for the Master of Science in Architectural Studies

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Master of Science in Architectural Studies

The MS program is open to students holding a degree in architecture, as well as students with experience and degrees in allied fields who seek new ways to engage environmental design through advanced research skills. Students develop a specialized focus in one of the school’s program areas or craft their own focus through courses within the college and across campus. To earn this degree, students must complete a total of 32 hours of graduate credit. The program length varies from one to one-and-a-half years and, depending on focus area, may include fieldwork or internships.

Each Master of Science student develops an individualized program of study in consultation with the chair of the program area to which the student has been admitted. The program of study is then reviewed by the Associate Director for Graduate Studies and registered in the student’s academic file.

Current areas of study include:

• Urbanism
• Health and Wellbeing
• Detail and Fabrication
• Sustainable Technologies
• Systems Optimization
• Building Structures
• Preservation + Heritage
• Architectural History

Admission

The admission grade point average for full standing in the Graduate College and the school must be at least 3.0 (A = 4.0). For applicants who meet the other requirements but have an admission GPA under 3.0, admission with limited standing may be permitted if evidence of exceptional qualification is presented.

Applicants are selected for admission on the basis of undergraduate academic performance and profession-related experience. Application material is evaluated by faculty members. The faculty's recommendations are based upon an appraisal of the admission grade point average determined from official transcripts, a portfolio of applicant's past work in architecture, a statement of objectives, three letters of recommendation, and relevant professional work experience.

Application forms for graduate admission and financial aid may be obtained from the Web site here: Admissions and Applying - School of Architecture.  Application may be made on-line. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are NOT required for Master of Science applicants but are strongly recommended and if taken are recorded in the applicant's record.

All applicants to the Illinois School of Architecture whose Native Language is not English must submit the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), IELTS or another acceptable score listed at the Graduate College link provided here.

In order to issue an I-20 the Graduate College will need the following: funding documentation, declaration and certification of finances form, and passport. Please see this link for more information pertaining to funding requirements.

Financial Aid

Financial aid for graduate students in architecture is available in the form of fellowships and assistantships (teaching, research, and graduate or resource). Qualified candidates are considered for financial support upon application and in subsequent years of study.

for the Master of Science in Architectural Studies

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Admitted students must complete a total of 32 hours of graduate credit. The program length varies from one to one-and-a-half years and, depending on focus area, may include fieldwork or internships.

For additional details and requirements refer to the department's program page and the Graduate College Handbook.

There are traditionally three different ways this degree can be achieved after deciding on an area of study with your advisor:

Coursework-based degree completion

Requirements are basic so students can tailor their degree program towards their area of study. These basic requirements are as follows: 16 credit hours must be achieved through ARCH courses. The other 16 credit hours can be ARCH or any other University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign course offering outside of the School of Architecture.

Internship or fieldwork experience degree completion

These requirements are similar to the coursework-based degree path, but fieldwork credit will be part of the program. It will be up to the student to find an internship or fieldwork that will support their area of study. This internship will need to be unpaid in order to receive credit for the degree completion requirements. This will need to be reviewed and approved by the architecture office. This path is customized to each student and will need to be discussed with the student’s advisor.

Concentration in Structures degree completion

There are specific degree requirements for this degree path.

This degree program can be completed with or without a thesis, the requirements are listed below:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Thesis Option:
Architectural Electives from dept. list		0-16
Electives		16
ARCH 599	Thesis Research (min/max applied toward degree)	0-16
Thesis Option Total Hours:		32
Non-Thesis Option:
Architectural Electives from dept. list		16
Electives		16
Non-Thesis Total Hours:		32

Other Requirements

Grad Other Degree Requirements

Requirement	Description
Other requirements may overlap
Candidates must spend at least two semesters and earn at least half of the required graduate hours in residence.
Minimum 500-level Hours Required Overall:	12
Minimum GPA:	2.75

for the Master of Science in Architectural Studies

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The school must provide evidence that its graduates have satisfied each criterion through required coursework.  If credits are granted for courses taken at other institutions or online, evidence must be provided that the courses are comparable to those offered in the accredited degree program.

When students complete the MS degree program, they will be able to:

1. Apply Specialized Knowledge
   1. Engage in the practice of architecture in its many forms.
   2. Employ design processes to understand, conceive, and create the many facets of built environments.
   3. Utilize the interplay of form and space to create compelling experiences in the built environment.
   4. Address environmental, social, political, cultural, and economic challenges through the application of design inquiry.
   5. Apply advanced documentation, research, analysis, and design techniques to create innovative design solutions to pressing global challenges.
2. Apply Broad and Integrative Knowledge
   1. Solve complex problems through the use of advanced design techniques.
   2. Communicate complex ideas and concepts through a mastery of graphic, verbal, physical, and digital means.
   3. Integrate community voices, cultural perspectives, and participatory practices into design solutions.
   4. Employ an understanding of the complex intersections between design and environmental, social, economic, political, and cultural phenomena in historical and contemporary contexts.
   5. Use scholarly inquiry to answer questions in support of design solutions.
3. Utilize Differentiated Modes of Thinking
   1. Understand, differentiate, and apply analytical, critical, and conceptual thinking to the design challenges of the twenty-first century.
   2. Evaluate and apply theories of the built environment to understand their impacts on global ecology, human experience, and wellbeing.
   3. Research and critically analyze historic and contemporary humanistic conditions related to the built environment in local, regional, and global geographies.
4. Collaborate Successfully
   1. Foster teamwork and consensus decision-making.
   2. Lead and steer complex processes to completion.
   3. Value and integrate interdisciplinarity as well as diverse disciplinary approaches in the realm of design,
5. Contributing to Community, Civic, and Global Equity
   1. Demonstrate the ability to make empathic and ethical decisions throughout the design process.
   2. Work toward a more inclusive profession that welcomes practitioners of all genders, abilities, races, ethnicities, and ages.
   3. Foreground social, environmental, and economic justice in the design of the environment to contribute to greater equity, diversity, and inclusion.

for the Master of Science in Architectural Studies

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School of Architecture

Director of the School: Francisco Javier Rodríguez-Suárez
Associate Director of Curricular and Academic Programs: Emelie Mies
Architectural Studies Program website
117 Temple Hoyne Buell Hall, 611 Taft Drive, Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-7720
arch-grad@illinois.edu

College of Fine & Applied Arts

College of Fine & Applied Arts

School of Architecture

​School of Architecture website

Admissions

Graduate College Admissions Requirements