A conferred four-year baccalaureate degree or its equivalent is required for admission to all graduate programs at SAIC. Transcripts are records of your studies that list the courses you completed, the grades received, and provide evidence of degree conferral. They may include grade sheets, exam results, final diplomas, degrees, or graduation certificates. Official copies are issued in the original language directly by your university. Copies must bear the official stamp or seal of the institution, as well as the signature of the appropriate official such as the dean, rector, registrar, controller of examinations, or office of teaching affairs. Photos, notarized copies, facsimiles, or email transmissions are not acceptable.

Official translations are expected for all educational documents issued in a language other than English. A translation agency or university language department should issue official translations typed on official stationary and the translator must attest proficiency in the original language and indicate their translations are accurate word-for-word.

During the application process an unofficial transcript is acceptable for review pending an Admissions decision. Official transcripts are required upon admission. Include transcripts both official and unofficial from all universities/colleges from which a degree was obtained or prerequisites were fulfilled. You can attach unofficial transcripts as .pdf or .jpg files in the Educational History section of the application form. If you are in the process of completing a bachelor's degree when you apply, a transcript showing your first three years of study is acceptable.

Transcripts are considered official if sent directly from the degree- or credit-granting institution to the SAIC Graduate Admissions Office. Hard copy transcripts are considered official if the documents remain in the registrar's original signed and sealed envelopes. Official transcripts can be sent both in digital and hard-copy format. Digital transcripts can be sent from the degree- or credit-granting institution to gradmiss@saic.edu. Hard copy transcripts can be mailed to:

SAIC Graduate
36 S. Wabash Ave., Suite 1201
Chicago, IL 60603

2 Letters of Reference are required.

Your portfolio should include a minimum of five different projects documented in up to 20 images, or up to 10 minutes of time-based work, or a combination of the two in which one image is equivalent to approximately two minutes of time-based work. 

Applicants with no previous experience in design can submit a critical writing sample or a visual essay in lieu of a traditional design portfolio. The critical writing sample should be 1,000 words in length and address some aspect of design that is of specific interest or concern to you. This writing sample can include visual images and should be submitted as a .pdf.

Students with undergraduate pre-professional bachelor's degrees in architecture or architectural technology may request admission to SAIC's MArch Option 2 degree program. Applicants must request consideration for the Option 2 program in a letter with their application to the MArach program. Students who request Option 2 consideration may be placed into the Master of Architecture program (3 year program) if their undergraduate transcripts and syllabi do not include courses covering all of the topics included in the first year of the MArch program. This consideration is made after admission to the Master of Architecture program and is dependent on available space, as well as a college transcript showing completion of the following classes:

• 6 semester credit hours in building science
• 3 semester credit hours in structural engineering
• 6 semester credit hours in architectural history
• 6 semester credit hours in design studios

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 architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a 8-year, 3-year, or 2-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.

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

In order to meet the education requirement set forth by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, an applicant for an NCARB Certificate must hold a professional degree in architecture from a program accredited by the NAAB; the degree must have been awarded not more than two years prior to initial accreditation. However, meeting the education requirement for the NCARB Certificate may not be equivalent to meeting the education requirement for registration in a specific jurisdiction. Please contact NCARB for more information.

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects was formally granted a three-year term of initial accreditation for the professional Master of Architecture program effective January 1, 2011. The Master of Architecture program's most recent accreditation visit occurred in 2014. The four distinct options of the accredited Master of Architecture program:

• Master of Architecture (3.5-year program; total 102 credits; requirement: nonprofessional degree)
• Master of Architecture with an Emphasis in Interior Architecture (3.5-year program; total 102 credits; requirement: nonprofessional degree)
• Master of Architecture, Option 2 (2-year program; total 60 credits; requirement: preprofessional degree)
• Master of Architecture with an Emphasis in Interior Architecture, Option 2 (2-year program; total 60 credits; requirement: preprofessional degree)

National Council of Architectural Registration Boards Certificate

In order to meet the education requirement set forth by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), an applicant for an NCARB Certificate must hold a professional degree in architecture from a program accredited by NAAB, and the degree must have been awarded not more than two years prior to initial accreditation.

However, meeting the education requirement for the NCARB Certificate may not be equivalent to meeting the education requirement for registration in a specific jurisdiction. Please contact NCARB for more information.