Applicants seeking admission to the MArch program compete each year for the approximately 30 places available. An admissions committee made up of both faculty and MArch students evaluates applicants individually. There is no specific "type" of applicant; MIT seeks to accept people with varied backgrounds and experiences. Applicants must demonstrate intellectual achievement, motivation, discipline, responsibility, imagination, perception and an open mind. Projects and experiences are judged, not only on their intrinsic merit, but also on evidence of the applicant's ability to initiate and follow through on work that is personally meaningful.

Students entering without any previous formal study of architecture will normally take 3-1/2 years to complete the MArch degree program. We admit a large enough group of graduate students in this category to form a cohesive class. They begin with one year of common architectural design studio and develop a sense of continuity and support for each other and for the activities of the department.

Those applicants who have taken architectural design at accredited architecture schools may be given some credit and/or advanced standing for their previous academic work. Their point of entry into the design sequence is determined by the admissions committee and if approved, will be admitted with advanced entry to complete the program in 2-1/2 years of study.

Applicants who already hold professional degrees are not admitted to the MArch program but instead should apply to the SMArchS program of their choice. A professional degree in architecture is a degree that provides training to become a licensed architect. If your goal is to become a licensed professional architect in the United States, you may apply to have your current degree evaluated by the Education Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA). EESA will compare your degree to the US National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) education standard; they will identify any deficiencies. This means you may have to take only a few classes, if any, on your path to becoming a licensed architect in the US instead of completing a second professional degree.

The Application Deadline is December 31 at midnight for all applications. Application material must be submitted by the deadline. Late applications will not be reviewed. It is the responsibility of the applicant to be sure that the application is completed.

Three letters of recommendation. Letters from instructors are preferred unless you have been working for several years, in which case supervisors may be included. The application can be submitted with fewer than three letters, but be sure to remind your instructors to complete their letters. Applications still missing two or more letters when review begins will not be reviewed. Review the instructions for letter submission in the "Letters Status" section of the application system. Applicants will send prepared emails to the recommenders containing a secure link to the recommendation form. We prefer that letters be submitted through the online application, and not a third-party letter distributor.

Transcripts for all relevant degrees, official or unofficial, must be uploaded to the application system. PDFs must be clearly readable and oriented correctly on the screen. Only those applicants who are accepted for admission will be required to send a hard copy of an official, sealed transcript (with English translation) from each school attended. Please do not have official copies sent to our office unless you are admitted. Certificate and community college transcripts do not need to be sent unless the courses are not also listed on your primary college transcripts. Non-English transcripts must be translated into English, and if necessary, signed by a licensed notary and accompanied by the original version.

In addition to transcripts, applicants should complete the Subjects Taken section with any relevant course work. If you have taken studios, indicate this on the Test Scores/Experience/Electronic Portfolio section.

IELTS or TOEFL Score.

Applicants whose first language is not English are required to submit either an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score (Academic test) or a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), regardless of citizenship or residency in the U.S. while attending other educational institutions. No exceptions are made. The admissions committee regards English proficiency as crucial for success in all degree programs. In order to meet the admissions deadline, it is recommended that candidates take the IELTS or TOEFL on the earliest possible date.

Applicants must request that an official copy of their test results be sent directly to MIT by IELTS International or Educational Testing Service. IELTS and TOEFL Scores must be no older than two years as of the date of application. To avoid delays, please use the following codes when having your TOEFL scores sent to MIT:

Institutional Code: 3514
Department Code: 12
The minimum score required for MArch candidates is 7 and the minimum TOEFL score is 600 (250 for computer-based test, 100 for Internet-based test). While either test score is accepted, the IELTS score is preferred.

All students whose first language is not English are required to take the English Evaluation Test (EET) prior to registration at MIT. Even students who satisfy the IELTS/TOEFL requirement for admission may be required to take specialized subjects in English as a Second Language (ESL), depending on their EET results. These subjects do not count toward the required degree credits.

Curriculum Vitae, uploaded to the system.

A portfolio of work, uploaded to the application. See MArch-specific instructions for portfolio requirements, below.

An Essay of one or two pages must be uploaded to the application system. Indicate why you are applying, and describe your qualifications for the degree.

A non-refundable Application Fee of $75 USD. You will need to submit a credit card number on the Architecture Graduate Application to process this fee. If you have a financial hardship, you may apply for an Application Fee Waiver: http://gradadmissions.mit.edu/feewaiver

Submission of completed application form by the application deadline.

You may apply to two different programs within the Department of Architecture. If you are considering two programs, it may be useful for you to discuss your plans with our admissions staff. The link to apply is: http://gradapply.mit.edu/architecture/apply.

MArch Admissions Requirements

The program requires the following academic preparation:

• A Bachelor's degree with high academic standing from a recognized institution or, in the judgment of the department, the equivalent of this degree.
• One semester of satisfactory study in college-level mathematics (such as, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus).
• One semester of satisfactory study in college-level natural sciences (such as, physics, biology, chemistry).
• Two semesters of satisfactory study in college-level humanities and/or social sciences.

Students may be admitted with limited deficiencies in 2, 3, or 4 above, but this deficiency must be removed prior to entry into the second year of graduate study in the department.

Graduate Record Examination

Applicants are required to submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. In order to meet the admissions deadline, it is recommended that candidates take the GRE on the earliest possible test date. Test scores must be no more than five years old. To avoid delays, please use the following codes when having your scores sent to MIT:

• Institution Code is 3514
• Department Code is 4401

Portfolio

A digital portfolio is required of all MArch applicants, including those who do not have a previous architecture degree or background. The portfolio file should be exported as PDF for screen viewing. The file should contain no more than 30 pages with a file size not larger than 15MB. Two-page spreads are allowed, but each spread counts as one of the 30 pages.

The portfolio should include evidence of recent creative work, whether personal, academic or professional. Choose what you care about, what you think is representative of your best work, and what is expressive of you. Work done collaboratively should be identified as such and the applicant's role in the project defined. Name, address and program to which you are applying should also be included. We expect the portfolio to be the applicant's own work. Applicants whose programs require portfolios will upload a 30-page maximum), 15MB (maximum) PDF file to the online application system. The dimensions should be exported for screen viewing. Two page "spreads" are counted as one page.

Interviews

Interviews are not required for MArch applicants, however, we encourage all MArch applicants to attend our Open House event in mid November. All prospective students are welcome to visit the Department. If you would like to visit the campus for a student tour of the Department, please contact in advance of your trip:

arch@mit.edu

Decisions and Notifications

Applicants will be notified by mail of the Department's decision by April 1. Decisions cannot be given by telephone.

Accreditation

In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a six-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.

Master's degree programs may consist of a preprofessional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

The 2009 Procedures for Accreditation and the 2010 Conditions for Accreditation are available in the Rotch Library and in the headquarters of the Department of Architecture. Revised guidelines will be available when they are made official. Information regarding accreditation also may be accessed via the NAAB website at www.naab.org.