Applicable only to students admitted during the 2012-2013 academic year.

Architecture and Urban Design

School of the Arts and Architecture

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Architecture and Urban Design offers the Master of Architecture I (M.Arch. I) and Master of Architecture II (M.Arch. II) degrees, and the Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Architecture.

Admission

Program Name

Architecture

Please note that the 10-month M.Arch. II Architecture -- M.Arch.II is offered in a separate major.

Address

1317 Perloff Hall
Box 951467
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1467 

Phone

(310) 825-0525 

Email

admissions@aud.ucla.edu  

Leading to the degree of

M.Arch., M.A., Ph.D. 

Admission Limited to

Fall 

Deadline to apply

December 15th 

GRE (General and/or Subject)

GRE: General 

Letters of Recommendation 

3 

Other Requirements

In addition to the University's minimum requirements and those listed above, all applicants are expected to submit a statement of purpose, creative portfolio, and the departmental supplement.

For applicants whose native language is not English, a score of at least 98 (iBT), 580 (paper and pencil test) or 237 (computer-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an overall band score of 7.0 on the International English Testing System (IELTS) examination is required for admission.

Master of Architecture I: Accepts applications from students with a broad diversity of backgrounds. Although no formal training in architecture is required, first-year classes assume some familiarity with the history and culture of architecture, possession of basic graphics skills, and understanding of fundamental concepts of mathematics and physics. Applicants are also strongly advised to become familiar with basic works in the history and theory of architecture before entering the program. Therefore, applicants must have taken at least one college-level course in each of the following areas: Newtonian physics; mathematics (covering algebra plus geometry or trigonometry); a university survey of the history of architecture (minimum one semester or two quarters) encompassing examples from antiquity to the present; and drawing or basic design. Applicants should contact the graduate adviser for further information on these prerequisites.

The Admissions Committee considers applications from those who do not have these prerequisites at the time of application. Such applicants must specify how they plan to complete the prerequisites before entry into the program. The graduate adviser can provide guidance on how to do so. Admission is only offered on the condition that the applicant produce satisfactory evidence of having completed prerequisites before commencing classes. Instructors may test background in these areas before admitting students to certain courses. If applicants lack this necessary proficiency, they may need to spend an additional year fulfilling curricular requirements.

The M.Arch. I program is a full-time program and does not accept part-time students.

Architecture M.Arch. I /Urban Planning, M.U.R.P.

The Department of Architecture and Urban Design in the School of the Arts and Architecture and the Department of Urban Planning in the School of Public Policy and Social Research offer a concurrent plan of study providing an integrated curriculum for architects interested in specializing in social, economic, and environmental policy issues and for urban planners interested in integrating architecture and urban design into policy and planning practice. Education in planning offers an overview of theories and methods that permit identification and treatment of urban problems; education in architecture stresses physical, aesthetic and technical issues in the design of buildings and building complexes. In the program, a student pursues studies in both schools/departments and receives both the Master of Architecture Degree (M.Arch. I) and the Master of Urban and Regional Planning Degree in Urban Planning (M.U.R.P.) at the end of four years.

A student who is interested in the concurrent degree program, must apply and be admitted to the M.Arch. I Program in the Department of Architecture and Urban Design, and the M.U.R.P. Program in the Department of Urban Planning.

For additional information, applicants should contact the graduate advisers in the Department of Urban Planning and in the Department of Architecture and Urban Design.

Master of Architecture II: The M.Arch. II degree is a second professional degree program in Architecture and Urban Design and emphasizes advanced studies in architecture and urban design and requires that applicants hold a five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree or the equivalent.

M.A.: The M.A. program in Architecture offers an academic degree and prepares students to do specialized research or teaching in fields related to the architecture profession. Applicants should possess the experience and knowledge that would allow advanced research in whatever aspect of architecture they plan to explore within the context of the master's program.

It may be possible for an M.A. student in Architecture to petition to transfer from the M.A. to the Ph.D. program.

Ph.D.: Applicants should have completed a first professional degree in architecture (a five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree or a professional Master of Architecture degree). Applicants who hold degrees in other fields also are encouraged to apply; however, at the discretion of the Ph.D. Program Committee, they may be required to complete specific coursework in the department as a condition of admission.

In addition to requirements listed above, the application dossier must include (1) a short biographical résumé; (2) examples of research and/or creative work; and (3) a proposed program of studies.

Where feasible, the Ph.D. Program Committee may require an interview.

Admission to the program is granted to a small group each year, according to the following criteria:

(1) Evidence of capacity for original scholarship and research in architecture, and ability to achieve eminence in the field.
(2) Demonstration of an outstanding academic record through the evidence of grades (3.5 minimum grade-point average), GRE scores, and references.
(3) Demonstration of adequate communication skills, particularly in writing, in the work submitted.
(4) Presentation of a clear and realistic statement of purpose. 

Master of Architecture I

Advising

Students are assigned a temporary adviser upon entering the department and select a permanent faculty adviser when they are ready to do so. The faculty member meets with students at least once each quarter and discusses the curriculum, approves selection of courses, and is available for special counseling as needed. Students who wish to change their adviser should obtain the consent of the new faculty adviser and discuss this change with the graduate adviser. The faculty adviser and the staff graduate adviser work together in explaining curricular requirements and in dealing with any personal or academic difficulties that may occur.

Areas of Study

None.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

A minimum of 126 units of coursework is required of which at least 114 units must be taken at the graduate level (200 and 400 series). Students must take at least eight units per quarter and may take up to 16 units in a quarter. The remaining 12 units of required coursework may include upper division undergraduate courses but these must be courses offered by departments other than Architecture and Urban Design, or no more than eight units of 596 (independent study) courses that may be taken campuswide.

