Graduate Admissions Process

Application For Admission For Fall 2010

The application for admission to the graduate programs offered by the School of Architecture is now available. Please follow the instructions below to access the application.

Step 1: Create a personalized web account called “My Grad Page.”

If you have already created a My Grad Page account, please go to Step #2. If you have not created a My Grad Page account, please click here.

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, each with 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 “Admissions Checklist.”

Please note that 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. For admissions deadlines please see the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Application Deadline

The deadline to submit the online application is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 5, 2010. Additionally, all supplemental materials (official transcripts, portfolio, GRE and TOELF test scores) must be submitted or postmarked by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 5, 2010. More information about the online application and additional required materials is below.

Application Forms — Financial Aid Applications

The School of Architecture and the University of Virginia offer several forms of financial assistance. Please be aware of priority deadlines for financial aid.

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).

1. Resume / CV (Curriculum Vitae)
2. Statement of Intent
   1. 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.
   2. 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.
3. Essay
   1. Architectural History applicants: Submit a 250 word essay on a book in Architectural History that you have found important for your interests.
   2. 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.
   3. 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?
   4. 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.
   5. 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?
4. 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 this online application module. Please click on the Recommendations link to the left for more information. 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.
5. $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.

Items to Submit Via Mail or Alternate Agency

1. Official transcripts. Official transcripts are required for all undergraduate and graduate schools attended. Transcripts should be sent directly to the School of Architecture by the registrar of each school. (Transcripts submitted which are not in the original, unopened envelope provided by the registrar of each school will not be considered official and will need to be replaced.) If you are applying to more than one program, you will need to submit official transcripts for each program to which you are applying.
2. 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 January 5, 2010.
3. 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 January 5, 2010.
4. Portfolio showing evidence of interest in design is required if you are applying to the Architecture and/or Landscape Architecture programs. The portfolio should be carefully conceived, well designed, and neatly prepared. It should provide an indication of your aptitude for design. Such items as photographs of executed art–work, 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. 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.
   
   No portfolio should be larger than 8 1/2 x 11 in. A thickness of 1/2 to 3/4 in. is desirable. When submitting your portfolio, a self–addressed, first–class postage stamped envelope for return of your portfolio is required. Please note that we will not accept FEDEx or UPS forms to use for returning applicants’ portfolios. When no return envelope is provided, the portfolio will be retained by the School of Architecture.

   Additional Portfolio Materials. The portfolio is the primary means for communicating your aptitude for design. However, the portfolio may be supplemented with a few select examples of work which may be best viewed digitally. Please provide an accurate web address to a site that displays these supplementary materials. The admissions committee will not review slides, CDs, DVDs, or tapes.

   If you are applying to the Architecture and Landscape Architecture programs, you will need to submit a portfolio for each program to which you are applying.
   
   Each portfolio must be mailed to the School of Architecture Office of Graduate Admissions and Financial Aid. Please see appropriate mailing addresses below.The only two items that will be received by the Office of Graduate Admissions and Financial Aid via mail are:
   1. The portfolio(s),
   2. Official transcript(s),
   
   The portfolio(s) and official transcript(s) should be sent to the address below. The materials must be postmarked by January 5, 2010. ETS will send the GRE and TOEFL scores to the Office of Graduate Admission electronically. Please note: Due to a system change at U. Va., if ETS sent your GRE scores to U. Va. prior to August 2008 and/or 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 January 5, 2010. The GRE and TOEFL scores must be sent by ETS by January 5, 2010.
   
   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.