BIG NEWS: The Construction of the new Graduate Program building for the USC School of Architecture is nearing completion. Students and faculty will occupy the space starting this year. Our new facility will allow us to grow our graduate programs. Please contact Prof. Douglas Noble, FAIA, Ph.D. to learn about graduate program opportunities. dnoble@usc.edu
The Graduate Programs
The School offers interrelated graduate programs in architecture, landscape architecture, building science, and historic preservation, as well as dual degree programs with the School of Policy, Planning and Development. These programs are designed for students who hold either pre-professional or professional degrees in the appropriate fields.
Within an overall framework that includes environmental, social, and cultural imperatives, each of the graduate programs emphasizes issues of architecture and urban design. The next generation of urban architects, urban landscape architects and urban designers-planners, must carry with them a powerful set of principles that will help them form evocative and inspiring visions of the future.
The School's faculty work closely with students around topics of mutual interest that include: historic preservation, housing, specific building types, design process, digital communications, building technology, and landscape architecture.
Students are encouraged to elect courses from any of the School's graduate programs. Students in either of the School's four graduate degree programs may also obtain a Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation within the normal duration of their programs by utilizing 16 units of elective coursework (including ARCH 605a) for that purpose. Students may elect to enroll in courses in other University disciplines with approval of a graduate director.
Admission to Graduate Programs
Because each program supports individual student interests, applicants are asked to clearly identify their study intentions. The Admissions Committee will seek to match such intentions with comparable faculty strengths, and invites inquiries and correspondence toward assuring such a proper match of interests.
All students applying for graduate studies are expected to demonstrate an exceptional command of design inquiry and resolution. All applicants will be expected to submit a portfolio of projects which will be reviewed by the Graduate Admissions Committees.
Following are the basic requirements for admission to the graduate programs:
- the appropriate pre-professional or first-professional degree from an accredited college or university;
- intellectual promise and clear study intentions that indicate an ability to do acceptable graduate work;
- satisfactory scores on the verbal, analytical and quantitative portions of the Graduate Record Examinations;
- strong personal qualifications; and
- a portfolio of design work. Because many portfolios include professional as well as academic projects, applicants are required to clearly describe their specific role in each project.
All students must speak and write English. Foreign students must demonstrate such ability by taking the TOEFL test before leaving their home countries, and by further tests upon arrival on campus.
International students may be required to enroll in American Language Institute English courses, based on scores on the English Placement Test. The cost of these additional courses is the responsibility of the student. In addition, international students should be aware that they may have to defer enrollment in some major courses because of the ALI courses, which could extend their graduate program by a semester or more. We urge international students to read with care all information sent to them about English requirements and to develop effective English language competence before coming to the United States.
To insure first priority consideration of an application for admission and financial aid, it is important that applicants submit all required materials by February 1, preceding the fall semester for which they are applying.
Graduate Financial Aid
The School provides several types of financial aid for graduate students based on a combination of merit and need. Financial aid applications must be submitted for review. Graduate assistantships, with stipends and tuition remission, allow students to gain experience working directly with faculty in the School either helping with teaching or research. Scholarships are awarded to highly qualified graduate students. Three following programs of study are available to qualified students who already possess degrees in the appropriate fields. The degrees offered are Master of Architecture, Master of Landscape Architecture, Master of Historic Preservation, and Master of Building Science. Dual degree programs are offered in conjunction with the School of Urban Planning and Development. Students and faculty in all three programs work together in several labs and studios, a reflection of the philosophy that all are interrelated activities, that all have an impact upon the quality of the built environment, and that the individual learns more when surrounded by a variety of interests and projects in a dynamic, interactive milieu. Students are assigned a permanent work space in the Graduate Studio.
Each of the graduate programs emphasizes issues of architecture and urban design. The next generation of urban architects, urban landscape architects and urban designers-planners, must carry with them a powerful set of principles that will help them form an evocative and inspiring visions of the future.
The School's faculty work closely with students around topics of mutual interest. Some examples are: historic preservation, housing, specific building types, history, theory, building technology, and landscape architecture.
Graduate Info | Master of Architecture | Master Landscape Architecture | Building ScienceBachelor Program | Bachelor Landscape Program | Graduate Programs | Certificates