstrate increasing complexity across the projects
• Demonstrate increasing attention to detail development of the design across the projects

To receive full consideration, professional work should include a statement from the employer indicating the extent of the work performed by the applicant. All examples of design studio work should state whether the project was completed individually or by a student team. For projects completed by a student team, the applicant must include a statement outlining the number of team members and the applicant’s responsibilities as part of the team.

Please submit the portfolio under the “Program Essay” section in the admissions application.

Watch an informative video on how to approach creating your portfolio here. This video also addresses frequently asked questions regarding portfolio creation and submission.

Portfolio Specifications

• Required file format: PDF
• Maximum number of sheets: 25 spreads (50 numbered pages)
• Maximum file size: 20MB

• Portfolio of student and/or professional work (see requirements below)
• Transcripts from all previous university degree programs (official or unofficial)
• Three (3) letters of recommendation from persons who can evaluate the applicant’s academic qualifications, motivation, and potential for a career as an architect
• A statement that answers the following questions (1,000 words max):
  1. How has your academic background, including any training, research, or other educational experiences, prepared you for graduate study?
  2. What are your intellectual interests, and what scholarly questions are you interested in exploring in graduate study?
  3. Are there any specific faculty members whose research interests align with your own with whom you would like to work?
  4. How will our program help you achieve your academic and professional goals?

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are NOT required for the M.Arch, but if taken are recorded in the applicant’s record.

All applicants to the Illinois School of Architecture whose Native Language is not English must submit the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), IELTS or another acceptable score listed at the Graduate College link provided here: https://grad.illinois.edu/admissions/instructions/04c.

In order to issue an I-20 the Graduate College will need the following: funding documentation, declaration and certification of finances form, and passport. Please see this link for more information pertaining to funding requirements: https://grad.illinois.edu/admissions/instructions/04d.

Application materials are reviewed by a committee of faculty from the School of Architecture using the following criteria in order of importance:

• Portfolio demonstrating creative abilities and skill level
• Academic performance, grade point average [GPA] calculated for the applicant’s junior and senior year of undergraduate work; specifically, we calculate the last 60 hours of undergraduate work, or, if the applicant is a second semester senior, not less than the last 45 hours
• Letters of recommendation
• Statement of Intent
• Architecture-related work experience
• Extra-curricular leadership and activities

A portfolio of student, extracurricular, and professional work is required of all applicants to the M.Arch 2+ program. This portfolio should demonstrate the applicant’s creative abilities, skill level and talent in graphic communications. Applicants should include items demonstrating a latent interest in architecture. Submissions may include undergraduate or extracurricular design or drawing studio work, sketches, photos of architectural models, and digital models and drawings demonstrating abilities in architectural representation, drawing and sketching as well as the applicant’s abilities to use such graphic and design programs as Photoshop, In-Design, Illustrator, Sketchup, Sketchbook Pro, and Rhino.  Portfolio content should meet the following minimum requirements:

• Show at least eight (8) different items completed as a student or in extracurricular or personal study
• Demonstrate an applicant’s ability in graphic analysis, conceptualization, and development as well as and final products for each included item; a short narrative must accompany each entry
• Illustrate abilities in two- and three-dimensional thinking
• Demonstrate attention to detail as appropriate for the item included

To receive full consideration, any professional work should include a statement from the employer indicating the extent of the work performed by the applicant. All examples of work should state whether the project was completed individually or by a group. For projects completed by a group, the applicant must include a statement outlining the number of group members and the applicant’s responsibilities as part of the group.

Portfolio Specifications

• Required file format: PDF
• Maximum number of sheets: 25 spreads (50 numbered pages)
• Maximum file size: 20MB

• Portfolio of student and/or professional work (see requirements below)
• Transcripts from all previous university degree programs (official or unofficial)
• Three (3) letters of recommendation from persons who can evaluate the applicant’s academic qualifications, motivation, and potential for a career in academia or the environmental design professions
• One-page Statement of Intent, clearly indicating the applicant’s plans for graduate study and professional career objectives

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are NOT required for the MS, but are strongly recommended and if taken are recorded in the applicant’s record.

All applicants to the Illinois School of Architecture whose Native Language is not English must submit the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), IELTS or another acceptable score listed at the Graduate College link provided here: https://grad.illinois.edu/admissions/instructions/04c.

In order to issue an I-20 the Graduate College will need the following: funding documentation, declaration and certification of finances form, and passport. Please see this link for more information pertaining to funding requirements: https://grad.illinois.edu/admissions/instructions/04d.

Application materials are reviewed by faculty in the applicant’s identified Illinois School of Architecture program area using the following criteria in order of importance:

• Statement of Intent
• Academic performance, grade point average (GPA) calculated for the applicant’s junior and senior year of undergraduate work; specifically, we calculate the last 60 hours of undergraduate work, or, if the applicant is a second semester senior, not less than the last 45 hours
• Portfolio demonstrating creative design abilities, academic writing abilities, and skill
• Letters of recommendation
• Work experience related to the applicant’s stated MS interest area
• Extra-curricular leadership and activities

A portfolio is required as part of the application materials for the MS program. The portfolio should include both design work and written papers. Applicants should contact the chair of the program area of interest for specific materials to be included in an MS applicant’s portfolio. This portfolio should demonstrate the applicant’s creative abilities as well as talent and skill in academic writing.

Portfolio should be uploaded under the “Program Essay” section in the admissions application.

• Show at least six (6) different items completed as a student, professionally, or in extracurricular or personal study
• Be organized chronologically, with the earliest items placed at the beginning of the portfolio and the most recently completed at the end
• Demonstrate an applicant’s abilities and skill level in analytical thinking and graphic and written communication; a short explanatory narrative must accompany each entry
• Demonstrate attention to detail as appropriate for each item included

To receive full consideration, any professional work should include a statement from the employer indicating the extent of the work performed by the applicant. All examples of work should state whether the project was completed individually or by a group. For projects completed by a group, the applicant must include a statement outlining the number of group members and the applicant’s responsibilities as part of the group.

Portfolio Specifications

• Required file format: PDF
• Maximum number of sheets: 25 spreads (50 numbered pages)
• Maximum file size: 20MB