Shape What’s Next.
Applications for the 2027–28 Academic Year Open September 15!
Prospective students are encouraged to review the admission and application requirements below. Once you are ready to apply, please complete your online application through GradApp. If you have any questions, consider attending one of our information sessions or contact our graduate programs coordinator.
APPLICATION DEADLINES
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Students applying to the program must meet University of Arizona Graduate College admissions standards:
- Degree: Applicants must hold at least a Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a non-US institution of higher learning.
- GPA: A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0.*
- English proficiency: International students must demonstrate English language proficiency and submit current test scores. Please review U of A Graduate College English Proficiency requirements for acceptable thresholds and English proficiency exemptions. Duolingo scores are not accepted as tests of English proficiency.
*Applicants that do not meet the minimum 3.0 GPA requirement, may pursue admission in the future by enrolling in 6 to 12 units as a Graduate Non-Degree Seeking student. For more information, please contact capla-grad@arizona.edu.
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE REQUIREMENTS
The University of Arizona offers one M.Arch degree with two entry points, based on an applicant's prior educational preparation:
- First-Year Entry (3 Years)
For applicants with undergraduate degrees outside architecture. Students begin with the summer program and enter the first year of the M.Arch curriculum. - Second-Year Entry (2 Years)
For applicants with qualifying pre-professional architecture degrees. Eligibility for Second-Year Entry is determined through application review based on the applicant's prior educational preparation.
Students entering at either point pursue the same accredited M.Arch degree, join together as one cohort at the beginning of the second year, and complete the same final two years of the curriculum.
Applicants who hold a five-year NAAB-accredited B.Arch degree are not eligible for admission to the M.Arch because both are professional architecture degrees and are considered redundant. Applicants with five-year architecture degrees from international universities may be eligible when their prior degree is not considered equivalent to a NAAB-accredited professional degree.
The non-refundable application fee is $90. Please note that we do not provide application fee waivers.
All applicants must upload the following documents using PDF format:
Statement of Purpose: Respond to each of the following prompts (maximum 200 words each):
- Concisely frame your understanding or interpretation of architecture.
- Present your motivation for studying architecture.
- Summarize your strengths and interests related to the field.
Resume or CV: Submit a current resume or CV summarizing your educational, professional, and other relevant experience.
Reference Recommendation: Please provide the names and contact information of three references who can speak to your potential for success in graduate studies. In most cases this should include at least one academic reference (i.e., a professor or instructor). It is always best practice to notify references in advance of listing them. Your application will not be considered complete unless the recommendations have been submitted by your references; thus it is your responsibility to monitor this completion and follow up with your references accordingly.
Portfolio: Submit a single 8.5 × 11-inch PDF in landscape format of 10–20 pages, 20 MB maximum, presenting work that demonstrates your creative, design, and/or technical abilities and interests. Work may be academic, professional, or independently produced and may include architecture, drawing, painting, photography, graphic design, furniture or object design, fabrication, construction, writing, or other relevant creative work. For each project, include the date completed, identify whether the work was academic, professional, or independently produced, and clearly identify your role in collaborative or professional work. First-Year Entry applicants are not expected to have prior architectural design experience.
Transcripts: Submit unofficial transcripts from all institutions attended. For transcripts not issued in English, include an English translation in addition to the original. Upon admission, you are required to submit official copies of all transcripts to the University of Arizona Graduate College by the end of your first semester.
ABOUT YOUR PORTFOLIO
CAPLA receives a wide range of M.Arch applications and portfolios because prospective students come from diverse educational, professional, and life backgrounds. Some come from non-professional architecture degree programs; some from fields closely related to architecture, such as interior design, graphic design, art, and engineering; and others from fields such as medicine, education, communications, and business.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) POLICY
The University of Arizona M.Arch program supports the critical, transparent, and appropriately credited use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in architectural research, design, and practice. As part of the admissions process, however, we want to understand each applicant’s thoughts, experiences, perceptions, and aspirations in their own voice.
AI may be used to assist in the development and refinement of application materials, but it should not substitute for the applicant’s own ideas, experiences, judgment, or voice. Applicants are responsible for the accuracy, authenticity, and final content of everything they submit.
AI-assisted work may be included in the portfolio. For any project in which AI contributed meaningfully to the work, applicants must identify how AI was used and clearly distinguish their own role, process, and critical judgment.
Failure to disclose AI use where required, or use of AI to misrepresent an applicant’s authorship, experience, or abilities, may result in an application being disqualified.
