Deadlines Review of applications begins January 15, and all applicants, especially those requesting financial assistance, are encouraged to submit all materials by that date.
The professional Master of Architecture, post-professional Master of Architecture, M.A. and Ph.D. in the History of Architecture and Urbanism, and the Master of Science in Computer Graphics are applied through Cornell’s graduate school. Applicants are highly encouraged to apply online via the
graduate school website.
Requirements for Admission
Master of Architecture (Professional) Individuals must hold a bachelor's degree in any field. Some students may have previous backgrounds in a design discipline, or may hold pre-professional undergraduate degrees in a design discipline. The course of study is an intensive, 3-1/2 year curriculum which includes study in design, visual representation, history and theory, technology, and professional practice. The design studio is the core of the curriculum, and integrates materials from the several disciplines into the resolution of architectural problems.
Admission with No Previous Architectural Education
Admission will be offered to individuals with no previous experience in design, also who exhibit talent and promise in a design-related activity or interest. Individuals who have completed a four-year Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in a field other than architecture are eligible for admission to the professional degree program. Preference for admission is given to individuals who have completed a balanced undergraduate education, including studies in the arts, sciences, and the humanities.
Admission with Advanced Standing
Admission with advanced standing is considered for individuals who have completed pre-professional bachelor degree programs in architecture or design. Demonstrable fundamental skills will be examined, along with completion of basic university requirements in the liberal arts.
Master of Architecture (Post-Professional) Students holding a professional Bachelor of Architecture degree (B. Arch.) or a professional Master of Architecture degree (M. Arch. I) may be admitted as candidates for the post-professional Cornell M. Arch. degree program. International students must submit an official certification that the degree held is a professional degree entitling them to practice architecture in their country.
Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in the History of Architecture and Urban Development Applicants should have an undergraduate degree in architecture, archaeology, history, history of art, anthropology, or an undergraduate degree in any area and appropriate experience in the field. M.A. degree candidates in the History of Architecture and Urban Development are required to have reading proficiency in at least one modern language other than English; Ph.D. degree candidates must have proficiency in two languages other than English before beginning the second year of study.
Master of Science in Computer Graphics In addition to an undergraduate degree, applicants are required to have prior knowledge in computer graphics and must submit scores from the GRE and the specific computer science test. For more information, see the program website:
Summary of Application Requirements - All Cornell Graduate Student Requirements
- Three recommendation letters
- Transcripts: Submit completed and official transcripts from each college or university previously attended to the field to which you are applying. If it is against an institution's policy to send transcripts to the applicant, the transcripts can be mailed by the school directly to the field to which you are applying.
- GRE general test for all
- GRE subject test in computer science for computer graphics applicants
- TOEFL minimum score of 250 computer-based or 600 paper-based. The Graduate School has set the following minimum scores for the Internet-based test, which measures all four language skills important for communication:
- Writing: 20
- Listening: 15
- Reading: 20
- Speaking: 22
- Portfolio of creative work (professional and post-professional M. Arch. applicants only)
- Sample of academic writing of approximately 10-25 pages (in English). Strongly recommended for M.A./Ph.D. and recommended for post-professional M.Arch.
- Statement of purpose I (professional M. Arch., M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. applicants): A one- or two-page statement, preferably printed on white paper, outlining your research interests and intents for graduate study at Cornell. Please relate these intents to your previous design and academic experience, and to your future goals. Include your full name and your proposed field of study at the top of each page.
- Statement of purpose II (post-professional M. Arch. only): A one- or two-page statement outlining your research interests and intents for graduate study at Cornell. Please relate these intents to your previous design and academic experience, and to your future goals. Please also indicate which of the following areas you may wish to pursue in the program: Architecture & Urbanism; Architecture & Environment, Ecology, and Energy; Architecture & Technology; Architecture & Contemporary Discourse. Include your full name and your proposed field of study at the top of each page.
GRE Requirements All applicants to graduate programs in architecture are required to take the GRE aptitude tests of the Educational Testing Service. Scores must be sent directly to the college or to the Graduate School as part of their application materials.
Information about the times and places or test administration may be obtained directly from the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ 08541, (609) 921-9000.
Portfolio Submission All applicants to the professional and post-professional Master of Architecture degree programs are required to submit a portfolio. This should represent the applicant's best work, and consist mainly of photographic reproductions of original drawings and models. Photocopies of drawings and models are acceptable, but only if they are of excellent quality.
Applicant's name. address, date, and year must be clearly marked on the cover and any detachable parts. Contents of a submitted portfolio should measure no more than 8.5 by 11 inches in size.
Send portfolio to Cornell University
Department of Architecture
Graduate Program
B-1 West Sibley Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
Return Portfolio Request U.S. applicants requesting the return of their portfolios should include a self-addressed stamped envelope of appropriate size. (Do not use postage meter tape, as date and mailing location will be incorrect.) Portfolios will not be returned until June. Applicants from outside the U.S. are encouraged to submit a portfolio which does not need to be returned.
Foreign Applicants Foreign applicants whose native language is not English, but who received their secondary school or their university education in the English language, must submit a statement certifying this, signed by a responsible officer of a U.S. embassy or consulate or by an appropriate official of the educational institution involved.
All other foreign applicants must take the National Council Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) by arrangement with the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ 08541, (607) 921-9000, or the Michigan English Language Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.
The test scores must be reported by the testing organization directly to the Graduate School as part of the essential application information, and no final action on applications will be taken until the scores have been received. Both testing programs are available throughout the world. Information on times and places for administration of the tests may be obtained from the address given above.
Since these tests are diagnostic, admission to those applicants whose scores indicate unsatisfactory command of English may be denied or be made contingent upon evidence of improved ability in the language.
Scholarships, Fellowships, and Awards Outstanding applicants to the professional and post-professional Master of Architecture who request consideration for financial aid on their application forms are granted scholarships that offer partial tuition. These scholarships are renewable on application each year, based on academic performance.
Third-year professional M.Arch. students may also apply for a limited number of partial teaching assistantships (see below).
Students in the new three-semester post-professional M.Arch. are eligible to apply for special teaching appointments that are granted upon the conclusion of the program in August each year. Teaching fellows are offered for the duration of one or two terms to outstanding candidates in the program. Fellowships come with a monetary award to support continuing design research work and for nominal teaching assistance during the fellowship period. At the end of this period fellows are required to publish their work in the form of an exhibition and/or lecture, and a print-ready folio.
MA, Ph.D., and MS students are eligible for support ranging from scholarships to teaching assistantships.
Teaching assistants provide supplementary instruction and other assistance within the various areas of study offered by the College. Full teaching assistantships carry a stipend plus full tuition; partial assistantships are also offered. The Graduate School’s financial aid web page contains a wealth of information on fellowships (from Cornell or from outside agencies) as well as loans and assistantships for both entering and continuing students. The "Fellowship Notebook" is the Graduate School’s database listing of many of these awards.
Prospective foreign students should investigate awards from the Organization of American States, the United Nations, United States Full Commissions in many foreign countries, and the United States Agency for International Development as well as awards offered by their own governments. The United Nations publication "Study Abroad" lists numerous scholarships and fellowships, many of them for study in the United States for citizens of other countries.
Kristen DiStefano, M.Arch 2007Series of study models for the design of a high rise community college in Manhattan.
