Master of Science in Architecture
# 1 Public University for Architecture + the Built Environment
Berkeley’s Master of Science in Architecture is an academic, nonprofessional degree program that offers you the opportunity to engage in advanced research in Building Science, Technology, and Sustainability or History, Theory, and Society.
The last two decades have seen rapid growth in the complexity of buildings and the development of specialized knowledge for their design and operation. The building profession now requires a wider range of expertise in design, operation, and management than was required in the past, and new types of professional specialists have emerged to provide this expertise. Often these experts are educated outside of traditional architectural programs, frequently through studies in other disciplines.
About the Program
The Master of Science (MS) in Architecture is an academic, nonprofessional degree program that offers the opportunity for advanced research in the ever-broadening and increasingly complex subfields within architecture. Some students enter with a degree in architecture, or occasionally while here will get an additional Master of Architecture degree (the professional degree accredited for the practice of architecture). But neither is required, and the undergraduate degrees of our entering MS students are diverse.
Fields of Study
The MS degree emphasizes course work and supervised independent research in one the following areas of study:
Research topics outside of these fields or combinations of several areas may be proposed at the time of admission, or developed while in the program, if supported by qualified departmental faculty members, and subject to approval of the architecture MS committee. Course work is individually developed through consultation with an academic adviser.
Faculty
The following are members of the MS faculty, broken into one of two offered areas of study. Please also review the current list of all faculty in the Architecture Department. A sampling of their research is described in the Center for Environmental Design Research Projects list.
Building Science, Technology and Sustainability
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Director of the Center for Environmental Design Research; Distinguished Professor of ArchitecturePassive Design Strategies, Comfort and Adaptation in Naturally-Ventilated Buildings, Post-Occupancy Evaluation and Personal Comfort Systems -
Professor of ArchitectureNet Zero Buildings, Daylighting in Architecture, Generative Design, Parametric Design -
Professor of ArchitectureNatural Materials Innovation and Flood Resilience, Engineered Living Materials, Functionally Graded Materials and Additive Manufacturing, and Solar Water Regeneration Building Envelopes. -
Associate Director of CEDR; Professor of Architecture and Civil & Environmental EngineeringSustainable Architecture, Architectural Engineering/Building Science, Indoor Environment Quality, HVAC Systems, Building Energy Efficiency, Thermal Comfort, Wellbeing, Post-Occupancy Evaluation -
Associate Professor of ArchitectureLightweight Design and Biomimetics, Structural Design, Parametric Design, Digital Fabrication and Robotic Manufacturing
History, Theory, and Society
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Professor of Architecture20th Century Architecture with Emphasis on Bay Area Counterculture, Mid-Century Modernism, Design as Cold War Propaganda, Architecture and the History of Emotions. -
Director of Urban Design, Professor of Architecture and Urban DesignHistory of Architecture, Urban Design and Planning, Urban History and Theory, US Built Environment Studies, Urbanism in China -
Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs; Professor of ArchitectureArchitecture of Globalization, discourses of Architecture and Urbanism and the Arcus Chair in Gender, Sexuality and the Built Environment. -
Professor of ArchitectureArchitecture and Consumer Culture, Memory and the Built Environment, Paper Architecture and the Unbuilt, Expositions, Themed Landscapes, and Architectural Rhetoric. -
Degree Requirements
The MS in architecture is earned through a program of study approved by the MS committee.
- All students must complete a minimum of 36 units, regardless of the degree they have coming into the program, with a minimum of 16 units being graduate courses in Architecture.
- For the MS Plan II, 18 units need to be 200-level courses, with 16 being in Architecture.
- Students are encouraged to work closely with their advisers to select courses appropriate for their academic plan and future career goals.
- The culmination of the student’s program is a research thesis or project report, as described below for Plan I and Plan II. Successful students may apply for the Ph.D. program, and are encouraged to discuss this option with their advisors at the appropriate time.
Students have 2 options for a capstone project:
Plan I. A thesis, representing independent and substantial research, and approved by a three-person committee of faculty (at least one needs to be outside the Department). The thesis must follow University formatting guidelines and be submitted to Graduate Division.
