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Admission Requirements: Master of Architecture I

M.Arch. I: Three-Year Program Admission Requirements

Admission to the M.Arch. I program in architecture normally requires the prior possession of a bachelor’s degree, or the equivalent, from an accredited college or university. The following college-level courses are required as prerequisites to this program:

  1. Elementary calculus. A classical physics course is also recommended but not required.
  2. A studio course such as freehand drawing, sketching, painting, sculpture, or basic architectural design. (Ceramics, photography, graphics, or film will not satisfy this requirement.)
  3. Two courses in the history of art and/or architecture. It is recommended that one course be a survey, the other a course in modern architecture.

Application Procedures for the M.Arch. I: Three-Year Program

Applying to the School requires applicants to complete an online Application Form. While completing this online form, students will be asked to supply information regarding themselves, their education, and their references; attach or upload their transcripts, personal essay, and curriculum vitae (résumé); and pay an application fee. In addition, applicants will be required separately to submit a portfolio (for the M.Arch program) or a research proposal (for the M.E.D. program) directly to the School.

The online application can be accessed, when it is available, here. Applications for programs beginning in the 2010–2011 academic year must be submitted no later than January 2, 2010. Applicants will not be allowed to submit applications after the deadline has passed.

Once an application has been submitted, applicants can track the status of their application and the receipt of required supporting materials (such as test scores, transcripts, portfolios, or recommendations) online. Applicants are encouraged to log into the Web site frequently in order to check the status of their application materials and to view correspondence from the Admissions Office.

To ensure that all credentials and correspondence submitted separately from the online application becomes part of the applicant’s file, each item should clearly state the following: the applicant’s full name as it appears on the application, the applicant’s date of birth, and the online application ID (available when the online application is submitted).

For material that is required to be submitted directly to the School (such as the portfolio and the research proposal as described below), use the following addresses:

Sending materials via U.S. Postal Service/Air Mail:

Office of Admissions, Yale School of Architecture, PO Box 208242, New Haven CT 06520-8242 USA

Sending materials via Express Delivery or Courier Services:

Office of Admissions, Yale School of Architecture, 180 York Street, New Haven CT 06511-8924

Use the following phone number for express service envelopes or packages: 203.432.2288.

Application fee Applications will be considered only when payment of a nonrefundable application fee has been received. For the 2010-2011 academic year the application fee is $85. This fee cannot be waived and cannot be credited to tuition or other accounts upon admission. The only acceptable method of payment of the application fee is by credit or debit card, a transaction that will be made within the online application. Wire transfers cannot be accepted.

Transcripts  A transcript or academic record indicating degree earned or anticipated is required from each college or university attended and listed in the Academic Record section of the online application. Applicants should upload, rather than mail, a scanned copy of the applicant’s transcript or academic record to the application (please ensure that the scanned copy is legible). Refer to the detailed instructions within the online application regarding transcripts/ academic records and uploading. Do not mail in a copy of a transcript or academic record that has been uploaded to the application – it is not required or necessary and may delay the processing of the application.

Applicants who have attended international institutions must submit transcripts or certified attestations of study. If such documents are not written in English, certified English translations must be included. Once translated, the original transcript as well as the certified translation should be uploaded to the online application.

Applicants expecting to graduate this academic year but still attending their college or university must upload their current college or university transcript to the application. Should this transcript not include grades from the final fall term, a transcript that includes the final fall term grades must also be mailed to the School when it becomes available. Official transcripts, including the baccalaureate degree awarded, will be required from only those applicants offered admission and who accept that offer.

Standardized examinations  All applicants, including international students, are required to take the General Test (verbal, quantitative, and analytical) of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Program of the Educational Testing Service. For information regarding this test, test dates and locations, and/or to arrange to take the test, visit www.ets.org/gre. Although the test may be taken at any time, it should be taken no later than the preceding October so that scores will reach the School no later than January 2, 2010.

In addition, all applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT), a test that includes a section on spoken English. If the TOEFL iBT is not available in the applicant’s area, the TOEFL that is available plus the Test of Spoken English (TSE) will then be required. If an applicant has submitted an older TOEFL score and is applying for the 2010–2011 academic year, this must be supplemented with the TSE. For further information regarding these tests and/or to arrange to take the test(s), visit www.toefl.org. The TOEFL must be taken by no later than November 15, 2009 to ensure that results reach the School by the January deadline. Applicants whose native language is English are not required to take a TOEFL test.

The Yale School of Architecture institution code number for the GRE, TOEFL iBT, and TSE is 3985. Please note that this is different from other Yale University code numbers. Unless 3985 is used on the test form, applicants’ scores may not reach the School. Applicants are strongly encouraged to register early in scheduling tests.

