School of Architecture

Consistent with the revolutionary legacy of the University of Virginia, the School of Architecture educates the next generation of innovative leaders, thinkers, designers and makers who are driven by a shared sense of service as a public university to make the world a better place. The School is an established leader in addressing some of the most pressing global issues, from climate change and the transformation of information technologies to affordable housing and urban sustainability. Through interdisciplinary research and design excellence focused on the built environment, the School of Architecture seeks to create more just, resilient, healthy and empowering futures for all. By prioritizing the connections between design research and pedagogy, established research centers within the School of Architecture are committed to advancing knowledge on cultural landscapes, community design, healthy environments, and the 21^st century global city. They allow students, especially at the graduate and Ph.D. levels, to work alongside our award-winning faculty across four departments and with collaborators across the University and beyond – with ongoing research and design projects focused on the local (Charlottesville), the regional (the Commonwealth, the Chesapeake, DC), and the international (the Arctic, Spain, Italy, China, and more). Students have opportunities to participate in longstanding robust study abroad programs.

Four distinct, yet importantly interrelated, disciplines provide a rich setting for professional education at the post-undergraduate level. Architecture and Landscape Architecture seek to integrate the academic and professional aspects of their disciplines in the belief that acts of design must be responsive to cultural, historical, and physical contexts as much as to functional need. Architectural History aims to develop a deep awareness of the value of the past to inform and enrich the future. Urban and Environmental Planning addresses community sustainability and the balance between environment, economy, and social equity. The Ph.D. in the Constructed Environment allows for advanced scholarship and innovative research across the four disciplines.

With nearly 20,000 square feet of open studio and classroom space and state-of-the-art digital fabrication labs, the School of Architecture supports approximately 230 graduate students who are part of and contribute to a dynamic collective community. Small class sizes allow for engaged learning and one-on-one dialogue with professors. The school’s highly recognized faculty create an engaging learning environment with challenging and varied curriculum. The renowned faculty are leading practitioners, scholars, and researchers with a common goal to foster meaningful change through the transformation of the built environment. They are working collaboratively to transform design and planning practices, and to support a collective educational mission that draws on Jefferson’s words, “always in the name of tomorrow,” and by extending his bold vision into the next century of architectural education.

The School of Architecture offers a Ph.D. in the Constructed Environment and four graduate Master’s programs: Master of Architectural History; Master of Architecture; Master of Landscape Architecture; Master of Urban Design and Master of Urban and Environmental Planning. We offer graduate certificates in Historic Preservation, Real Estate Design and Development, and Urban Design. Dual degrees are offered across graduate programs at the School of Architecture and with the Schools of Law and Public Policy. The School of Architecture has one annual admissions process and, in most cases, admits students for the fall semester only.

For specific admissions information, including application instructions and deadlines, please visit https://www.arch.virginia.edu/apply/graduate-admissions

Please note, if an applicant wants to apply to more than one department within the School of Architecture, s/he must create one account and submit one application per program.

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