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Admissions

Aerial image of student studying a building precedent in the Architecture Library

Application Process

The School of Architecture graduate program welcomes applications from students with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. The Graduate Admissions Committees seek to assemble a holistic picture of each applicant and so requires a variety of items for review. Application requirements are the same for the M.Arch, MADU, and MSHP programs.

Application Requirements

Online Application

Please note that while the online application site is hosted by Notre Dame's Graduate School, all application materials will be processed and evaluated by the School of Architecture's Graduate Admissions Committee.

Applications are due January 16

All materials other than the portfolio should be submitted online. Applicants should be sure to post their portfolio early enough to ensure that it will be received in the School of Architecture by the application deadline. The Graduate Admissions Committee conducts several rounds of application review. Applicants will be notified as to acceptance by e-mail and letter in the second or third week of March. Please note that applications, particularly portfolios, are reviewed in groups by program and path of study to ensure as fair a comparison as possible.

For additional information about our graduate programs, please complete the Grad Inquiry Architecture form and we will contact you.

Transcript Review For Professional Degree Students

All applicants must include a final transcript from all previous institutions with their application (or their latest transcript to be updated with their final one immediately after graduation before enrolling in the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture's graduate program). The Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies reviews each transcript in detail comparing them to the three-year professional degree curriculum and ensuring that a minimum of 26 credits of studio work have already been fulfilled (as the 24 credits within the 2-year professional degree program will complete the NAAB's required minimum of 50 credits). Syllabi for various courses may be requested from the student wherever a question may arise and faculty members may be called on to assist in their review. Any seminar or lecture courses whose contents have not already been covered (Architectural History, Building Technology, Structures, Environmental Systems, Professional Practice, etc.) will be added to the student's required curriculum. Several slots have been identified for that purpose in the curriculum outline. Any of these slots not needed for additional required coursework may be used for elective courses of the student's choice. Students requiring more courses than slots provided may be required to take more than the maximum course load given in a given semester and, if a course is not available in the semester needed, to take the course in an independent study format, depending on the availability of the instructor.

Application Requirements Explained

Statement of Intent

The statement of intent is an opportunity for the applicant to express themselves directly. Typically, statements are three to five pages in length or 1200 to 1800 words in length. Applicants may answer questions individually or grouped together as part of a larger narrative. Applicants should respond to at least three questions total, all must answer the question: What has led you to apply to the Notre Dame School of Architecture in particular?

Include a response to 1 or 2 of the following questions (List 1):

  1. Why do you want to study architecture? What do you specifically hope to gain from your studies at Notre Dame?
  2. What are your career ambitions and aspirations? What do you hope to do with your Notre Dame education in your professional (and/or academic and/or civic) life?
  3. The study of architecture at Notre Dame is a holistic endeavor addressing a variety of subjects and concerns. What capabilities and sensibilities do you bring with you that you believe will be important in your success as an architecture student and in your work as an architect? What areas will you seek to nurture and develop in your time at Notre Dame?
  4. What is your point of view on the relationship between urbanism and architecture?

Include a response to 1 or 2 of the following questions (List 2):

  1. In your view, what is the role of tradition in architecture?
  2. What experiences do you anticipate that will enrich your path to becoming an architect as part of course travel at Notre Dame including the School-supported semester in Rome and other opportunities?
  3. Speak about a critical issue in the world today and the role that you see architects play in addressing that issue and determining possible solutions.
  4. Speak about an architect, writing, place, building, or city that is meaningful; why it is important to you and why it is important more broadly?

For Master of Science in Historic Preservation applications only: In preparing your Personal Statement, please answer three of the following five questions:

  1. Why do you want to study historic preservation and sustainability and, more specifically, why do you want to study these subjects at Notre Dame?
  2. What capabilities, sensibilities, or previous experiences do you bring with you that will help you thrive in a multidisciplinary environment? What areas of interest or skills will you seek to nurture and develop in your time at Notre Dame?
  3. What is your point of view on the relationship between historic preservation and environmental sustainability?
  4. In your view, what is the role of tradition in architecture and urbanism and how can it inform contemporary work?
  5. What are your career ambitions and aspirations? How do you expect to build upon your Notre Dame graduate education in your professional, academic, or civic life?

