Guidelines for Applicants to the UCD Master of Architecture

Thank you for your interest in the Master of Architecture Degree programme at UCD. We hope you will make an application. In doing so, please bear the following pointers in mind:

Portfolio

Due to the file size limitations of the UCD online applications system, you should share your portfolio using a file sharing application such as Google Drive, Dropbox etc. Please upload a link to your portfolio in your online application.

Your portfolio is a vital part of your application. The portfolio should offer a comprehensive overview of your work in architecture to date.

While it is useful to record office-based experience and projects worked on, the primary focus should be on projects undertaken in your undergraduate architecture programme. We want to know what you have been taught and what you learned during this first phase of your architectural education.

In presenting these projects, please bear in mind that we are looking for candidates with a strong design method, with an ability to think conceptually, with a good degree of technical knowledge and good skills in visual representation and model-making. Your portfolio should therefore reflect all of these facets of your work.

Of particular interest is your work method – how you developed a project from early stages to fully resolved design. We want to see work from different phases of the project. We are looking for evidence that you can design mid-sized buildings to a good level of detailed resolution. You should also show work in a variety of media and modes – ie models and sketches as well as digital drawings.

While we value competence and skill, we are also looking for evidence of your individual talent and flair, and of your ideas. We understand that the work you produce is largely determined by the programme you studied, but we want to get a sense of your individual motivation and interests. (This should also be set out in your personal statement.)

Many portfolios contain examples of photography and sketching. These are of limited value unless they relate specifically to the overall content of the portfolio.

Personal Statement

Your personal statement offers an opportunity to be specific about your goals for graduate study and why you think the UCD course represents a good option for you. Be specific. Refer to your interests and ambitions in architecture, and to the work of others you admire. Explain how your experience to date has shaped your interests for the next phase of your education.  

In reviewing applications, the portfolio and personal statement are the key elements which determine whether we want to interview a candidate, so it is worth ensuring that they both reflect your specific strengths as fully and clearly as possible.

Application Review

Applications that meet our minimum entry requirements are reviewed by the School, and suitable candidates are called for an interview (via Skype or similar). Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and we aim to return decisions to applicants as quickly as possible – usually within 2-3 weeks of submission of a completed application.