Required Courses. All students must successfully complete the following courses:

Architecture and Urban Design M201, 220, 291, 401, 403A-403B-403C, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 431, 432, 433, 436, 437, 441, 442, 461, and three courses in Critical Studies in Architectural Culture.

Design Studios. Design studios offered for M.Arch. I students are classified in three levels: introductory (411), intermediate (412, 413, 414), and advanced (401, 403A-403B-403C, 415).

If students maintain at least a B average in these studio levels, they automatically pass from the introductory to the intermediate level, from the intermediate level to the advanced level, and from the advanced level to the comprehensive examination. Students who do not maintain a B average in these studio levels are reviewed by a faculty committee, and are not permitted to advance unless explicitly allowed by that committee.

Waiving Required Courses. Students who believe they can demonstrate that they already have adequate background in topics covered by specific required courses may petition to waive those courses and replace them with electives. However, permission to waive required courses does not, in itself, reduce the minimum number of 126 units required for the M.Arch. I degree, nor does it reduce the nine-quarter residency requirement.

A petition to waive an individual required course should be addressed to the faculty member responsible for that course and may be granted at the faculty member's discretion, possibly by means of a special examination. The petition should present evidence of adequate background in the specific topic of the course, preferably through a transcript and a syllabus of the course.

Independent Study. Students may apply eight units of 596 coursework toward the elective course requirements for graduation. All independent work with 500-series course numbers must be undertaken with the guidance and approval of a departmental faculty member who evaluates the work on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

Course of Study. A normal, three-year path through the curriculum is listed below. Required courses other than design studios are normally only offered once a year, so failure to successfully complete one of these courses at the point shown may lengthen the time required to complete the program. Sections of Architecture and Urban Design 401, required studios, are normally available each quarter. Students are required to take the following courses, in the sequence indicated.

First Year:

Fall: Architecture and Urban Design M201, 220, 411, 436.

Winter: Architecture and Urban Design 412, 431, elective.

Spring: Architecture and Urban Design 413, 432, 442.

Second Year:

Fall: Architecture and Urban Design 414, 433, elective.

Winter: Architecture and Urban Design 415, 437, elective.

Spring: Architecture and Urban Design 401, 441, 461 (or M404).

Third Year:

Fall: Architecture and Urban Design 291, 401, 403A, elective.

Winter: Architecture and Urban Design 401, 403B, one elective.

Spring: Two electives, Architecture and Urban Design 403C.

Architecture M.Arch. I /Urban Planning, M.A.

During the first year a student follows the required urban planning curriculum. The second year is entirely in Architecture/Urban Design. The third and fourth years comprise a mix of both Architecture/Urban Design and Urban Planning courses, with the final design or written thesis or client or comprehensive project carried out in the fourth year.

A total of 39 courses (26 four-unit, nine six-unit, and four two-unit courses) or 166 units of coursework is required to graduate. A student will take at least 36 units in Urban Planning and 110 units in Architecture and Urban Design to satisfy the specific requirements of each degree, including core courses in both programs and area of concentration courses from each program. To fulfill the core requirements for the M.A. degree in Urban Planning a student must take six core courses, plus one course related to planning practice or fieldwork. In Architecture and Urban Design a student will take 22 core courses (nine six-unit, nine four-unit, and four two-unit courses). In addition a student will take eight elective courses including three electives in the area of critical studies in architectural culture and five electives that fulfill the needs of the selected area of concentration. These may be chosen from courses offered in Architecture/Urban Design and Urban Planning, which have been identified as acceptable to both programs. To fulfill the comprehensive examination requirement in Architecture and Urban Design, students are required to take Architecture and Urban Design 403A-403B-403C in the fourth year. An additional one or two courses may be needed in the fourth year to meet the Urban Planning thesis/comprehensive examination requirement. Thirty-two units of coursework, or eight elective courses, are double-counted in both Architecture and Urban Design and Urban Planning.

If a student is in the concurrent degree program and decides not to complete either the M.Arch. I degree or the M.A. degree, all the regular requirements for the program that a student wishes to complete must be met.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Comprehensive Examination Plan

All M. Arch.I students must complete the comprehensive examination, a requirement that is satisfied as follows:

The comprehensive examination requirement is fulfilled through the completion of Architecture and Urban Design 403C in Spring Quarter and the final design project for this course. The examination committee consists of at least three faculty members appointed by the department chair. The examination is administered and evaluated for satisfactory performance by the examination committee. The committee evaluates the final design projects in the following terms: pass (a unanimous vote), pass subject to revision of the final design project, or fail (majority vote). No reexaminations are permitted. When the final design project is passed subject to revision, one member of the committee is assigned the responsibility of working with the student on the revision and determining when the final design project has been satisfactorily revised.

Two positive votes from the committee constitute a pass on the comprehensive examination. No reexaminations are permitted. The degree is awarded on recommendation of the faculty committee.

Architecture M.Arch.I /Urban Planning, M.A.

Students in the concurrent degree program must meet the thesis/comprehensive examination requirements separately for each department. In Architecture and Urban Design the comprehensive examination requirement is met through Architecture and Urban Design 403A-403B-403C, as outlined above. In Urban Planning, students may fulfill the requirement through (1) a thesis (an original piece of research of publishable length and quality); (2) a client project; or (3) a comprehensive examination. Students are encouraged to choose a topic that integrates planning and policy aspects with design. Two separate comprehensive examination/thesis committees must be formed (one from each department). These two committees must evaluate and vote separately on the two separate comprehensive examinations/theses.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

The normal length of time for completion of the M.Arch. I degree is nine academic quarters (three years).

PAGE 2 -- Master of Architecture II
PAGE 3 -- Master of Arts and Doctoral Program