Three (3) Letters of Recommendation

At least one letter should be from a former instructor or academic advisor/mentor. If the applicant has worked in a design firm or similar professional environment, at least one letter should be from an employer or supervisor. In any case, these letters should be from persons who can speak directly to the applicant's character and abilities.

Recommenders are asked to submit the letter directly to the School online and are likewise asked to complete a short online survey, accessible once they are officially listed as a recommender by the applicant.

Portfolio of Work

All applicants are required to submit a PDF portfolio of work from their academic experience, professional experience, independent projects, etc. as appropriate to their individual experience. M.Arch—Path C applicants without an extensive body of work or experience in the discipline should submit materials that offer a sense of their logic/clarity of thought in terms of submission layout/organization and their ability to draw—or an ability to learn to draw.

  • 25 MB maximum file size, no minimum or maximum pages or images--limitations noted on the online application do not apply
  • All portfolios must include some hand-done graphics (pencil, pen, watercolor, oil painting—any medium). Work in a variety of media, both manual and digital is welcome, but at least some of the work must be hand-done as it offers the admissions committee a greater indication of an applicant’s sensibility for proportion, form, line, etc.
  • May include a combination of academic, professional, and personal work. Applicants should clarify their role in academic group work and in professional projects included in the submission
  • Captions and descriptions are encouraged

We recommend uploading your portfolio in the "additional documents" section on the application website. Portfolio PDFs may be sent via email archgrad@nd.edu. Links to personal or professional websites may be included as a supplement to the PDF portfolio, but will not be accepted as a replacement for the PDF document. 

Sample of Academic Writing

Applicants may submit a writing sample on any subject matter. The writing sample should be an individual work (not from a group project) and must be in English or an English translation must be provided. Applicants without access to their undergraduate writing may submit a new composition.

Transcripts from all undergraduate and previous graduate institutions

Applicants may submit unofficial transcripts for the purposes of admissions review, but will be required to submit an official transcript from all previous institutions prior to matriculation. International applicants with a foreign language transcript must include an original language copy and official (i.e. notarized) English translation of each transcript. Applicants still in the midst of a program of academic study should provide an official copy of their latest transcript with their application. If accepted, incoming students must then submit an official copy of their final transcript immediately after graduation and prior to enrolling in a School of Architecture graduate program.

The School of Architecture does not list a strict minimum GPA for admission, but does see an applicant's GPA in a previous course of study as one key indicator of future academic performance. Generally, the Admissions Committee seeks a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

TOEFL or IELTS Scores

The University of Notre Dame recommends a minimum score of 100 (TOEFL) or 7.5 (IELTS) and the School of Architecture graduate programs do as well. Students in the 2-year post-professional program must serve as teaching assistants, a duty which may include grading papers and written tests or offering design critiques for undergraduates. For those in the 2-year or 3-year professional degree or historic preservation programs, taking technical lecture courses can prove difficult for those without a high level of comfort in English.

TOEFL or IELTS scores reported must result from tests taken within the last two years. If access to a testing site for TOEFL or IELTS is not available, applicants are asked to submit the Duolingo English Test instead. The School strongly recommends a DET score of 120 or higher.

Students for whom English is a second language may avail themselves of a variety of courses and services from the English for Academic Purposes program on campus free of charge. This program is intended to improve select skills which may be required as a student or serving as a teaching assistant, but does not replace a fundamental strength in and comfort with the English language.

FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is required of all professional degree applicants (Path B and Path C) seeking financial aid. The School of Architecture addresses scholarships, stipends, health insurance and technology fees, etc. while all student loan questions should be addressed directly to the Office of Financial Aid.