The Master of Architecture provides a dynamic studio-based learning environment that produces graduates who are forward thinking, collaborative and at the forefront of the changing architectural profession. You will be challenged to expand your conceptual and creative skills while being grounded in the requirements essential for professional registration and practice after graduation.
This degree operates around a series of studios that require students to engage at a graduate level with projects that emphasize research, design and vision. Student work is defined by the rigours of industry practice and surveys the social, environmental, practical and aesthetic needs of the brief while working within the wider context of architectural theory and philosophy. You will develop expertise across design, technology and theory that will form the basis of your approach and response to architectural projects and practice. There is one studio per semester as follows:
– Urban Architecture
– Sustainable Architecture
– Digital Architecture
– Graduation Studio
The first three studios lead to the Graduation Studio in the final semester of study that is based around a largely self-driven project. Students also undertake subjects that explore the historical, technological and theoretical aspects of architecture and investigate the critical issues facing contemporary architectural design.
The Master of Architecture is a 2-year full-time program (part-time option available on request), consisting of 96 credit points. It is taught by some of the world leaders in architecture education and on graduation, you will join distinguished alumni who have gone on to become major figures in the architecture world both in Australia and internationally. You will have a dedicated Master of Architecture studio space that you may access 24 hours a day. Students also have access to 24-hour computer labs, the latest digital fabrication equipment, wood and metal workshops as well as a number of design studios. There are also opportunities for international exchange in the first three semesters of the program with a number of prestigious institutions worldwide.
For admission to the Master of Architecture, you need to hold a Bachelor of Design in Architecture, or a Bachelor of Architecture and Environments or equivalent from another university.
Students who have completed the Bachelor of Design in Architecture at the University of Sydney need to have completed the Master of Architecture prerequisite unit of study BDES3025 (Architectural Professional Practice) and have a weighted average mark (WAM) of 65.
Students who have completed the Bachelor of Architecture and Environments at the University of Sydney need to have completed the Master of Architecture prerequisite unit of study BDES3025 (Architectural Professional Practice), have a weighted average mark (WAM) of 65, and are required to submit a portfolio.
Students who have completed an equivalent undergraduate architecture degree at another university will need a credit average (65 percent or equivalent) over the final two years of their degree, and must submit a portfolio of work to the school and/or demonstrate practical experience.
Portfolio submission
Your work should include the best projects created during your undergraduate degree (English translation, if required), to display your skills as a designer, as well as design communication skills.
Please submit a portfolio showcasing your academic work and/or work experience. Your work should include the best projects created during your undergraduate degree (English translation, if required), to display your skills as a designer, as well as design communication skills. Students who have current work experience can include group projects on which they have contributed, ensuring they clearly outline the tasks and input they had in the work.
Please submit one portfolio for review and title the documents with labels that indicate their contents.
Portfolios should be no longer than 15 digital A3 or A4 pages, saved in PDF format under 10Mb in file size, and clearly labelled ‘Portfolio’ with your University of Sydney application number and full name.
Professional accreditation
Graduates may apply to register as an architect with the NSW Architects Registration Board and pursue a range of fields including architecture, design and the wider built environment. The Master of Architecture, preceded by the Bachelor of Design in Architecture, Bachelor of Architecture and Environments or another equivalent degree, is recognised by both the Australian Institute of Architects and the Commonwealth Association of Architects.