MAster of Architecture I Application Requirements

Application Requirements

Below you’ll find an overview of the application requirements for the Master of Architecture I (MArch I) program. Application requirements and policies are updated annually. Complete and current instructions are available, which is open from mid-September through early January.

Eligibility

MArch I applicants must hold or be in the process of completing a four-year Bachelor’s degree (BA or BS) in any field (architecture or other). Additionally, MArch I applicants should consider the following eligibility criteria while preparing an application:

A total of four required college-level, semester-long prerequisite courses in calculus, algebra-based physics (mechanics & thermodynamics), and the history of architecture (two semesters; Renaissance through Modern periods for at least one of the courses). A minimum grade of B- must be achieved in each.
Visual arts preparation (drawing, sculpture, graphics) is desirable but not required.
Additional coursework in humanities, philosophy, literature, or economics is recommended but not required.

Compare Programs to check Eligibility

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Transcripts from Prior Institutions

Transcripts are required from all colleges and universities from which you have earned credit or have received a degree and should include your name, the school name, degree, major, degree date if awarded, and a semester-by-semester course breakdown with corresponding grades. Transcripts not in English must be accompanied by a certified English translation. All transcripts must be uploaded directly into the application.

Transcript FAQ

Letters of Recommendation

Applicants are required to obtain three letters of recommendation, ideally at least two from college or university instructors. If you have been out of school for several years, you may request letters from employers or other persons in a position to evaluate your professional abilities and academic potential.

Recommendations FAQ

Student seated with a laptop in a study area.

Students working on coursework at desks.

Essays

Applicants must submit responses to both the general GSD community essay and any required program-specific essays. Essay prompts vary by program and are only available in the graduate application.

Essays FAQ

Portfolio

The purpose of the portfolio is to demonstrate creativity, aptitude for design, and a capacity to think and design in three dimensions. MArch I portfolios should show an applicant’s recent creative work in the visual arts or design executed by the applicant. Candidates without previous training in architecture, landscape architecture, or related fields may demonstrate design aptitude by submitting examples of freehand drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, graphic design, furniture, product design, etc. Those who have participated in Career Discovery/Design Discovery/Design Discovery Virtual (or similar programs at other schools) are encouraged to include this work in their portfolios.

The admissions committee strongly prefers to see a majority of individual projects rather than collaborative work and if possible, not more than one group project and not more than one office project. Should such group work be presented (either academic collaborations or from a professional office), candidates should clearly identify their role in the project.

Portfolio FAQ

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Resume

Upload a resume or CV that includes full and part-time employment, education, fellowships, extra-curricular university activities, community service, honors, awards, professional registration and societies, publications, avocations, hobbies, and travel. If you served in the military, indicate rank on entry and rank on separation. Please provide a complete employment and educational history, including information about any gaps. While brevity is valued, please do not feel limited to one page.

Resume FAQ

GRE

Official GRE scores are required to be sent directly from ETS to the GSD by the application deadline. The GSD does not have a minimum GRE score.

GRE FAQ

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Prerequisite Courses

MArch I applicants are required to complete several prerequisite courses at the college level, for credit, and must earn a minimum grade of a B-.

Required courses include:

One semester of calculus typically satisfied by a college level calculus course.
One semester of physics typically satisfied by introductory algebra-based or calculus-based physics courses for science majors that covers basic mechanics topics, including linear, circular, and projectile motion, vectors, forces, inertia, torque, energy, impulse, and momentum, waves and thermodynamics.
Two semesters of the history of architecture, together covering Renaissance through Modern Periods at minimum. This requirement can be satisfied by two survey courses covering Ancient-to-Renaissance and Renaissance-to-Modern, or one survey course that covers the Renaissance to Modern periods and another course that focuses on a particular time period or topic in the history of architecture.

Applicants are not required to complete all prerequisites at the time of application, but it can strengthen an application to have completed or be in the process of completing as many prerequisite courses as possible.

Prerequisite FAQ

TOEFL

International applicants must take the TOEFL test and submit official scores to the GSD by the application deadline with the following exception. Applicants who hold or are in the process of completing a bachelor’s degree that includes a minimum of three years of in-person, full-time study where English is the sole medium of instruction in the following countries are exempt from the TOEFL requirement: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, and the United States. An official transcript for the relevant bachelor’s degree, showing three full-time years in residence, must be uploaded into the appropriate section of application.

Appropriate English proficiency is incredibly important for success at the GSD, and so we encourage applicants to diligently prepare for the TOEFL to achieve your highest possible score.

As of January 26, 2026, TOEFL has updated their scoring to a 1-6 banded scale for both overall and section scores. GSD TOEFL score requirements on the new scale will be published soon. See our international applicants page for more information.

TOEFL FAQ

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Advanced Placement

In a very small number of cases, MArch I applicants who have completed a pre-professional four-year Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree with a major in architecture or its equivalent may be eligible for admission with advanced placement subject to the review of the admissions committee. Applicants admitted with advanced placement normally begin study in the third term of the program, reducing the program length to 2.5 years. Although MArch I applicants must meet criteria below in order to be considered, doing so does not guarantee admission or advanced placement.

Applicants interested in being considered for advanced placement will apply to the MArch I program and indicate interest through a checkbox on the program selection page.

Requirements for Consideration for Advanced Placement

Architectural design studios Prerequisite Courses Prior coursework Portfolio

Candidates for advanced placement typically have a consistent record of achievement in design at the highest level of excellence in all prior studio courses, with a minimum of four advanced architectural design studios. Applicants interested in being considered for advanced placement will be asked to provide additional information about their prior studio courses and projects in the application.

Students and instructors gather around architectural model and drawings on table

Candidates for advanced placement must have completed undergraduate courses and studios that are analogous to the course of study and level of rigor of the first year of the MArch I program, demonstrating high achievement in design and related curricula, including but not limited to architectural representation, history, environmental systems, building simulation, materials, structural design, and “Building, Texts, and Contexts.” Courses in progress or pending at the time of the application must be successfully completed.

Students in the Fab Lab working together to cut a piece of wood. — Juan Mullerat interrogates “Loop Within” during the studio’s final review, December 2019

Candidates for advanced placement should submit a portfolio that is architectural in nature, demonstrates ability to work across scales from the small freestanding building to the urban block, successfully integrates complex factors in a single building, and is primarily the work of the applicant as an individual designer. Portfolios for candidates interested in advanced placement should include projects from at least four advanced architectural design studios, with an emphasis on complete documentation in two-dimensional drawings (site and building plans, sections, elevations) and three-dimensional views. Project documentation should indicate fluency in a variety of representational media, including hand drawings or sketches, diagrams, orthographic drawings, renderings, and physical models. Demonstrating conceptual clarity at each scale of a design proposal is paramount, and should be the driving factor in the graphic layout of the portfolio. Each project should include the course number, the date of the project, and the instructor’s name. Projects selected for inclusion in the portfolio should demonstrate the applicant’s:

Engagement with building materials and technology
Ability to conceive and manipulate complex spatial relationships in buildings
Understanding of spatial sequencing and movement through architectural space
Experience in resoling a variety of site conditions, including at least one project in the urban context
Ability to work with complex programmatic requirements