ARCHITECTURE G R A D U AT E S T U D I E S
AT ILLINOIS
AT THE ILLINOIS SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, WE PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH AN AESTHETICALLY MOTIVATED AND TECHNICALLY RIGOROUS DESIGN EDUCATION. • MArch Master of Architecture • MArch 2+ Master of Architecture • MSAS Master of Science in Architectural Studies • PhD Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture
GRADUATE PROGRAMS The MArch, MS, and PhD programs enable students to develop the research skills and specialized expertise needed for tomorrow’s professional and academic careers. As part of a world-class research university, the school and faculty nurture students in an intensive research-focused curriculum. Students have opportunities for intensive study and degree concentrations through work with faculty in their areas of expertise. MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE The STEM-recognized Master of Architecture is the two-year professional degree in architecture for those applicants who will have earned a BS in Architecture or its equivalent by June of the year they intend to enroll. This degree is accredited by the National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) and is available for those
students who want to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to practice architecture professionally and who intend to sit for NCARB’s Architectural Registration Exam. The program consists of a two-year course of study including design studios, technical and theoretical course work, and a variety of electives. To earn this degree, students complete a total of 62 hours of graduate credit. Integrating theoretical and technical competencies, the program nurtures future professionals through a comprehensive core curriculum, where students learn to analyze complex environments and propose innovative design solutions to the world’s most urgent problems. In the MArch program, students can develop a specialized professional focus in one of the school’s program areas, or craft their own focus through courses within our college and across campus.
Students may also elect to enroll in one of the school’s joint degree programs. The school, located within the context of a world-class research university, gives students the opportunity to work with faculty in an atmosphere of scholarship and innovation. MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE 2+ The NAAB-accredited MArch 2+ program brings together students with diverse backgrounds to explore the complexities of the environment and innovate through the design process. It is designed for students holding a bachelor’s degree in a field other than architecture, or in architecture but not equivalent to a BS. Students enrolled in the MArch 2+ degree program first complete the requisite background coursework developed in consulation with their advisor, which lasts between one
semester and two years. They then follow the two-year MArch program of study. MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES The Master of Science degree enables students to develop specialized research skills to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s environmental design profession. The MS degree is also appropriate for students preparing for academic careers. The 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 a practicum. DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ARCHITECTURE AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE The PhD program in Architecture and Landscape Architecture is a unique, jointly administered program in which students may choose to focus in either architecture or landscape architecture or to work collaboratively in both areas. The PhD degree is appropriate for those seeking careers in research and teaching or in roles in government or professional consultation, all of which require depth in specialization and experience in research.
PROGRAM AREAS The faculty of the school is organized into the following program areas, which deliver the core curriculum, develop specialized course content, and create areas of collaborative research emphasis.
BUILDING PERFORMANCE Students working with faculty in the Building Performance Program address aspects of overall performance through the integrated design of structural, environmental, enclosure, and related systems. This work is grounded in a historical knowledge base of best practices while also promoting experimentation and innovation, focusing on sustainability, environmentally responsible use of energy and materials, human comfort, and constructability. Building Performance Program faculty offer core courses and studios in subjects such as structures, environmental systems, and comprehensive design, as well as specialized elective courses in energy modeling and simulation, building-envelope design, daylighting, advanced structural design and analysis, and integrated design processes. These courses give students a strong foundation and expertise in the various principles and technologies that contribute to the design of high-performance buildings.
DETAIL + FABRICATION
HEALTH + WELL-BEING
URBANISM
Students working with faculty in the detail + FABRICATION Program explore architecture as a creative process of making, with emphasis on experimentation and theory of contemporary methods and materials.
Students working with faculty in the Health + Well-being Program focus on relationships among people, the environments they inhabit, and resulting health consequences.
Students working with faculty in the Urbanism Program explore social, cultural, political, economic, technological, and physical transformations in cities and their effects on urban habitation.
The ultimate goal of an architectural education is to prepare students to make a positive and lasting contribution to the built environment. To this end, detail + FABRICATION courses combine knowledge of the conceptual development of detail with hands-on experimentation with materials. Students are introduced to methods that contribute to the resolution of the total design environment, especially the design of human scale elements and the spaces they can inspire.
Research and teaching in the Health + Well-being program area promote design outcomes that improve the fit between people and the environment. Applying the World Health Organization’s definition of health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being…” faculty incorporate state-of-the-art research about diversity (age, gender, race/ethnicity/culture, sexual orientation, and physical ability), environment-behavior, human sensory systems, medicine, and public health to ensure that, armed with knowledge, students become tomorrow’s professional leaders who design spaces that can improve well-being for all people.
Studios investigate and propose design solutions that respond to changing urban conditions, while seminars and lecture courses provide a theoretical and practical foundation for identification, analysis, and communication of urban design and research problems. Faculty expertise includes urban morphology, cities in the developing world, urban history, informationalism, urban design, and media.
