Located in the heart of the Greater Yellowstone ecological system and the Rocky Mountains, the School of Architecture and Montana State University are internationally recognized for research and creative activity drawn from the social, cultural and environmental conditions of the western landscape. The faculty of the School of Architecture is committed to excellent teaching and learning appropriate to a professional education as well as to sustained research and creative activity to enrich architectural knowledge and the built environment.

The School of Architecture offers a five-year professional program leading to a Master of Architecture degree, fully accredited by NAAB. The program has 400 undergraduate and 60 graduate students. The university’s location in the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Montana offers a dramatic "learning environment" for faculty and student design inquiry and creativity. The city of Bozeman, with its strong sense of community design quality, supports a vigorous arts movement and mountain recreation.

The mission of the School of Architecture is to prepare students for the lifelong critical engagement in the arts and science of architecture. We teach and practice a moral, ethical and aesthetic responsibility to society and the natural world in the design of the built environment.

To that end, we empower students to assume a leadership role in the synthesis of human activity, place, materials, systems, theories and methods from a critical, responsible and mature perspective. Concurrently, we strive to support the faculty in the active engagement in creative and research activities that advance the mission of the school and the university.

In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in architecure, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a 6-year, 3-year or 2-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.

Master's degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree

For a comprehensive overview of Montana State University, including information on how to make your application for admission, check out the MSU Viewbook!

The entire MSU Catalog is available on-line for your perusal.

Take a tour of the Montana State University Campus.

During the spring semester of the first year of the Environmental Design Program, students are invited to apply for admission to the remaining three-year curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Environmental Design degree. All applications for admission are subject to the approval of the Architecture Admissions Committee. The teaching resources and space capacities of the School of Architecture limit admissions.

Applicants Must
• Be in good academic standing
• Satisfactorily completed first year required course work
• Submit a design portfolio that indicates creative potential

Procedures
• Submit completed application form and portfolio of design and graphic work to 160 Cheever Hall, School of Architecture by May 1.

Applications for admissions and portfolio requirements are available in 160 Cheever Hall, School of Architecture after March 1.

Link to College of Graduate Studies

Admission into the architecture graduate program is highly competitive. The school is able to admit approximately 45 graduate students per year, many of whom represent the best students from our own undergraduate B.A. in Environmental Design program. However, a limited number of spaces are available for highly qualified students with undergraduate degrees from other universities. Portfolio review is of primary importance to the School of Architecture's application review committee. All applicants are required to submit a portfolio of their best work that is reviewed by the school’s faculty. In addition, students accepted into the graduate architecture program must meet one of the following criteria, as established by the College of Graduate Studies:

A. 3.0 overall average GPA for full admission.

B. 2.75 - 2.999 overall average GPA. Applicants will be reviewed on an individual basis.

C. Those with professional experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Application Submittal Requirements
Prior to June 1, applicants for the fall semester must submit the following documents to the School of Architecture:

1. Portfolio of architectural work sufficient to demonstrate the student’s ability and achievement in architecture. Portfolio form and format are left to the discretion of the student, though the portfolio must be suitable for review by a committee. NOTE: For return of the portfolio, please submit a suitable mailing receptacle and sufficient postage. We cannot guarantee its return; portfolios have been lost in transit.

2. Written statement outlining the student’s background, professional goals, and specific interests in pursuing graduate education in architecture at Montana State.

3. Graduate Application for Admission form as required by the College of Graduate Studies. This is the "blue" form. NOTE: International students must submit the International Graduate Application for Admission form and follow the instructions therein. This is the "green" form.

4. Cumulative GPA calculation form required by the College of Graduate Studies.

5. Three letters of reference on the Personal Reference Form enclosed with the application materials.

6. Official results of the Graduate Record Examination.

7. $50.00 non-refundable application fee, payable to Montana State University.

Expected Placement for Students with an Undergraduate Degree in an Architecture Related Field, Environmental Design, or Architectural Studies:
If you have an undergraduate 4-year degree in architectural studies or environmental design and are admitted to the Master of Architecture program, you will be placed at an appropriate point in the architecture curriculum and can expect to pursue a series of rigorous design studios, specialized courses in advanced architecture, a thesis research course and the architectural thesis, in order to be granted the Master of Architecture degree. Students entering with excellent portfolios can expect to complete the Master of Architecture degree in two to four semesters.

Expected Placement for Students with an Undergraduate Degree in Other Fields:
If you have an undergraduate degree in another field and desire to study architecture at Montana State, you will, in most cases, be expected to complete the full 10 semesters of design studio. Advanced placement can be made depending on the quality of your portfolio that may demonstrate equivalent achievement. You will be placed as a "Second-Degree Student" until the prerequisites for graduate study have been completed. Upon successful completion of the required prerequisites, you can be advanced to "graduate degree" status.

Dates to Remember
June 1 - Deadline for submittal to School of Architecture of portfolio, application forms, GRE scores for Fall admittance.
November 25 - Deadline for submittal to School of Architecture of portfolio, application forms, GRE scores for Spring admittance.
March 20 - Deadline for submittal to School of Architecture of portfolio, application forms, GRE scores for Summer admittance.

Submittal Address for all Application Materials and Portfolio
Graduate Placement, School of Architecture, Montana State University, PO Box 173760, 160 Cheever Hall, Bozeman, Montana 59717-3760

For Further Information
Fill out the online form or download the Preliminary Application and e-mail to The School of Architecture (architecture@montana.edu) or call Student Services at (406) 994-5772