Architecture (Graduate Program)

For information regarding the UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM, click here.   

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. 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 and the School of Architecture. The application deadline is February 1st for the School of Architecture.

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

Applicants must also send the following application materials to the LSU School of Architecture, Attn: Graduate Selection Committee, 136 Atkinson Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803:

• Statement of Intent, up to 500 words, that articulates your future goals and perspective on the way your graduate education will help you achieve these goals.
• Transcripts from all universities attended or attending and from which you have received degrees. To be admitted without probation, applicants need to have satisfactory credentials from a bachelor degree with  a 3.0 minimum GPA.,
• Three letters of recommendation (Download the Letters of Recommendation form.)
• A digital portfolio of creative work. Visit the portfolio assessment page on this site for specific information and details. Portfolio should be one PDF file with a maximum size of 30 megabites.
• International students whose native language is not English must also submit an acceptable TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE score.
• Applicants may also submit GRE scores.

Applicants can upload all application material to the Graduate School Application portal. If needed, some material can be mailed to the LSU School of Architecture, Attn: Graduate Selection Committee, 136 Atkinson Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. All inquiries regarding the application process can be sent by email to sarch@lsu.edu. Applicants interested in applying for graduate assistantship should fill the form on the school website and submit it to the school by the email designated above.

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:

• 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
• The Computer-Aided Design and Geographic Information Systems (CADGIS) research laboratory is located at 216 Design Building. CADGIS is dedicated to teaching and research in the areas of computer-aided design, image-processing, and more applications in architecture, art, interior design, and landscape architecture. CADGIS offers large format printing and scanning, and other computer services geared toward design. For a list of lab software please see CADGIS Software List.
• The Design Shop at the LSU College of Art & Design provides students with a workspace, hand tools, and power machinery for a variety of uses and materials. Under the supervision of the Design Shop Manager this large and comprehensive workshop is available for student use to complete class projects.
• The College of Art & Design Fabrication Factory is a new digital fabrication laboratory for students and faculty funded in part through the LSU Student Technology Fee program. The factory provides the capacity to create a multidisciplinary, active, team-learning environment by leveraging large-scale digital fabrication equipment for cutting, shaping, and forming metal, wood, and plastic toward the resolution of creative design problems. To this end the factory consists of a trio of machinery that forms its core toolset

              1.  a computer numerically controlled (CNC) large-bed router system by Forest Scientific,

              2.  a CNC plasma cutter system by EZ-Plasma, and

              3.  a large-volume fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer by BigRep.                  

• These enhancements will have a broad impact for university education, recruitment, and research in the application of digital fabrication technology in architecture, art, engineering, interior design, landscape architecture, music, and digital media

Graduate Faculty

(check current faculty listings by department here)

Programs

• Architecture, M.Arch