JOINT DEGREES M.ARCH + MSAS The School of Architecture offers a joint Master of Architecture (MArch) + Master of Science in Architectural Studies (MSAS) degree program for students interested in pursuing both an MArch degree as well as one of the concentrations offered through the MSAS degree program. Completion of in-depth programs (e.g. structures) will result in recording of the concentration on the student’s transcript under the MSAS degree. Per Graduate College guidelines, students in a joint degree program are permitted to count up to 12 hours of coursework from one degree as electives toward the second degree. Students interested in participating in the joint MArch + MSAS degree program must be admitted to and meet all requirements of each degree program and complete a minimum of 82 credit hours of
graduate work. Students with no undergraduate degree in architecture and participating in the four-year MArch degree program may petition to enter the joint MArch + MSAS degree program upon completion of their required undergraduate courses. The MArch degree is a professional degree accredited by the NAAB, but the MSAS degree is not accredited.
M.ARCH + MSAS: STRUCTURES The School of Architecture offers a joint degree program between the MArch + MSAS degrees with a structures concentration. Successful completion of this joint degree program with structures concentration will lead to earning two degrees (MArch and MSAS) as well as recording of structures as a concentration on the student’s transcript under the MSAS degree. Students interested in participating in the joint degree program with structures concentration must be admitted to the School of Architecture’s MArch and MSAS degree programs, register their intent to enter the structures concentration with the school’s graduate office prior to completing their second semester in their degree program, and must complete 32 graduate credit hours of architectural structures courses.
M.ARCH + MUP This program enables students to earn two concurrent degrees: the Master of Architecture (MArch) and the Master of Urban Planning (MUP) offered by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Each degree is under the control of its granting unit with its own advisor. The degrees are awarded simultaneously upon completion of all requirements in both curricula. Reciprocity of credit hours allows students to complete these degrees in a total of three years. Students must complete at least 86 hours, including at least 32 hours of urban planning courses and 42 hours of architecture courses. These courses must include core and capstone courses for each program. Students can apply initially to both programs simultaneously with one application fee, or apply to the MUP once enrolled in the MArch program.
M.ARCH + MS CEE: STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
M.ARCH + MS CEE: CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
The Illinois School of Architecture and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), structural engineering area, offer a joint degree program. Participants in this program receive an MArch and an MS CEE. Students will need to apply and be admitted to the CEE graduate program in structural engineering once in the second semester of the four-semester MArch degree program.
This joint degree program enables students to concurrently earn the Master of Architecture (MArch) and the Master of Science offered by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (MS CEE), construction management area.
Applicants must take the GRE exam before application to the MS CEE program. In addition, applicants are expected to have successfully passed one course in matrix algebra and one course in differential equations as pre-requisites to enrolling in the MS CEE program.
Each degree is under the control of its granting unit with its own advisor. Candidates for these degrees must meet the requirements for each degree. Applicants must take the GRE exam before application to the MS CEE program. Normally, application to civil engineering is made to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, construction management area, after at least one semester of successful study in the MArch degree program.
M.ARCH + MS CEE: CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT OR STRUCTURES This joint degree program offers qualified applicants the opportunity to develop competence in a career that combines the disciplines of architecture and civil engineering (construction management) or (structures). For entry into these programs, applicants must satisfy the admission and performance requirements of each academic unit. Application for admission should be made to the School of Architecture. Admission to the other unit may be sought after the first semester of graduate study in architecture.
Candidates entering the program with a four-year Bachelor of Architectural Studies must complete at least 78 hours (32 in civil engineering and 46 in architecture) of graduate work and, if admitted with full status, may complete the program in five semesters. Candidates entering the program with a fiveyear Bachelor of Architecture degree must complete 64 hours of graduate work and, if admitted with full status, may complete the program in four semesters.
GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT + CHICAGO STUDIO GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT
INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE
GLOBAL STUDIOS
The Illinois School of Architecture enables students to develop an informed perspective on architecture worldwide through international semester and summer exchange opportunities and global studies. Our international exchange programs stimulate the sharing of ideas, while global studios promote conversations about architecture and its place in various societies around the world. These opportunities produce students with a truly global perspective on architecture and the built environment as well as the social, political, and economic contexts to which they must respond, a critical quality of tomorrow’s design professionals.
The Illinois School of Architecture currently offers two primary semesterlong or summer international exchange opportunities for graduate students.
Each year faculty develop studio projects at a range of international sites, often connected to the organizations and universities in those locations. These studios give students the opportunity to address architectural problems in a variety of cultural contexts and offer the potential of visiting other countries and engaging with students and faculty from universities around the globe. Some sites of recent studios include:
Munich: Our spring exchange program with the Fakultät f. Architektur of the Technische Universität München (TUM) enables School of Architecture graduate students to take studios and seminars at one of the leading German schools of architecture. Stockholm: Our international exchange with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology enables graduate students and faculty to participate in classes, studios, and research at Sweden’s premier technical university.
