Architecture

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Program Overview

The master’s degree in architecture is a professional degree program dedicated to the development of professional skills and design excellence as a means of engaging the natural and cultural forces that shape the built environment. The program emphasizes inquiry into the role of design in the study of place, the role of architecture in the structure and perception of the city, and the relationship of these to the conceptual and physical assembly of buildings. Investigation of the remarkable diversity of urban and rural landscapes of Louisiana and the Lower Mississippi Delta Region provides a local context for informed studies that lead to engagement with broader regional and global concerns. 

Administration

Admission

Applications and supporting materials for all graduate study must be submitted through the online application site for the LSU Graduate School: www.lsu.edu/gradapply. Official transcripts, official test scores, and other materials that come from third-party sources must be mailed to: Graduate Student Services, 114 West David Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. These paper documents are stored electronically and departments have access to all materials submitted by and/or on behalf of a student applying to graduate study.

Applicants must adhere to the application deadlines established by The Graduate School.

Students seeking admission must submit satisfactory credentials from a Bachelor Degree), GRE scores of 310 (1000 under the older scoring system) min, a GPA of 3.0 min, and three letters of recommendation. A portfolio of creative  work is required for admission to the MARCH II program and recommended for admission to the MARCH I program. International students whose native language is not English must also submit an acceptable TOEFL or IELTS score.

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is available to selected students. To ensure consideration for financial aid, all application materials should be submitted in accordance with deadlines (at time of application for School of Architecture) established by the LSU Graduate School.

Research Facilities & Units

The school has achieved national and international recognition for research in energy conservation, historic preservation, and community design studies. Research resources include:

• Office of Building Research (OBR),
• Office of Community Design & Development (OCDD),
• Coastal Sustainability Studio (CSS), an interdisciplinary environment, which serves the research and outreach endeavors of the school, creating opportunities for student enrichment and specialization in coastal adaptation and restoration,
• Computer-Aided Design and Geographic Information System (CADGIS) Lab in the College of Art & Design, which has sophisticated computer-based graphics processing systems with mapping, image processing, modeling, and animation software

Graduate Faculty

(check current listings by department by clicking this link)

David Bertolini, PhD (7M) • Connections between critical cultural film, literature, and architecture theory
J. Michael Desmond, PhD (7M) • History, theory, and criticism of architecture; architecture and the city; American architecture and cultural mythology
Ursula Emery-McClure, RA, LEED AP (7M) • Process Construction, Materials and Methods, Experimental Tectonics
Jori Ann Erdman, AIA, LEED AP (7M) • The South, Building Culture, Design-Build pedagogy, Modern architecture, alternative materials and community engagement
Frank Paul Melendez (6A) • Digital media and processes; building envelopes.
Meredith J. Sattler (6A) •Digital media and processes; building envelopes.
Jason C. Shih, PhD (M) • Solar energy and energy conservation applications in architecture, structural forms and optimization in architectural design
Thomas Sofranko (M) • Abstraction and composition, design education
James Sullivan, RA (7M) • Construction and detail theory, literary theory, American pragmatism
Robert Zwirn, AIA (M) • Architectural design, American architectural history and theory

Degree Programs

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