Applicants seeking Second-Year Entry must demonstrate prior educational preparation comparable to the first year of the University of Arizona M.Arch curriculum. As required by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), the M.Arch Admissions Committee reviews this preparation as part of the application process.
Eligibility for Second-Year Entry is determined through application review and is based on the applicant’s prior educational preparation. If deficiencies are identified, an applicant may be required to complete additional coursework or enter at the First-Year Entry point.
COURSE DOCUMENTATION
To support this review, applicants seeking Second-Year Entry must submit a single PDF containing syllabi and course descriptions from their prior architecture coursework. The M.Arch Admissions Committee will review these materials to evaluate the applicant’s prior educational preparation in the following areas:
- Ecological Knowledge and Responsibility
- Resiliency and sustainability concepts
- Relationships between buildings, building systems, and natural environments
- Regional ecologies, climate, material resources, and energy
- History and Theory
- Global architectural history and theory from ancient times through World War I
- Professional Practice
- Organization and principles of professional architectural practice
- Site design principles and processes
- Regulatory Context
- Principles of life safety
- Laws, regulations, and land-use policies affecting building design, evaluation processes, and compliance
- Technical Knowledge
- Principles, materials, and methods of building construction
- Structural concepts, elements, and systems
- Principles of human comfort and well-being
- Environmental conditions and passive environmental design strategies
Submit the documentation as a single PDF through the link provided in the application portal using the following filename:
Last Name_First Name_Second-Year Entry Documentation_2026
Questions regarding this requirement may be directed to Gretchen Luhr, Graduate Programs Coordinator, at gluhr@arizona.edu.
The M.Arch Admissions Committee includes faculty and staff representation. In reviewing each applicant’s submitted materials, the committee looks for the applicant’s capacity and promise to succeed in graduate architectural education and become an architect, including technical, aesthetic, creative, and social-impact potential.
PREPARATORY EDUCATION
The M.Arch program evaluates “Preparatory Education” in two instances:
- Admission of students with 4-year undergraduate degrees in architecture to the 2-year advanced standing program.
- Matriculated students seeking advanced standing in one or more specific required courses. The M.Arch program does not currently admit transfer students.
Admissions Committee members are to evaluate each applicant’s satisfaction of the NAAB program and student criteria which are claimed in the first year of our M.Arch program. This evaluation is conducted and recorded as part of the regular application review process. If the satisfaction of these criteria is not evident, the committee is required to request additional evidence from the respective applicants. If admission is recommended by the committee and deficiencies remain, admitted students will be required to take additional courses to demonstrate satisfaction of those NAAB criteria, or be required to complete the 3+ year program in its entirety.
HOW DIVERSITY IS CONSIDERED DURING THE APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS
The M.Arch program has a record of admitting and supporting a diverse student body in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic demographics. The SoA values a range of diverse backgrounds and experiences of students and faculty as it enriches and strengthens the culture and learning in our programs. However, prospective students are evaluated during admissions based on the merits of their application materials as they indicate one’s capacity and promise to become a successful architect. Per the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling we do not ask nor consider personal diversity characteristics during the application and admissions review process.
We recognize that funding is an important part of your graduate education planning and the University of Arizona offers a range of opportunities to support M.Arch students.
- Graduate Tuition Waivers: A limited number of tuition waivers are awarded to M.Arch students in their first year, helping to offset the initial cost of graduate study. All admitted students are automatically considered for these awards during the admissions process. Priority is given to those that submit complete applications by the priority deadline.
- Resident Tuition Programs: Eligible students may qualify for the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP), which provides reduced tuition rates for residents of participating states and territories: AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, ND, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY, MP, GU, MH, FM, PW, and AS.
- Assistantships: Graduate research and teaching assistantships are available to students in the M.Arch program, providing financial support as well as valuable professional experience. While assistantships are rarely awarded in the first semester, students are considered for these opportunities as they progress in the program.
- Scholarships: After completing their first full year in the program, students are eligible to apply for a number of scholarships specific to CAPLA. The University of Arizona also offers a wide range of scholarships and financial aid opportunities for both incoming and returning students. Please visit the Scholarships & Financial Aid website for details.
Tuition and fees subject to change. Listed amounts are based off 2026-2027 rates.
From the West? Get Arizona Resident Tuition Pricing for the M.Arch!
If you're from one of 15 Western states and territories, you're eligible for Arizona resident tuition pricing for the Master of Architecture through the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP).