Graduate Degrees
The school offers three interrelated graduate programs as well as two dual degree programs with the School of Urban and Regional Planning. These programs are designed for students who already hold a first degree in the appropriate professional fields.
Admission to Graduate Programs
Credentials for admission must include a complete record of all previous college or university work. The applicant must request the registrar of each college or university attended to forward two official transcripts of record directly to the Office of Admission.
Priority for admission and financial aid is given to applications that are complete by February 1.
Following are the basic requirements for admission to the graduate programs: (1) the appropriate first professional degree from an accredited college or university; (2) satisfactory scores on the verbal, analytical and quantitative portions of the aptitude test of the Graduate Record Examinations; (3) intellectual promise and clear study intentions that indicate an ability to do acceptable graduate work; (4) a portfolio of design work; (5) strong personal qualifications.
All students must speak and write English. Foreign students must demonstrate such ability by taking the TOEFL test before leaving their home countries, and by further tests upon arrival on campus. Applicants for teaching assistantships will be interviewed by telephone or in person, where possible, prior to a final decision.
International students may be required to enroll in American Language Institute English courses, based on scores on the English Placement Tests. The cost of these additional courses is the responsibility of the student. In addition, international students should be aware that they may have to defer enrollment in some major courses because of the ALI courses, extending the number of semesters required to complete the program and increasing the overall tuition expense. We urge international students to read with care all information sent to them about English requirements and to take as many English language courses as possible prior to coming to the United States.
Correspondence with the dean or individual faculty members does not constitute admission to the Graduate School or to the School of Architecture. Only a letter from the Director of Admission grants official admission.
Graduate Program Policies
All graduate students are expected to complete a minimum of 12 units per semester, spring and fall, in any of the school's programs.
Students must receive a grade of B or above in each studio course to continue in the design sequence. Students must receive a grade of B- or above in all other required courses. If students are not meeting these minimum grades the faculty member should meet with the student to provide timely advisory reviews.
Students receiving a teaching assistantship are expected to complete all required courses within the normal number of semesters for each of the degree programs: three semesters for the graduate program in architecture and four semesters for the graduate programs in building science and landscape architecture. The thesis or directed design research may be completed in additional semesters when appropriate. Failure to complete such courses on schedule results in the loss of teaching or research assistantships and/or may result in suspension from the program upon recommendation from the program director and approval by the dean and the Dean of Graduate Studies.
Students holding teaching assistantships are expected to remain in good academic standing (minimum 3.0 grade point average) and to be making regular degree progress to be considered for renewal of their teaching assistantships.
Appeals will be reviewed initially by the director(s) of the appropriate graduate program and then by a committee consisting of all of the graduate program directors (with the exception that design courses will be reviewed by the design review committee). Their recommendation(s) will be forwarded to the dean for consideration and action, and then forwarded to the Dean of Graduate Studies. All communications must be in writing.
Master of Architecture
Degree Requirements
Candidates for admission must have either a five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree or a four-year architecture degree from a strong design-oriented program. Students entering with a four-year degree complete the fifth year of the Bachelor of Architecture program prior to fully undertaking graduate studies. Completion of the degree requires 48 units, including 24 units of specified courses, 12 units of thesis or directed research, and 12 units of approved electives.
The specified courses are ARCH 605abL Graduate Architecture Design; ARCH 532ab Elements of the Urban Landscape; and ARCH 533ab Urban Landscape Case Studies.
Thesis or Directed Research Option
In addition to the opportunity to initiate an independent thesis, students are provided the option to undertake independent design research related to important urban projects already in progress within the school. Whichever option is taken, students are supported in their work by a three-member faculty advisory team including a principal critic.
Advanced Standing
Students may apply for advanced standing based on their general qualifications and any unusual strengths or experience. Qualified students will be admitted to a two-semester program at the time of review for admission. Students with advanced standing must complete 32 units.
48-Unit Sample Curriculum
| First Year, First Semester | Units |
|
| |
| ARCH 532a | Elements of the Urban Landscape | 2 |
| ARCH 532b | Elements of the Urban Landscape | 2 |
| ARCH 605aL | Graduate Architecture Design | 8 |
| Elective | 4 |
| ____ |
| 16 |
| First Year, Second Semester | Units |
|
| |
| ARCH 533ab | Urban Landscape Case Studies | 2-2 |
| ARCH 605bL | Graduate Architecture Design | 8 |
| ARCH 693aL | M.Arch. Thesis, Option I, or | |
| ARCH 695aL | M.Arch. Thesis, Option II | 4 |
| ____ |
| 16 |
| Second Year, First Semester | Units |
|
| |
| ARCH 693bL | M.Arch. Thesis, Option I, or | |
| ARCH 695bL | M.Arch. Thesis, Option II | 8 |
| Electives | 8 |
| ____ |
| 16 |
32-Unit Advanced Standing Curriculum Requirements
| First Year, First Semester | Units |
|
| |
| ARCH 532a | Elements of the Urban Landscape | 2 |
| ARCH 533a | Urban Landscape Case Studies | 2 |
| ARCH 605aL | Graduate Architecture Design | 8 |
| ARCH 693aL | M.Arch. Thesis, Option I, or | |
| ARCH 695aL | M.Arch. Thesis, Option II | 4 |
| ____ |
| 16 |
| First Year, Second Semester | Units |
|
| |
| ARCH 532b | Elements of the Urban Landscape | 2 |
| ARCH 533b | Urban Landscape Case Studies | 2 |
| ARCH 693bL | M.Arch. Thesis, Option I, or | |
| ARCH 695bL | M.Arch. Thesis, Option II | 8 |
| Elective | 4 |
| ____ |
| 16 |
Master of Landscape Architecture
Degree Requirements
Admission to the Master of Landscape Architecture program requires a Bachelor of Architecture or Bachelor of Environmental Design with a major in Landscape Architecture. Applicants are also expected to have completed six units in the history of landscape architecture (ARCH 534ab or equivalent) and six units in materials and methods for landscape architecture (ARCH 535ab or equivalent) prior to beginning graduate study.