Personal essay  An essay, not exceeding one page, that includes a brief personal history and reasons for applying is required and must be uploaded to the online application.

The School of Architecture seeks to draw students from all racial and ethnic groups in society. Applicants who wish to identify themselves as members of a minority group should do so in this essay.

Curriculum vitae A curriculum vitae (résumé of academic and employment experience) is required and must be uploaded to the online application.

Letters of recommendation  Three letters of recommendation received by the School no later than January 2, 2010, are required. At least one letter of recommendation should be from a person with direct knowledge of the applicant’s professional potential and academic ability.

The School’s online application allows recommendation providers to submit their recommendations electronically directly to the School. Applicants should check with their recommenders to obtain their e-mail addresses. Once applicants enter the recommenders’ e-mail addresses in the online application, an automatic e-mail will be sent to the recommenders indicating how to submit their recommendations. Recommendations submitted prior to the submission of the online application will be automatically received at the School when applicants submit their online application. If a recommender desires to submit via paper, applicants will need to print a Recommendation Form from within the online application and forward it to that recommender.

Portfolio (for the M.Arch. program only) A portfolio of the applicant’s creative work is required and will need to be sent directly to the School. Portfolios must be received at the School by no later than January 2, 2010. Portfolios should not exceed nine by twelve inches and be no more than one and one-half inches thick. Oversize portfolios will not be accepted. Portfolios may contain originals or reproductions, although no slides, tapes, discs, or videos will be accepted. Anything submitted that is not entirely the applicant’s own work must be clearly identified as such.

For the M.Arch. I program, the portfolio should demonstrate the applicant’s drawing skills and three-dimensional aptitude. Work represented may include drawings, paintings, sculpture, sketches, furniture and architectural designs, or other materials.

Verification of application credentials  It is the policy of the School of Architecture to verify all credentials in support of an application. All transcripts, recommendations, publications, standardized text scores, and supplemental materials may be traced to their source in order to confirm their authenticity.

Students who accept the offer of admission and who do not submit final official documents or whose “official” transcripts and/or scores do not match those submitted during the application process may have their offer of admission rescinded and they may not be permitted to register at Yale University.

Summer Preparation Courses for Incoming M.Arch. I Students

In the six weeks before the beginning of the fall term, the School offers the following four summer preparation courses for incoming M.Arch. I students.

  1. Visualization I: Observation and Representation (1001c) is a five-week required course offered at no charge for those newly admitted students who do not have significant pre-architecture training. Students required to take the summer session must satisfactorily pass this course before being admitted to the School’s first-year M.Arch I program in the fall. Classes are held each day, Monday through Friday. The average day is broken into morning and afternoon sessions. Students are expected to complete assignments outside of class.
  2. The Summer Shops Techniques Course is required of all incoming students. It is a one-week course that introduces incoming students to the School’s wood and metal shops through an intensive furniture/object building process. The course stresses good and safe shop techniques. Students are not allowed to use the School’s shops unless they have satisfactorily completed this course.
  3. Incoming M.Arch. I students not taking the Summer Architectural Introductory Course are required to take a one-day two-part Summer Digital Media Orientation Course. The first part covers accessing the School’s servers, the use of the School’s equipment, and the School’s digital media policies and procedures. The second part covers the School’s digital fabrication equipment. Access to the School’s digital fabrication equipment will be granted only after completing the latter course.
  4. The Arts Library Research Methods Session is required of all incoming students. In this hour-and-a-half session, discussion covers various strategies to answer research questions pertaining to course curricula and topics by using tools such as the Yale University online catalog, architecture databases, image resources, print resources, and archival resources.

Advanced Standing

Under rare circumstances, students who have completed an intensive undergraduate architecture major and demonstrate strong design ability may be granted advanced standing to the three-year program. Applicants considered for this category by the Admissions Committee are evaluated in relation to the quality of work expected at that level in the School. No student may qualify for a degree from the School before completion of a minimum of two years of study in residence and fulfillment of all the three-year course requirements.

Transfer

Transfer students with exceptional promise may be accepted to the M.Arch. I program under one of the following special conditions:

  1. After completion, in high standing, of at least one year in an accredited graduate program in architecture, a student may receive credit for some or all course work, at the discretion of the Admissions Committee.
  2. After completion, in high standing, of the fourth year of an accredited five-year undergraduate program in architecture, a student may be accepted into the M.Arch. I program with the following provisions: a minimum of one year to qualify for the B.Arch. degree (retained by the School solely to accommodate those few students needing it as a prerequisite in order to work for the M.Arch. degree, but conferred only upon successful completion of work for the M.Arch. degree) and a minimum of an additional two years to qualify for the M.Arch. degree.