M.Arch Application Requirements

A portfolio is required for application to the School of Architecture. Placement into our studio course sequence is based on portfolio review and transcript evaluation.

This document provides an overview of the application process. We rely on skills demonstrated in the portfolio to determine placement that ensures student success. Please take care to curate your best work!

  1. Application: Submit an online application
  2. Thematic Essay: One-page essay about an architectural idea or subject such as light in the built/natural environments, materiality, social or environmental responsibility, use of precedents, etc. Please be analytical and critical (700-word limit). Upload PDF to SlideRoom.
  3. Personal History Essay: One-page essay describing your background, personal and professional experiences, and academic interest (700-word limit). Upload PDF to SlideRoom.
  4. Official Transcripts: Transcripts must be sent directly from the college(s) to transcripts@academyart.edu. Official transcripts, once received, will be uploaded to SlideRoom by Academy of Art. (Note: international transcripts must be evaluated by an approved credential evaluation agency – please contact your admissions representative for a list)
  5. Resume: Please describe your educational background, work experience, and skill sets. Upload PDF to SlideRoom.
  6. Portfolio: Placement is based on skills evidenced in a portfolio. Please see Portfolio Guidelines. Upload PDF to SlideRoom.
  7. Letter of Recommendation: Letter of support attesting your interest, aptitude, work ethic in an academic or professional setting. Required for M.Arch applicants. Upload PDF to SlideRoom.

General Studies for M.Arch Applicants

  • As part of your undergraduate degree at a regionally accredited institution, you must have completed a minimum of 42 semester credits of General Studies comprising of humanities, fine arts, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences to satisfy NAAB accreditation requirement for broad, interdisciplinary understanding of human knowledge.
  • Mathematics must include college level algebra.
  • Natural Sciences must include college level Physics.

Portfolio for M.Arch Application

  • The portfolio should visually document your creative endeavors and support your intent to study and practice architecture. The portfolio is considered a design project and will be evaluated for content as well as for clarity in visual communication.
  • Portfolio must be a multi-page PDF file. Please include detailed descriptions of each project. Please limit to about 25 pages. Please note that maximum file size for SlideRoom is 10MB for each PDF file.
  • Please list your name on the cover page as well as on each page of the portfolio.
  • URL link to a portfolio website can be submitted but it must be in addition to a portfolio PDF file.
  • For group projects, please describe in detail your contribution to the group work.
  • All material, written and graphic, must be original work created by you. Any referenced work must be properly cited.

M.Arch Track 1 Portfolio Guidelines

Portfolio for M.Arch Track 1 Application

For applicants with an undergraduate degree in architecture.

  1. Please include a range of building types and project sizes.
  2. For collaborative work (or projects done in an architecture firm) please describe your role and list skills utilized to complete the tasks.
  3. List all software programs used (ie, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Rhino, AutoCAD, Revit, Twinmotion, Enscape, Lumion, etc.).

For EACH project included in the portfolio, please provide:

  • Project brief and requirements
  • Text narrative describing important design decisions
  • Process work including sketches or study models as evidence of an iterative design process
  • Design concept diagram
  • Site analysis of context, history, climate, etc.
  • Program diagram and/or user group research
  • Orthographic drawings (plan, section, elevation, site plan, etc.)
  • Rendered views of building exterior and interior
  • Physical models
  • Free-hand sketches

For at least one project, please additionally provide:

  • Structural diagram identifying structural systems selected
  • Wall section identifying envelope materials and their tectonics

M.Arch Track 2 Portfolio Guidelines

Portfolio for M.Arch Track 2 Application

For applicants with an undergraduate degree unrelated to architecture.

Please include projects that showcase spatial and/or visual composition skills, environmental awareness, craftsmanship, scale and proportion.

Your portfolio can include any of the following:

  • Freehand sketches (ie, still life, figure drawings, etc.)
  • Hand drawn and rendered perspectives (interior and/or exterior spaces)
  • Observations and analysis of a place (ie, travel sketches)
  • Studio art
  • Hand crafted models
  • Photographic essay
  • Computer drafted drawings (plans, sections, elevations) and/or digital models
  • Furniture design and/or fabrication
  • Construction experience and/or knowledge

Here are links to information helpful for graduate students. Please click on the images.