Master of Architecture Application Requirements

To get started, create your application account. This will serve as a portal to your application and will allow you to submit materials as they become available. Online application

Please answer the first question below, and any ONE of the remaining three questions (your choice). Upload your responses together in a single letter-sized .pdf file via the online application portal.

1. Describe why you are interested to pursue a graduate degree in architecture. For example, how will earning a M.Arch further your personal and professional goals and interests? (300 words +/-).

2. Describe a building you’ve visited in person that you felt was ‘well-designed.’ What criteria did you consider? Why are those criteria important to an analysis of architecture? (200 words +/-).

3. Name a single building that you have never visited in person but would like to (and why?). (200 words +/-).

4. Speculate on the role that architecture does (or could) play in contemporary society. How might it make a positive impact? (200 words +/-).

Your resume or curriculum vitae should showcase your competencies and credentials, and list all relevant coursework, research, extracurricular or professional activities.

Applicants must request that their undergraduate degree-awarding institution send an official transcript to gradadmissions@wit.edu.

Electronically sent transcripts are preferred, but you can mail transcripts to:
Attn: Graduate Admissions
Wentworth Institute of Technology
550 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115

Transcript copies will be accepted for the application review, but a final official transcript with degree conferral will be required before enrolling into a graduate program. Mailed transcript(s) must be in a sealed envelope from the registrar’s office; loose or opened transcripts will not be accepted. For degrees obtained outside the United States, official credential evaluations are required.

Current Wentworth students applying to the 1-year Track: The Graduate Admissions Office will obtain your transcript on your behalf.

A non-refundable $50 fee is required (except for Automatic Acceptance students. See requirements for the 1-year track for more details).

Portfolios are required for applicants to all three M.Arch program tracks. Portfolios should include work that demonstrates your proficiency in architecture and/or other visual media; they should reflect the full range of your creative, research, and technical skills. The portfolio should be submitted electronically as a link to a webpage or uploaded PDF file within the online application. Additional guidance is provided in the Portfolio Recommendations section below.

Current Wentworth BS Arch students with a 3.0 or higher are not required to submit a design portfolio. 

Eligibility: Bachelor of Science in Architecture students at Wentworth who wish to enroll in the one-year Master of Architecture program must do so in their senior year. Acceptance is based on a portfolio evaluation by department faculty, cumulative GPA, resume, a statement of objectives, and references.

Automatic Acceptance: Internal candidates who have achieved a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 at the end of their junior year qualify for Automatic Acceptance into the program. Students who have earned Automatic Acceptance must submit all the materials listed above, with the exception of a Design Portfolio and Application Fee. Automatic Acceptance applies only to applicants currently enrolled in Wentworth’s Bachelor of Science in Architecture program and may not be deferred. 

In addition to the above requirements, all applicants to the 1-year track Master of Architecture must submit:

Reference list. All current Wentworth students who wish to be considered for the 1-year track must provide the names and contact information of two people who may be contacted as references. A space on the online application is provided to list these references and their contact information.  

Eligibility: Candidates who have earned a four-year NAAB-based Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree at another institution – or who have graduated from Wentworth’s B.S. in Architecture program more than one year prior to submission – must complete the external candidate application process for the two-year program. Wentworth graduates may still be considered for admission to the one-year program based on the department’s assessment of their status.  

Wentworth’s Bachelor of Science in Interior Design (BINT) students are eligible for the Master of Architecture 2-Year Track. Prospective BINT students are required to take two courses prior to matriculating into the M.Arch program:

1. PHYS 1000 College Physics 01 or equivalent – prerequisite for ARCH 8400 Structures 01 (a required course in the fall semester of the first year of the 2-year M.Arch track). Offered in spring, fall and summer semesters, and;
2. ARCH 2600: Energy and Resources in Architecture – prerequisite for ARCH8250 (a required course in the fall semester of the first year of the 2-year M.Arch track). Offered in spring semester only. It is highly recommended that BINT students enroll in ARCH 2600 in the spring semester of the senior year.

In addition to the above requirements, all applicants to the 2-year track Master of Architecture must submit:

Recommendation Letters. With your application, you should submit the names and titles for two people who are providing you with letters of recommendation. 

Proof of English Proficiency (for non-native English speakers). Please review Wentworth's English proficiency requirements. International applicants will also be required to submit proof of financial support. 

Eligibility: Candidates who have earned a four-year undergraduate degree in a discipline other than architecture may apply to the 3-year track. The Master of Architecture program is structured as a three-year sequence of study for external candidates without previous degrees in architecture.  Prospective students in the 3-year Master of Architecture track are required to have completed one semester of algebra- or calculus-based physics (including mechanics), prior to admission to the program.

In addition to the above requirements, all applicants to the 3-year track of the Master of Architecture must submit:

Recommendation Letters. With your application, you should submit the names and titles for two people who are providing you with letters of recommendation. 

Proof of English Proficiency (for non-native English speakers). Please review Wentworth's English proficiency requirements. International applicants will also be required to submit proof of financial support. 

Applicants should submit an electronic copy of their portfolio. A link to an online portfolio is preferred, but portfolios may be uploaded to the application as a PDF. Portfolios should be designed for viewing one page at a time (not as a two-page spread) using landscape orientation and standard aspect ratios such as 4:3 and 16:9.

Please show a range of your original design work, including design drawings, sketches, model images, photography, sculpture, writing samples – any work that conveys your artistic sensibilities. Emphasize four to five of your best projects. Non-academic creative and professional work may be included if it demonstrates your abilities to perform successfully as a graduate student.

Portfolios should be well organized with a brief introductory text for each project. Each project should be clearly labeled. Indicate whether the project was completed as part of a course by including the name of the professor, studio, and semester. In the case of team projects, you must identify your role on the team and specify authorship of drawings, images, and artifacts seen in the portfolio.

The goal of the portfolio is to legibly display the quality of your design and creative work. Focus your efforts on making the clearest presentation with simple layouts of imagery and brief, informative texts using straightforward typefaces scaled for ease of reading on a laptop. Make an effort to document your work carefully so that all images of your work are of high resolution and large enough to understand in detail; the committee expects a professional presentation.