Thesis or Directed Research Option
In addition to the opportunity to initiate an independent thesis, students are provided the option to undertake independent design research related to important urban projects already in progress within the school. Whichever option is taken, students are supported in their work by a three-member faculty advisory team including a principal critic.
Course Requirements
Completion of the degree program requires 48 units, including 14 units of specified courses, 22 units of electives and 12 units of thesis option I or option II.
Students must take at least two elective courses from the following selection: ARCH 418 Designing with Natural Forces (3); ARCH 417 Computer Programming in Architecture (3); ARCH 507 Theories of Computer Technology (3); ARCH 599 Special Topics (4).
Degree Requirements
48-unit program
Required courses include: ARCH 532ab (2-2), 533ab (2-2), 542a (6). Twenty-two elective units are required. Students must take at least two elective courses from the following selection: ARCH 418 (3), 407 (3), 507 (3), 599 (4). In addition, two semesters of Thesis or Directed Design Research are required, 597abzL (4-8-0) or 598abzL (4-8-0).
48-Unit Sample Curriculum
| First Year, First Semester | Units |
|
| ARCH 532ab | Elements of the Urban Landscape | 2-2 |
| ARCH 542a | Landscape Architecture Design | 6 |
| Electives | 6 |
| ____ |
| 16 |
|
| First Year, Second Semester | Units |
|
| ARCH 533ab | Urban Landscape Case Studies | 2-2 |
| ARCH 597aL | Landscape Architecture Thesis Option I, or | |
| ARCH 598aL | Landscape Architecture Directed Design Research | 4 |
| Electives | 8 |
| ____ |
| 16 |
|
| Second Year, First Semester | Units |
|
| ARCH 597bL | Landscape Architecture Thesis Option I, or | |
| ARCH 598aL | Landscape Architecture Directed Design Research | 8 |
| Electives | 8 |
| ____ |
| 16 |
Master of Building Science
Degree Requirements
Completion of this degree requires 48 units and includes 12 units of specified courses to include two core seminars and one research seminar; 21 units of elective courses; and 15 units of thesis and thesis preparation. The core seminars are:
| ARCH 511L | Building Systems | 4 |
| ARCH 513L | Advanced Structures | 4 |
| ARCH 515L | Advanced Environmental Systems | 4 |
Research seminars are:
| ARCH 613L | Seminar: Structures Research | 4 |
| ARCH 615L | Seminar: Environmental Systems Research | 4 |
48-Unit Sample Curriculum
| First Year, First Semester | Units |
| | |
| Core seminar(s) and/or research seminar | 8 |
| ARCH 596L | Building Science Thesis Preparation | 1 |
| Elective | 4 |
| ____ |
| 13 |
| First Year, Second Semester | Units |
| | |
| Core seminar(s) and/or research seminar | 4 |
| Electives | 7 |
| ____ |
| 11 |
| Second Year, First Semester | Units |
| | |
| ARCH 692aL | Building Science Thesis | 6 |
| Electives | 6 |
| ____ |
| 12 |
| Second Year, Second Semester | Units |
| | |
| ARCH 692bL | Building Science Thesis | 8 |
| Elective | 4 |
| ____ |
| 12 |
Advanced Standing for Students with a Five-Year Professional Degree in Architecture
Applicants who have completed a five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree may be qualified for advanced standing. In such cases, the degree requirements are 36 units, including eight units of specified courses, 15 units of thesis and thesis preparation and 13 units of electives. Students with advanced standing will typically be able to complete the degree program in three regular semesters. Admission with advanced standing is determined at the time of review for admission to the program.
36-Unit Advanced Standing Curriculum Requirements
| First Year, First Semester | Units |
| | |
| ARCH 511L | Seminar: Building Systems, or | |
| ARCH 513L | Seminar: Advanced Structures, or | |
| ARCH 515L | Seminar: Advanced Environmental Systems | 4 |
| ARCH 596L | Building Science Thesis Preparation | 1 |
| ARCH 613L | Seminar: Structures Research, or | |
| ARCH 615L | Seminar: Environmental Systems Research | 4 |
| Elective | 3 |
| ____ |
| 12 |
| First Year, Second Semester | Units |
| | |
| ARCH 692aL | Building Science Thesis | 6 |
| Electives | 6 |
| ____ |
| 12 |
| Second Year, Second Semester | Units |
| | |
| ARCH 692bL | Building Science Thesis | 8 |
| Elective | 4 |
| ____ |
| 12 |
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Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995
univpub@stuaff.usc.edu