| M.Arch Admissions |
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The next date for admission to the Master of Architecture (M.Arch) program at UC Berkeley is Fall 2009. Admission is for the fall semester only. We recommend beginning the admissions process well in advance of the December 15, 2008, deadline. Please read this page carefully. In addition, you may wish to review our list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). The Master of Architecture degree program has three curriculum options depending upon undergraduate major:
Application Components 1. University Application and Fee The University application and application fee ($60 for U.S. citizens or current permanent residents, $80 for all others) must be submitted online by December 15, 2008, for Fall 2009 admission consideration. The department does not accept paper applications. 2. Supplemental Application Materials In addition to submitting the online application and fee, applicants must assemble and submit by mail the following materials. Please click on the links below for further information about each.
Mailing Address All supplemental materials must be postmarked by December 15, 2008, and mailed to: M.Arch Graduate Admissions We request that applicants make their best effort to include all materials in one package. Please do not enclose your supporting documents in plastic covers, cases, sleeves, or binders as these extraneous elements will be discarded. Review of Applications The Graduate Division will send you a confirmation email after your online application is submitted, so please be sure that the email address you indicate on Form A is one you check regularly. Important: To work around bulk email or SPAM guards, the Architecture Graduate Office requests that applicants set up a filter in their email accounts to direct email from the following addresses to their "In" folders: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it and This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Please bear in mind that due to the quantity of applications we process, it is difficult for the Architecture Graduate Office to answer individual application status inquiries. We request that you do not call or email to ask what we have received. If we are missing any of your materials, we will email you regarding your application file status by the second week in February. We understand that official transcripts, standardized test scores, and letters of recommendation may trail an application as they may not be under the applicant's direct control. However, these documents are expected to arrive within three weeks after the December 15 deadline. Notification of Acceptance Unofficial application decisions are emailed to applicants by the end of March. Applicants who have been recommended for admission are notified by the Graduate Division by mid-April. Only the written notice of the Dean of the Graduate Division constitutes approval of admission. Correspondence with the department or with individual faculty members, no matter what the content, does not commit the University to an approval of admission. Below are details on the required supplemental components. This should be a one-page essay stating your purpose for entering the M. Arch program and career goals. Please note that M. Arch applicants are not expected to have a specialized area of study. Statements should be clear and focused. Please submit your statement of purpose by one of the following methods:
For general tips on writing a statement of purpose, visit the UC Berkeley Career Center website. A one-page narrative on your life background including work experience. You may include a résumé in addition to, but not in place of, the personal history statement. The personal history statement is expected to cover the applicant's life story and achievements as well as educational and cultural opportunities or circumstances that deprived you of these; family background; economic circumstances; special interests and abilities; and community or social service involvement, especially as they intersect your academic goals and intellectual pursuits. U.S. Students: Please calculate your grade point average on course work taken after your first two years of university; the first two years are not counted in the admissions review process. International Students: Calculate grades using all courses appearing on your undergraduate transcript. Every applicant must include courses taken for a grade, except physical education. If you have taken graduate courses after completing a bachelor degree, please calculate the GPA for those courses separately. Please complete and print out the sheet that applies to the grading system of your previous school. If your school did not assign letter grades or it had a different grading system than the scales we provide below, you do not have to fill out the form. This GPA calculator is a Microsoft Excel document. There are 2 different worksheets available. You can access Sheets 1 and 2 by clicking on the tabs at the bottom of the Excel document: Sheet 1: 4.0 letter grade scale The University requires a minimum grade-point average of 3.0, B, or equivalent. Two official sets of transcripts Two official sets of transcripts are required from the institution from which the undergraduate degree was earned. If the credits for course work transferred from another school are not accompanied with grades on your undergraduate transcript, we will require a separate official transcript from that other school. Please include transcripts of other course work relevant to graduate study in architecture. Carefully review the section "Minimum Degree Requirements and Required Records of Academic Work" on the Graduate Division website. Students sending their application components in a single package may include official transcripts in envelopes sealed and stamped by the institutions that issued them. Some colleges or universities will not issue transcripts directly to the student. In this case, the institutions may send the transcripts directly to our office. Three letters of recommendation The letters should testify mainly to academic and professional capacity and promise. Letters should be substantive and from academics and professionals who know you and your work well. You can download and print out recommendation cover Form G [pdf]. If your recommenders prefer to use their own stationery, please have them complete and attach Form G to the front of their letter of recommendation, which is to be printed on formal letterhead stationery. Letters should come in envelopes signed across the seal by the recommender. Exhibit (portfolio) of creative work All applicants to the M.Arch program are required to present a portfolio of design work. Portfolios are judged both on content and on overall design. Applicants with no architectural training may submit work showing other evidence of creativity (studio art, construction/renovation, furniture design, etc.) that makes a clear demonstration of your interest in the design field. Anything submitted that is not entirely the applicant’s own work must be clearly identified. Portfolio formatting requirements: Twelve single- or double-sided pages; sheet dimensions must not exceed 8-1/2" x 11"; portfolio must be no thicker than 1/4"; submit color or black & white photocopies/computer images; include your name on the front or back of each sheet; presentation and layout of works is up to the applicant. We will not accept slides, CDs, disks, or videos. Binding: The review committee prefers that the portfolio be bound at one corner with a clip or staple. We will also accept a flat binding or spiral binding if it is smaller than 1/2" in diameter. Do not bind your portfolio with loose binder rings or nuts/bolts. Do not submit your work in a 3-ring binder. Portfolios that do not adhere to the formatting requirements will be modified. Note: The graduate office has a collection of sample portfolios of past admitted M.Arch applicants for in-office viewing in 370 Wurster Hall. Copying, photographing, or sketching examples from these portfolios, however, is not permitted. One standardized exam required: GRE or TOEFL Domestic applicants must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and have their scores reported to the Graduate Division by the Educational Testing Service. The school code is 4833; the department code is 4401. The written form of the GRE must be taken by November. The computer-based test must be taken by December. The GRE must have been taken after June 2004. Applicants from non-English-speaking countries must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination instead of the GRE. The school code is 4833; the department code is 12. The TOEFL must have been taken after June 2007. Foreign applicants who have baccalaureate degrees from educational institutions at which instruction was in English must take the GRE rather than the TOEFL. |
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