Plan II. A project report, representing an independent investigation that should be synthetic, tying together two or more areas of specific content that could come from classes, research, and/or internships. The report can also be a draft of a journal-quality research paper that has been submitted for publication. The report would be evaluated by a minimum of two reviewers (at least one being an Academic Senate member), and is submitted to the Department.
Successful students may apply for the PhD program, and are encouraged to discuss this option with their advisors at the appropriate time.
- Requirements
- Handbooks
- Inside Field (Specialty Area): 3 courses (9-12 units)
- Research Methods (Specialty Area): 1 course (3-4 units)
- Architecture Breadth (outside Specialty Area)
- Additional Breadth — for students without an Arch degree: 2 courses (6-8 units)
- Thesis Work, Independent Study: Arch 299 (5 units)
For previous years’ handbooks, please contact graduate advising.
MS Alums
Building Science, Technology and Sustainability — Master of Science Alumni
History, Theory, and Society — Master of Science Alumni
How to Apply
UC Berkeley begins accepting applications in early September for the following fall term only (no spring admissions). The fall semester begins in mid-August.
We recommend you start the application process as soon as possible. As a prospective graduate student, you’ll submit your application through UC Berkeley’s Graduate Division. You’ll find lots of useful information on the Graduate Division website, including application instructions and information about funding your education.
- Review university admissions requirements on the Graduate Division website
- Gather materials:
- Unofficial transcripts for each prior college or university attended
- Statement of Purpose. See prompt below. For tips on writing the Statement of Purpose, please see Writing the Statement of Purpose on the UC Berkeley Graduate Division website.
- Personal Statement. See prompt below. For tips on writing a Personal History Statement, please see the Personal Statement Guide on the UC Berkeley Graduate Division website.
- Contact information for three recommenders
- Resume/CV
- Writing sample (50 pages max)
- Evidence of English language proficiency, if applicable. For waiver eligibility, visit the Graduate Division website. Please note, Architecture requires a TOEFL score of 100. Our IELTS score requirement is the same as the Graduate Division’s
- Portfolio (for MS and PhD applicants wishing to work with Luisa Caldas or SImon Schleicher)
- List of relevant publications or presentations
- List of honors/awards
- URL of website where your work is published, if applicable
- Start your application on the Graduate Division website. You do not have to complete the entire application at one time: we recommend you start your application and review it as soon as possible.
- Scroll down and select Architecture MS.
- Follow the instructions in the application. See below for MArch-specific instructions and specifications for supplemental materials.
- Pay the application fee. Please note that only domestic applicants are eligible to apply for a Graduate Division fee waiver. The Department of Architecture is not able to offer fee waivers.
- Submit application. Allow yourself at least one hour prior to the deadline to submit your application. Late applications or changes to the application after the deadline will NOT be accepted.
- After submitting your application, you will receive an email from UC Berkeley’s Graduate Admissions Office confirming your submission.
- We strongly encourage you to log back into your application to monitor the status of materials received/processed, such as fee waivers, test scores, and recommendations.
- We send admissions decisions, along with notification of fellowship awards, in mid to late March.
Only online applications (including letters of recommendation) are accepted. All documents, regardless of language of instruction, must be translated into the English language. Transcripts, diplomas, and certificates should be provided in the original language of instruction AND in English. Transcripts must show your full name, degree conferral date, and degree.
- MS Specific Instructions
Two parts, 500 words each
- Part 1: Goals. A statement describing your general academic and career goals and why you wish to attend UC Berkeley in particular.
- Part 2: Research Proposal. An example of a specific research proposal that you may wish to undertake while at UC Berkeley.
The admissions committee will read your Statement of Purpose seeking an account of your prior research experience and looking for evidence that you are prepared to undertake a significant, sophisticated, independent, and in-depth research project.
Your competence and intellectual potential to undertake research is among the most important criteria considered by the admissions committee.
Personal History Statement
- 500 words: a narrative of your life background in terms of how it has prepared you for this next stage of your studies. Describe relevant aspects of your life story and achievements, as well as educational and cultural opportunities or circumstances that supported you or deprived you of such achievements.