Statement of purpose

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+ An essay of 750 - 1,000 words that addresses your interest in the M Arch I program with respect to your academic and professional objectives, the factors that led you to apply to the UTSOA, a situation or job that helped you define your interest, your most substantial professional contribution and why you view it as such, and/or any other factors related to your academic or professional experience that you wish to convey to the admissions committee.

+ You may submit your ApplyTexas online application before finishing your statement of purpose. You can later upload your statement through MyStatus.

Three letters of recommendation

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Provide recommenders' emails as part of the ApplyTexas online application.

+ Recommenders may include former instructors (preferred) and professional employers.

+ Letters should include comments on the applicant’s intellectual, communicative, and leadership abilities as well as his or her capacity for creativity and relevant personal characteristics.

+ Letters must be in English or include an English translation.

+ After you submit your application and pay your application fee, notification emails will be sent to your recommenders. Any delay in submitting your application or application fee will delay the notifications to your recommenders.

Résumé or curriculum vitae

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Portfolio

Upload portfolio as a single pdf through the portfolio credential on MyStatus.

The portfolio helps the reviewers determine your potential to perform successfully in a studio-based design curriculum. In order to fairly and accurately review each application, the admissions committee requires evidence in one or more categories:

The level of creative skill you possess in any medium.

The extent of your interest in the M Arch I, made evident through your abilities in composition, physical form-making, or perception of the environment.

Your ability to translate ideas into physical form, even if in simple terms such as drawing.

FORMAT

Portfolios should be designed and formatted for on-screen viewing (avoid a double spread layout). Maximum file size is 25 MB.

ATTRIBUTION

For each project, list the applicant’s name, the project’s date, and an indication as to whether the project was academic, office-related, or personal. In the case of collaborative or professional work, the contribution by the applicant must be precisely described.

ORGANIZATION

The organization of the portfolio is a design exercise. It should be clear, succinct, and thoughtfully composed to best reflect your interests and skills. The quality of the work is of greater importance than quantity.

APPLICANTS WITH LITTLE TO NO PRIOR BACKGROUND IN DESIGN

The portfolio is not expected to show architectural skills. Rather, it should contain work that demonstrates facility with a variety of media and illustrates three-dimensional understanding. You may demonstrate your creative, artistic, and perceptual skills through painting, sculpture, or other three-dimensional explorations, such as objects you have designed and constructed. Photography as an example of creative work must demonstrate intention in composition, color/light, or other critical point of view.

APPLICANTS WITH DESIGN BACKGROUNDS

Applicants seeking advanced placement should submit examples of work demonstrating an ability to pursue study at an advanced level. The portfolio should be of high quality and provide evidence of well-developed graphic skills, a sense of design (including integration of building technologies), and an understanding of space, form, and volume at different scales. The committee assumes the portfolio represents the applicant’s best abilities in design.