Architecture-Specific Admission Requirements
The Master of Architecture program requires GRE scores for all Track 3 applicants. GRE scores are optional for Track 1 and Track 2 applicants.
Portfolio Requirements for Master of Architecture
In architecture, as in all the design professions, portfolios are regarded as the most effective way to communicate their work to others. They typically contain a selection of architectural projects and other pertinent 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional work of artistic or technical interest, presented as reproductions in one of the standard paper formats. Students with an undergraduate degree in architecture applying to a graduate program are expected to present portfolios to illustrate their abilities, their experiences, and their accomplishments, just as graduates looking for a first job or moving from one employer to another would be expected to present a portfolio.
Specific suggestions:
- It is useful to include some information regarding the context in which your work was produced, particularly whether it was done in response to a class assignment, a job-related task, or by your own initiative. It is also good to include the dates of execution as well as the size, materials, and media. If a project was done by a group of persons or in the context of a professional office, please be specific as to the exact nature of your personal involvement and contribution.
- You should give special attention to the form and craft of your submission. We are not only interested in the quality of what you show, but also in the quality of how you show it.
- Please be sure to include your name on all items.
- You can consult references on portfolio design. As an example, Portfolio Design, Second Edition by Harold Linton (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2000, ISBN 0-393-73059-X) contains much information and many examples of portfolio design, some by NC State University students. At NC State, this book available at the College of Design Library and the University Career Center. This book or others like it should be available at design and university libraries around the country.
- Portfolios for applicants with previous architectural degrees are considered as demonstrations in ability to design architectural projects. Other pertinent 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional work of artistic, design, or technical interest may be included as supplementary to this desired purpose.
Portfolio Requirements for Track Three Applicants
Portfolios for applicants to Track 3 have a somewhat different purpose. Because applicants come from a great variety of backgrounds, some have experience in architecture or a related field, while others have none. Our Admissions Committee will look upon your portfolio not so much as a track record, but primarily as an indicator of your promise in the field of architecture. Your portfolio should present some proof to us that your professed interest in architecture, and in becoming an architect, is based on more than the tentative contemplation of a vague possibility. It should show that you have tested the strength of your interests by acting upon them and that these actions have left some traces in the form of products you can present. We are therefore interested in seeing evidence of your curiosities and interests, your perceptual sensibilities and your skills, your initiative, your creativity, and your judgment as you experience, record, represent, analyze, criticize, and — most important of all — transform the environment around you, architecturally or otherwise. Design is making, and it is important for you to demonstrate that you can actively make things, not just passively observe them.
The Graduate Admissions Committee feels it is important to allow a fair degree of latitude regarding the format and content of your portfolio. The included items, as well as the manner in which they are presented, are the first important clues to your sensibilities and overall promise in the field. In other words, the committee tends to look at your portfolio as a first “design assignment.”
Track 3 applicants should keep in mind that architecture deals with three-dimensional entities. Whereas two-dimensional work (such as drawing, painting, 2-dimensional design and photography) is useful to illustrate compositional and graphic abilities, the Admissions Committee will look for some evidence to assess your promise in the conception and manipulation of 3-dimensional form, volume and space. Samples of elementary mechanical drawing or architectural drafting are not considered pertinent to show potential for architecture. Nor is it essential to include “architectural work” per-se. Examples of successful portfolios of past applicants to the Track 3 program are on file. You may arrange an appointment through the School’s secretary with a member of the Graduate Admissions Committee to discuss any questions you may have regarding admissions procedures or portfolios.
Art + Design-Specific Admissions Requirements
Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of less than 3.0 are required to submit GRE scores.
Portfolio Requirements for Masters of Art + Design
The portfolio submitted to the Department along with the application package is the most critical element in the review for admission. Its purpose is to reveal the creative potential, breadth of experience, and discipline sophistication of the applicant. Review of your past work in conjunction with information gleaned from your essay of intent, allows the Faculty admissions committee to discern your aptitude for art and design work and readiness for graduate level.
The portfolio should be planned carefully to show your talents, interests, skills, and experience. It should specifically show preparedness or predisposition for success in your desired medium (fibers or animation). Include only your strongest work. Attend carefully to the portfolio format and quality of reproductions. Do not send out of focus, unclear images with confusing contexts.
Experimental Media Arts
- Concentrate your selection on past interactive work, material studies, digital images, and/or illustrations in a proportion that fits your experience.
- Do not exceed 15 images. Time-based work should take no longer than 10 minutes to review.
- Please include a short write-up about each piece submitted. These should be included to identify dates of execution, your concepts, and materials (when appropriate).
Graphic Design Admission Requirements
In addition to Graduate School admission requirements, the MGD program requires:
- 5 visual examples for initial application review.
- A portfolio website that extensively represents the full range and depth of applicant visual work beyond the initial review examples. Label each project as professional, student, or self-generated work. List the year that the work was created, and briefly describe the project. Provide the URL link in the resumé
- From applicants who do not hold an undergraduate degree in Graphic Design (or a similar visual communication discipline): GRE scores. The program considers the GRE score in relation to all other submitted application information, therefore, there is no threshold score.
- From international applicants whose first language is not English: TOEFL or IELTS scores. (Minimum scores: TOEFL 100, IELTS 7.)
Industrial Design-Specific Admissions Requirements
The Masters of Industrial Design does not require GRE scores.
Portfolio Requirements – Masters of Industrial Design
Portfolio review criteria
- Three-dimensional ability
- Analytical and conceptual skills
- Drawing and compositional skills
- Organizational skills
- Communication skills
- Aesthetic sensibility
- Environmental, technological, social and design awareness
- Inquisitiveness, inventiveness, and imagination
- Futuristic perspective
- Mechanical aptitude
- Leadership qualities
Portfolio may include
- 10-15 examples of work
- Examples of three-dimensional work
- Development sketches to show process and concepts
- Photographs, slides or computer output
GRE Scores are not required for Industrial Design candidates. Materials suitable for inclusion in your portfolio may include work samples such as: condensed presentations that you have previously made for a project at a conference or to a client, photographs you have taken that highlight your skills in composition or interesting content, development sketches of how you have or would address a problem (think process rather than final solution), documentation/photographs of things that you have made (perhaps from a hobby), materials from previous coursework, and case studies highlighting your thinking and problem solving that are presented as narratives or storyboards. While some writing may be necessary to frame the problem and support the story; however, this is not a research paper. All materials must be your original work. Organize your portfolio in a cohesive manner to convey how you see and tackle problems and convey that you understand how things work. These may or may not be a physical problem with physical solutions.
The College of Design offers three Graduate Certificates, the
Graduate Certificate in City Design, the
Graduate Certificate in Energy + Technology, and the
Graduate Certificate in Public Interest Design. These certificates programs require 15 hours of focused study, which can be accommodated within the degree plan without additional coursework. There are two patterns of study for the certificates: studio + three seminars or five seminars.
Certificates are opportunities to add a specialization to a graduate degree in architecture. The areas of specialization offered by the School of Architecture reflect faculty depth in a particular area of inquiry. Interested students should apply to the certificate program before their last semester. The certificates are also available to non-degree seeking students.
Please contact the Graduate Student Service Coordinator for further questions about applying for a graduate certificate.
