APPLY ONLINE for graduate study in Fall 2010 for Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design. All materials must be received by February 1.

If you would like to receive our printed Graduate Programs bulletin and be added to our mailing list, please contact Kathleen O'Donnell, Graduate Programs Administrative Coordinator. Please be sure to include your postal address in this request.

Other ways to contact our office:
Office of Graduate Admissions/Architecture
Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
Washington University in St. Louis
One Brookings Dr.
Givens 105
St. Louis, MO 63130

Phone: 314.935.6227 or 800.295.6227 (within continental United States)
Fax: 314.935.7656

Peter MacKeith, Associate Dean of the Sam Fox School and Director of Graduate Admissions, will be glad to answer questions about graduate program curricula and/or ambitions.

Further information to assist applicants in their preparations is provided below. Please note that Washington University in St. Louis encourages and gives full consideration to applicants for admissions and financial aid. The University does not discriminate in access to or treatment in its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or disability.

Required Materials

As noted in the online application instructions, applicants must submit completed application forms, an application fee, three letters of recommendation (which are to be submitted online), and official transcripts of undergraduate work (to be sent directly to our office from schools attended). A statement of intention, a current resume/curriculum vita, and GRE scores are also required.

For non-native English speakers, a minimum TOEFL score of 550 on the paper-based test, 213 on the computer-based test, or 80 on the internet-based test is required for admission to the MArch program, unless the candidate's four years of undergraduate education have been in a college or university in the United States. To ensure that official test score reports arrive as needed, please use our institution code (6929) and department code (4401) when making arrangements with the testing agency.

Portfolio

All applicants are required to submit a portfolio of visual material, to be provided in hard-copy, printed-and-bound form directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions (electronic submissions are not accepted). MArch 3 candidates are advised to include creative design efforts such as drawing, sculpture, photography, or other areas in the visual arts to demonstrate a potential for further creative accomplishment. Applicants seeking advanced standing in the MArch programs are expected to have architectural design work available and thus must include such work, although examples of other artistic endeavors may also be included. The work presented in the portfolio—be it architectural design drawings, paintings, models, sculpture, photography, ceramics, or small construction projects such as furniture, decks, etc.—should represent the applicant's best work.

Attention should be paid to the graphic presentation as well as the selection of the work. Portfolios must be presented in a protected format, (e.g., bound or in a ring binder), with dimensions no larger than 9" x 12". Fabricated metal or wooden boxes or binders are discouraged. The layout of the portfolio should be clear with brief written labels for each piece. Applicants submitting work done collaboratively, either in school or in the profession, should clearly indicate the level of their personal contribution. All images should be reproduced as photographs, good-quality photocopies, or computer-generated printouts, etc. CDs, slides, or original pieces of art, such as actual drawings or paintings, should not be sent.

Admission into an advanced-standing curriculum (MArch 2 or MArch 2+) is highly selective; such placement relies on the quality and depth of architectural design work demonstrated in the portfolio. A self-addressed envelope with postage should be included when sending the portfolio to ensure its return.

Courses Prior to Enrollment

MArch 3 applicants are asked to demonstrate satisfactory completion of one course each of elementary calculus and college physics prior to enrollment. These courses ensure adequate preparation for the architectural structures sequence which is required of all MArch students. Through the portfolio, MArch 3 applicants are asked to demonstrate ability and experience in freehand drawing and/or two- or three-dimensional basic design exercises.

International Applications

Applicants for whom English is not the native language must submit a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score that meets our minimum requirement as stated under "Required Materials" above. To ensure that official test score reports arrive as needed, please use our institution code (6929) when making arrangements with the testing agency.

In addition, upon notification of admission, international students must provide documentation in the form of sponsor(s) and/or bank statements proving the availability of sufficient funds to meet the cost of tuition and living expenses during their graduate studies. Master of Architecture students admitted in 2008 who were not U.S. citizens or permanent residents were required to certify availability of a minimum of U.S. $55,631 annually (including financial aid awards) for their graduate studies. Specific instructions regarding the required financial documentation are included with admission letters.

Graduate Admissions page