graduate admissions
The School of Architecture maintains all information regarding its programs and the admissions process on our web site. Therefore, we do not have any printed materials available.
The School of Architecture accepts applications for admission to its graduate programs only for the fall term. The next possible semester for which a new student may apply for admission is Fall 2010.
Application Deadline: Friday, January 8, 2010
This deadline is the date by which complete credentials must be received by the School of Architecture.
Graduate Application Instructions
Prospective graduate students must submit separate sets of application materials to BOTH the UT Austin Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC) and the School of Architecture Graduate Admissions Coordinator.
Prerequisites and additional requirements for each of the degrees are outlined in the descriptions of individual degrees and programs below.
Your materials will not be reviewed by the admissions committee unless all required materials have been received by the School of Architecture. You cannot be recommended for admission to the Graduate School until all your material has been received by the Graduate and International Admissions Center. Because of the volume of mail received, the School of Architecture cannot guarantee it will forward material (such as official transcripts) to the Graduate and International Admissions Center.
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UT Austin GIAC Materials (Application #1 of 2 required)
Applicants to each of the architecture and planning graduate degree programs must follow the instructions in the appropriate "How to Apply" section of the GIAC web site.
Mailing Address (for postal service):
Graduate and International Admissions Center
The University of Texas at Austin
P.O. Box 7608
Austin, TX 78713-7608Street Address (for overnight letter or courier delivery):
Graduate and International Admissions Center
The University of Texas at Austin
2608 Whitis Ave.
Austin, TX 78712-1534Telephone:
(512) 475-7391Materials you will be required to submit include:
- Application for admission to graduate study at: www.utexas.edu/student/giac. Please do not submit a statement of purpose online. You will mail a hard copy of your statement of purpose with your application packet directly to the School of Architecture (see below). Complete the online application as quickly as possible.
- One official copy of transcripts of work done at each senior college attended.
- An official report of Graduate Record Examination score. For international applicants official TOEFL scores must be submitted. Copies will not be accepted.
- Application fee. A $50 nonrefundable fee is charged to U.S. applicants. A nonrefundable fee of $75 is charged to international applicants.
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UT School of Architecture Materials (Application #2 of 2 required)
The following completed forms and material must be sent to:
Graduate Admissions Coordinator
School of Architecture, GOL 2.308
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station, B7500
Austin, TX 78712-0222All School of Architecture application materials, with the possible exception of letters of recommendation, must be submitted in one complete packet.
- Application for Admission [pdf] to graduate studies in Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, or Community and Regional Planning.
- Statement of purpose. This essay of approximately 1,000-1,500 words should address your interest in your intended degree program with respect to your academic and professional objectives; a situation or job that helped you define your interest; the factors that led you to apply to the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin; and any other factors related to your academic or professional experience that you wish to convey to the admissions committee.
- Recommendations from three persons, including former instructors and professional employers. References should comment on the applicant's intellectual, communicative, and leadership abilities as well as their capacity for creativity and relevant personal characteristics. Please use the cover letter found at www.utexas.edu/ogs/admissions/pdf/gradref.pdf.
- One copy of undergraduate transcript.
- Additional program-specific materials:
- Master of Architecture - First Professional and Post-professional
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Portfolio of creative work. Your portfolio should be bound and no larger than 8 1/2" by 11" by 2". Students are expected to have completed one semester of calculus and one semester of physics before enrolling.
- Master of Interior Design - First Professional and Post-professional
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Portfolio of creative work. Your portfolio should be bound and no larger than 8 1/2" by 11" by 2" in addition to documentation of life work and experience (such as a résumé or vita).
- Landscape Architecture - First Professional and Post-professional
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Portfolio of creative work and documentation of life and work experience (such as a résumé or vita).
- Community and Regional Planning Any documentation of life or work experience including a resume or vita, writing sample, or example of a work product.
- Architectural History MA program applicants must submit a writing sample. Applicants to the PhD program must submit a substantial writing sample, such as a thesis.
- Historic Preservation MSHP applicants must submit a writing sample, and may submit a portfolio (non-returnable) and other examples of work. PhD applicants must submit a substantial writing sample demonstrating research abilities.
- Sustainable Design Applicants must submit a writing sample related to the proposed area of inquiry.
- Urban Design Applicants must submit a portfolio of creative work.
All School of Architecture application materials, with the possible exception of letters of recommendation, must be submitted in one complete packet.
International Students
Non-U.S. citizens, including those who have attended another institution in the United States, must follow the instructions for International Graduate Admissions from the UT Austin Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC). International students must use the Texas Common Application available on the GIAC's web site.
Students who hold bachelor's degrees from a U.S. institution or from an institution in another English-only speaking country will receive a waiver of the TOEFL or IELTS.
GENERAL GRADUATE Admissions Information
Applicants to all graduate degree programs are evaluated on the basis of the following common criteria (special programs may have additional requirements):
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited collegiate institution with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) in all upper-division — junior and senior level — undergraduate work together with any graduate work previously completed. Various graduate programs have more particular additional requirements. Please refer to individual descriptions.
- A combined minimum score of 1000 on the verbal and quantitative portions of the Graduate Record Examination, with a verbal score of at least 500. Please note that this is not a cut-off, but rather, a recommended minimum. Information on the GRE administration is available at most universities or may be obtained from the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ 08541-6155. Applicants whose first language is not English are additionally required to present a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 550 or higher on the paper-based test, 213 or higher on the computer-based test or 79 or higher on the internet-based test.
- Intellectual, communicative, and leadership abilities, maturity, and ability to work well with others should be made evident through the three required letters of recommendation and especially the candidate's statement of purpose.