• China
• Vietnam
• Columbia
• Somalia
• Haiti
• Thailand
• India
• Germany
• Japan
• Afghanistan
• São Tomé and Príncipe
CHICAGO STUDIO
MUNICH
Putting design and research excellence in service of the public good remains the Illinois School of Architecture’s firm commitment to our state. The most obvious and enduring example of this commitment: a Chicago skyline shaped by the talents of thousands of Illinois alumni who have built and practiced in firms large and small over the years. Since 2014, graduate students in our master of architecture program may enroll for a semester in the Chicago Studio, a semester-long residential immersion in the Chicago architectural scene.
ISoA is excited to partner with TUM (Technical University of Munich) Department of Architecture to offer our students a unique experience to spend a semester studying abroad. The program enables students to gain valuable international experience during their education. The Department of Architecture at TUM has 1,500 students, 200 scientists, and 31 professors. It takes a research-oriented approach to teaching in cooperation with businesses and public organizations— embedded in the vibrant living and research environment of the greater Munich area. This is an excellent opportunity for U of I students to expand their architectural perspectives while staying on track to complete their MArch degree.
FACILITIES Although the Illinois School of Architecture is one of the oldest and largest schools of architecture in the United States, we pride ourselves in 21st century innovation. The school maintains a large array of spaces, tools, and technologically advanced machinery in support of the creative efforts of students and faculty. DESIGNING
COMPUTING
MAKING
The school develops its scholarly and creative culture in three buildings: the Architecture Building, Temple Hoyne Buell Hall, and the Architecture Annex. These house lecture halls, Ricker Art and Architecture Library, two professional gallery spaces, and community and collaborative spaces. Each building houses studio spaces that provide 24-hour access to personal and dedicated workspace of 18–20 square feet per person—one of the largest personal student studio allotments in the country.
The school maintains three computer labs equipped with industrystandard software for 3D modeling, rendering, photo manipulation, and page layout. Two state-of-the-art print labs are equipped with nine large format plotters, including one photo plotter and one large format scanner, as well as color and black-and-white laser printers. Additionally, the school maintains template studios which house large scale, individual use, Wacom tablets utilized in the creative process in the studio.
The school maintains three fabrication laboratories: the Wood Shop, the Fabrication Shop, and the Laser Cutter Lab. These provide access to both traditional woodworking equipment and to state-of-theart digital fabrication equipment including a CNC router, 3D printers, vacuum former, plasma cutter, and robotic arms. School facilities also include ventilated spray booths and a studio for photographing models and constructs.
RESEARCH The Illinois School of Architecture is informed by our position within a world-class research university. Since 1867, research and innovation have been hallmarks of the University of Illinois; our Design+ culture is shaped by the belief that research is a key constituent of environmental design. This atmosphere of inquiry and creativity is evidenced by our groundbreaking research as well as the internal and external funding that faculty attract for their work. Students often participate in research projects, developing critical skills for environmental design inquiry alongside faculty members.
FACULTY EXPERTISE INCLUDES • Energy and Building Performance • Architectural Structures • Sustainable Materials and Practices • Daylighting • Heritage and Preservation in the Built Environment • Architectural History • Architectural Theory • Residential Environments • Human Health and Well-Being • Diversity and the Built Environment • Urban Design • Design Fabrication • Professional Practice • Information Technology and Architecture • Parametric Modeling
SCHOLARSHIPS + FUNDING
M.ARCH FELLOWSHIPS
Thanks to the generosity of our alumni and benefactors, the Illinois School of Architecture has at least $650,000 to provide each year to support students through numerous scholarships, fellowships, and tuition waivers. In addition to graduate scholarships and fellowships, many graduate students are supported through graduate teaching and research assistantships. These provide tuition remission and a monthly stipend during the term of appointment. A selection of the school’s scholarships and fellowships are listed to the right.
• Malcolm Jaseph Fellowship
• Tyler Allhands Fellowship • Martha Darmstadt Fellowship • Robert F. Hastings Memorial Fellowship • Edwin A. Horner Graduate Fellowship • Alan K. and Leonarda F. Laing Memorial Fellowship • Clarence T. Paul Graduate Fellowship • Charles G. Rummel Fellowship PH.D FELLOWSHIPS • Creative and Performing Arts Fellowship • Graduate College Fellowship • Malcolm Jaseph Fellowship • Alan K. and Leonarda F. Laing Memorial Fellowship • Plym Foundation Fellowship • Ernest L. and Reba E. Stouffer Fellowship POST-DOC GRADUATE AWARDS • Francis J. Plym Traveling Fellowship in Architecture • Clyde Lee and Cecelia Baker Traveling Fellowship
The ISoA faculty
are productive scholars, continually disseminating their research in journals, edited volumes, and books.
Illinois School of Architecture 117 Temple Hoyne Buell Hall 611 East Lorado Taft Drive, MC-621 Champaign, Illinois 61820 phone: (217) 333-1330 fax: (217) 244-2900 email: arch-grad@illinois.edu
arch.illinois.edu