Graduate Admissions

The School of Architecture offers four graduate programs to students who hold an approved baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university:

Students enrolled in one of our graduate programs are also eligible to pursue the Historic Preservation certificate.

Please note that admissions procedures for the Graduate (Ph.D.) Program in the History of Art and Architecture are handled by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, not the School of Architecture.

If you are a degree candidate in one of the four graduate curricula offered in the School of Architecture, you must hold an approved baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.

Our students come from a variety of backgrounds and interests which help shape their graduate studies. More information on our students and student work can be found in the Profiles and Projects sections. For general information on our Fall 2011 entering class, please see the 2011 Entering Class Profile.

Request Information

If you would like to receive information from the School of Architecture, please complete our online request form. You will receive an e-mail from us once your request has been processed.

Graduate Open Houses

All prospective graduate students are invited to attend our Fall Graduate Open House. You will have the opportunity to meet teaching graduate faculty, admissions officers and enrolled graduate students, as well as tour the School facilities, University grounds and the surrounding community. Admissions office personnel will be available throughout the day to meet with you about the admissions and financial aid application processes.

The Spring Open House is open to any graduate student admitted for the following year. Admitted students will have the opportunity to meet representatives from each department, visit with current graduate students, tour the facilities, learn more about financial aid, attend a faculty lecture, and tour the University grounds.

Admissions Process

For admission to the Fall 2012 entering class

Important Dates

Sep 2, 2011: Online application available
Oct 21, 2011: Fall Graduate Open House
Jan 4, 2012: Application deadline for Master of Architectural History, Architecture, and Urban and Environmental Planning programs.
Jan 11, 2012: Application deadline for Master of Landscape Architecture program.
Feb 15, 2012: Deadline to submit financial aid applications (FAFSA and U. Va.’s graduate financial aid application) in order to receive financial aid estimate before April 15 decision deadline.
Mar 14, 2012: Applicants notified of admissions decision.
March 31, 2012:FAFSA and U. Va.’s financial aid application deadline.
April 16, 2012: Admitted students’ acceptance deadline.

Application Information

Step 1: Create a personalized web account—if you have already created a My Grad Page account, please go to Step #2. If you have not, do so now.
Note: If you are applying to more than one degree program within the School of Architecture, you must submit one application and appropriate supplemental materials for each program to which you are applying. You must create an individual My Grad Page account per application and each account must have a different e–mail address. If you have questions regarding this requirement, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions and Financial Aid at 434.924.6442.

Step 2: Login to My Grad Page. A link to the application will be under the “Apply Online for Fall 2012 admission.”
Note: Admissions for the Graduate (Ph.D.) Program in the History of Art and Architecture are handled by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, not the School of Architecture.

Application Deadline

The online application and all supplemental application materials must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the dates listed below. Please note, any transcripts being mailed to the School of Architecture must be postmarked by the deadlines listed below.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012: Master of Architectural History, Master of Architecture, and Master of Urban and Environmental Planning
Wednesday, January 11, 2012: Master of Landscape Architecture

Application Requirements

Items to Submit Through the Online Application

The following items will be collected through the online application. If you are applying to more than one program, you will need to submit the following for each program to which you are applying (one per online application).

Unofficial Transcripts: Unofficial transcripts will be reviewed by the Admissions Committees, however offers of admissions are not binding until official transcripts have been received and verified by the School of Architecture Office of Graduate Admissions and Financial Aid. For the initial application review, we ask that you upload your unofficial transcripts to the application. If you cannot upload unofficial transcripts to the application, you may also mail the transcripts to the addresses listed at the bottom of this page.
Resume / CV (Curriculum Vitae)
Statement of Intent:

Applicants to any degree program except Master of Architecture, Path C: A concise statement of intent is required by the Admissions Committee in order to determine how well conceived are your plans for graduate study. The statement should be specific, well written, and should reflect your understanding of the discipline and your interest in this graduate program, and provide some indication of your professional goals or intentions.
Master of Architecture, Path C applicants: Please submit a concise statement of intent (500 word max) describing your educational, professional, academic, research and/or creative experiences and the influence of these experiences on the development of your design and research interests.

Essay:

Architectural History applicants: Submit a 250 word essay on a book in Architectural History that you have found important for your interests.
Architecture applicants (Path A or B): Submit a 250 word essay on one designed or vernacular work of architecture or an urban condition that you have seen and found significant.
Architecture applicants (Path C): Architecture (Path C) applicants are required to submit a 250 word essay that should answer the following questions: (a) What design issues and research topics do you want to explore in graduate school? (b) Which faculty member(s) would you particularly like to study with at the University of Virginia and why?
Landscape Architecture (Path A and Path A Advanced Standing) applicants: Submit a 250 word essay on one designed or vernacular landscape that you have seen and found significant.
Landscape Architecture (Path B) applicants: Submit a 250 word essay that should answer the following questions: (a) What design issues and research topics do you want to explore in graduate school? (b) Which faculty member would you particularly like to study with at the University of Virginia and why?

