MArch in Architecture (3-Year)

1-year post-professional degree, applicants must already have a professional degree in architecture

Academic records from all previous schools attended must be uploaded in the application.

Additional Short Response (500 words maximum) Identify and describe a topic of interest in the field of architecture that you would like to research. Tell us why that topic is important historically, relevant today, and/or how it will impact the future of architecture's discipline and practice. Position the proposal within the broader architectural discourse, referring to other architects, writers, critics, journalists, historians, or theorists who have dealt with the same subject matter. At UIC we see architecture as buildings, however we also see it as media – drawings, photographs, models, and writings – that surround them. Use of visual media to both support and illustrate your text is strongly encouraged.

Three required, preferably from individuals acquainted with the applicant’s recent academic, professional, or creative work. Letters from professors who can assess the applicant’s academic abilities and potential for graduate school are preferred. Letters from employers are also acceptable.

Portfolios may not exceed 32 MB. MArch and MS portfolios: The portfolio gives the admissions committee a sense of each applicant’s aesthetic sensibility and intellectual curiosity. It may include any visual, design, or creative work, such as paintings, collages, freehand drawings, sketches, photographs, sculpture, furniture design, and so on. Applicants with architecture backgrounds should focus on studio work completed in an academic setting, even if the applicant has professional work experience. Both in the works themselves and in the inquiry or argument framed through their presentation, applicants should exhibit their potential to develop original design work. Individual work is preferred, but when including group work the applicant's role and contribution should be carefully noted. The portfolio should not document CAD drafting skills or technical coursework that is independent from design work. Work from an architecture office, such as construction drawings or renderings, should not be included unless the applicant had a significant role in the design process.

The statement should address your academic interests and objectives and why UIC is the right match for your graduate study. Tell us what fascinates you, why it fascinates you, and how we can help you learn more about it. Below are the three key questions your Statement of Purpose should answer: Why Architecture? Why UIC? Why You? We want to know what you think about, how you think, not what you’ve done — save that for a resume included in your portfolio! Think of the statement not as an autobiography but as an opportunity for us to get to know you academically in your own words.

IELTS/TOEFL/PTE