Graduate Study in architecture and urbanism
at Notre Dame
The Notre Dame School of Architecture exists for the sake of built environments
that are durable, practical and beautiful, in which human beings can
flourish. Toward these ends, the graduate curriculum fosters design
that is classical in spirit and form, that gives physical expression
to and supports good human communities, that is environmentally sustainable,
that is based on and extends the best traditions of architecture and
urbanism, and that challenges and responds to the demands of contemporary
practice. The institutional mission of the University of Notre Dame provides the intellectual foundation for our efforts to critically examine and extend the discourses of classical architecture and traditional European and American urbanism.
The Program of Studies
Two graduate degrees are offered in three paths of study. The two-year Master of Architectural Design and Urbanism (M.ADU) is for those holding a five-year professional degree in architecture. The two-year Master of Architecture (M.Arch) is for those holding a four-year pre-professional degree in architecture. The three-year Master of Architecture (M.Arch) is open to persons holding undergraduate degrees in fields other than architecture (click on the
paths below for more information):
• Path A
is a four-semester course of study leading to the Master of Architectural
Design and Urbanism (M.ADU) post-professional degree;
• Path B
is a four-semester course of study leading to a 2-year Master of Architecture
(M.Arch) N.A.A.B.-accredited professional degree; and
• Path C
is a six-semester course of study leading to a 3-year Master of Architecture
(M.Arch) N.A.A.B.-accredited professional degree.
Degree Requirements
Degree requirements include various studio and theory courses in Paths
A, B and C; as well as various history and technology courses for Paths
B and C. Minimum credit-hour requirements for Paths A, B and C are indicated
below, as well as the anticipated time to complete them:
• Path A (M.ADU) - 36 credit-hours (48 max), 2 years
• Path B (M.Arch) -
54 credit-hours (60 max), 2 years
• Path C (M.Arch) -
90 credit hours (96 max), 3 years
Curricular
Sequence: Foundations, Concentrations, Terminal Project
All students in all paths begin with foundational courses, spend one
year in a concentration, and end with a one-semester terminal project.
Foundations: All graduate students receive foundational instruction in both classical architecture and traditional urbanism, in studios and classes appropriate to their previous levels of architectural education. See the various path sequences and the course descriptions for further information about foundational courses.
Concentrations: In the
final three semesters of Paths A, B and C, the studio courses converge,
i.e. Path A, B and C students take studios with each other in their
final three semesters. Each path requires the student to engage a concentration
in either Classical Architecture or Urban Design for the two semesters
prior. All students spend one of those two concentration semesters in
Rome; which semester they spend in Rome depends upon which concentration
they select. Students in Path C may choose their concentration
after enrolling in the program, but Path A and Path B candidates
must indicate in their application letter for admission whether they
intend to concentrate in Classical Architecture or in Urban Design.
Classical Architecture Concentration:
Students choosing to concentrate in Classical Architecture spend extensive
time in both South Bend and Rome on studio projects and course work
that develop their knowledge of and ability to participate in the 2,500-year-old
tradition of western classical architecture descending from Greece and
Rome.
Urban
Design Concentration: Students choosing to concentrate
in Urban Design likewise spend time in both South Bend and Rome —
and travel extensively to other towns and cities as well — learning
in their design studios the formal principles of good urban design,
and being introduced to the political, legal and cultural frameworks
of contemporary traditional urban design through studio-based community
design charrettes.
Terminal Design Project: The independent semester-long terminal design project is required of all students in their final semester. This project provides an opportunity for students to design in a variety of scales and contexts of their own choosing, in which contemporary architectural issues are explored in projects that require the student to synthesize their academic experience. M.Arch student projects may include an urban design component, but must include the in-depth design of a building.
Discretionary Dual Degree: At the discretion of the School of Architecture Graduate Studies Committee, as many as two M.Arch students per year may be invited to pursue the Discretionary Dual Degree (DDD) course of study.
More information about the DDD course of study (http://architecture.nd.edu/academic_programs/graduate-path-ddd.shtml).
Course
Descriptions (http://architecture.nd.edu/academic_programs/graduate-courses.shtml)
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APPLICATION
All
applications to the Notre Dame graduate programs in architecture must
be done online. The application process is highly competitive,
but the graduate program welcomes applications from all persons who
meet the entrance requirements and are willing to critically engage
the professional and intellectual premises of the program’s emphases
in traditional architecture and urbanism. The School will accept as
many as sixteen (16) students annually: six (6) Path A (M.ADU) candidates
and ten (10) Path B and Path C (M.Arch) candidates. In addition to the
University of Notre Dame Graduate School's requirements for application
(http://graduateschool.nd.edu/html/admissions/application_gateway.html),
the following documents are to be submitted with the regular application
material:
• Letters of Recommendation — for those applicants with practice experience in architecture, a minimum of one (1) letter of recommendation from a registered practicing architect is required in addition to the references required by the Graduate School.
• Portfolio — all applicants must submit a portfolio of their work from academic experience, from independent projects, and/or from practice. Applicants to the Path C (M.Arch) program lacking prior classes or work experience in architecture should submit portfolios demonstrating evidence of visual compositional sensibilities, which may include photographs but must include samples of drawings and/or paintings. The portfolio size should be a maximum 11 x 14 inches or 28 x 36 centimeters, and should include only reproductions, not originals. Candidates submitting portfolios in excess of the maximum dimensions will not be considered.
A visit to the campus and a personal interview are encouraged. Completed applications and all admission requirements except the portfolio should be directed to the Office of Graduate Admissions, and are due on January 15 for admission in the fall of that same year. Portfolios only (with self-addressed return package and sufficient return postage, if return of portfolio is desired) should be directed to:
Graduate Studies Committee
School of Architecture, 110 Bond Hall
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556-5652
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CHECK LIST
Make sure you have the following items before sending in your application.
APPLICATIONS ARE DUE FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2010
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FINANCIAL SUPPORT
The Notre Dame School of Architecture provides its graduate students with generous financial aid:
Path A (M.ADU) candidates receive financial support in the form of full-tuition scholarships and stipends in the form of graduate assistantships and fellowships including the Bond-Montedonico Fellowship program, the Joseph Z. Burgee and Joseph Z. Burgee Jr. Fellowship program, the James A. Nolen Jr. Fellowship, and the Joseph M. and Virginia L. Corasaniti Architecture Fellowship. Teaching or research requirements for Path A students receiving stipends comprise a minimum of three out of four semesters, and average 15 hours per week during the academic semester.
Path B and Path C (M.Arch) candidates are eligible for financial aid in the form of partial tuition scholarships, loans and work study. Path C students are not permitted to have work study jobs during their first year of classes.
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• The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) requires all schools offering professional degree programs in architecture to publish the following statement:
In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Masters of Architecture and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a six-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on its degree of conformance with established educational standards. Masters degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree, which, when earned sequentially, comprise an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as a professional degree.
•• Although the M.ADU is a post-professional degree, and although Notre Dame encourages and accepts applications from foreign students with professional degrees in their home country, foreign applicants should note that the M.ADU degree does not permit persons lacking an NAAB-accredited degree to sit for the Architectural Registration Examination (A.R.E.) in the United States.