Letters of Recommendation: You are required to submit three letters of recommendation, at least two of which should be from former teachers if you received your undergraduate degree within the last five years. Letters from former employers are also encouraged. Your recommenders must submit their letters of recommendation via the online application module. If you are applying to more than one program, you will need to submit three letters of recommendation for each program to which you are applying. Current U.Va. graduate students who are applying to the Master of Urban and Environmental Planning program: Please see Erica Spangler in the Office of Graduate Admissions and Financial Aid for more information regarding required letters of recommendation.
Portfolio: All Master of Architecture and/or Master of Landscape Architecture applicants must submit an electronic portfolio with the online application to each program. Your portfolio should show evidence of interest in design. The portfolio should be carefully conceived, well designed, neatly prepared, and easily readable digitally. We encourage you to design your portfolio for digital review rather than submitting an electronic version of your printed portfolio.

Additionally, the portfolio should provide an indication of your aptitude for thinking critically and creatively through design. This can come in many forms. Such items as photographs of executed artwork, pottery, sculpture, photographic essays, and weaving have been submitted in the past. In addition, we have received prose, poetry, published writings, and illustrated reports as evidence of an applicant’s interest and experience in dealing with design or aesthetic matters. With the new digital requirement, you can also embed links to online YouTube videos in your portfolio. All of these can be meaningful, and we encourage you to think freely about the manner in which they may meet this application requirement. Applicants to the Master of Architecture Path C program must submit a portfolio which illustrates the design and/or research issues they wish to pursue if admitted to program.

For successful submission, the portfolio:
- Must be no more than 15 MB. Any portfolio over 15 MB will not be accepted by our online form.
- Must be a pdf file. We do not accept any other file types.
- The portfolios will be reviewed digitally (it will not be printed), therefore we suggest formatting your portfolio for view on a computer screen, and we suggest using a horizontal format in your design.
Applicants to the Master of Architectural History and Master of Urban and Environmental Planning programs are not expected to submit portfolios.
$60 non–refundable application fee: You may submit your application fee via credit card via the online application. Your application cannot be submitted until we receive your non–refundable application fee. If you cannot pay by credit card, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions and Financial Aid at 434–924–6442.

You may be exempt from paying the $60 non–refundable application fee if:

You are a current graduate student in the School of Architecture applying for a second degree.
You are a member of AmeriCorps, National College Advising Corps, Peace Corps, Project 1000, McNair Scholars, or Teach for America.

Students who meet any of the criteria listed above should contact the Office of Graduate Admission and Financial Aid at 434–924–6442 prior to submitting the application.

Items to Submit Via Alternate Agency

Official GRE scores. You are required to take the general test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Test scores should be forwarded directly from Educational Testing Services to the School of Architecture. The School of Architecture institution code number on the GRE form is 5820. You must retake the exam if your scores are more than 5 years old. Please note: Due to a system change at U.Va., if ETS sent your GRE scores to U. Va. prior to August 2008, we will not be able to retrieve your scores. Please ask ETS to resend your scores. Scores must be submitted by the appropriate application deadline listed above.
Official TOEFL scores. If you are an international applicant whose first or native language is not English, you are also required to take the TOFL examination. Test scores should be forwarded directly from Educational Testing Services to the School of Architecture. The School of Architecture institution code number on the TOEFL form is 5820. You must retake your exam if the scores are more than 2 years old. IELTS scores will also be accepted in lieu of the TOEFL. Please note: Due to a system change at U. Va., if ETS sent your TOEFL scores to U.Va. prior to April 2008, we will not be able to retrieve your scores. Please ask ETS to resend your scores. Scores must be submitted by the appropriate application deadline listed above.

Mailing Addresses

As a reminder, all applications items should be submitted electronically. If you cannot upload your unofficial transcripts to the application, or if you would like to mail official transcripts, please use the address below. All other materials received via mail will not be reviewed.

Postal Mail should go to:

Graduate Admissions
School of Architecture
Campbell Hall
P.O. Box 400122
Charlottesville VA 22904–4122
Telephone: (434) 924–6442

Physical Address (for overnight mail, FEDEx, UPS, and DHL):

Graduate Admissions
School of Architecture
Campbell Hall
Rugby Road
Charlottesville VA 22903
Telephone: (434) 924–6442

Requirements Before You Enroll

Students interested in pursuing a Master of Architecture Professional degree through the Path A or Path B program must have completed Calculus I and Physics I before starting the program. It is recommended that students complete the classes prior to applying, however it is not required. Any 3–4 credit physics course will fulfill the requirement; however it would be beneficial to the student if the course covered the areas of statics and mechanics. Please note students interested in pursuing the Master of Architecture Post–Professional degree (Path C) are waived from this requirement.

Financial Aid, Tuition, and Fees

The University of Virginia and School of Architecture offers a variety of financial aid options for students interested in pursuing graduate work at the School including fellowships, student loans, and work-study funding. For more information about financial aid please visit our Financial Aid web page.

Student Financial Services provides a Cost of Attendance estimate online, which includes an estimate of the cost for one-year at U.Va. including tuition, fees, room, board, personal expenses, and travel. You can also view the tuition and fees schedule online.

All students in the School of Architecture are required to provide their own personal laptop computer. See Computer Requreiments for Students.

Admissions Questions and Contact

Previous applicants and current School of Architecture graduate students: please see our Frequently Asked Questions for more information about your application requirements.

If you still have questions about our admissions process, please contact Erica Spangler, Director of Admissions, at 434-924-6442, arch-admissions@virginia.edu.

University of Virginia: School of Architecture