Master of Architecture

With over thirty full-time academics and a broad range of leading architectural practitioners, the program has a depth and breadth of teaching and research performance unmatched within the Southeast-Asian and Australasian regions. Graduates will be equipped with the creative and critical thinking skills to push the envelope of architectural change in terms of the design and production of buildings as well as critique of their technical, aesthetic, social and environmental performance.

Professional/International Recognition

• Royal Australian Institute of Architects
• Architects Registration Board of Victoria
• Commonwealth Association of Architects

• Offer advanced education in architectural design in conjunction with critical understanding of aesthetic, socio-political and environmental implications of architectural form, space and expression;
• Enable students to explore an understanding of cross cultural issues in the planning, design and construction of the built environment;
• Offer academic opportunities to address contemporary concerns in local and international communities through architectural design;
• Encourage debate about the theoretical and practical aspects of architectural culture and production; and
• Provide a vehicle to meet the continuing professional development requirements of the architecture profession in Australia and internationally.

All students must completete:

• 137.5 points core subjects.
• 37.5 points architecture electives (at least 25 points from the same elective group).
• 25 points multidisciplinary electives.

First year core subjects (75 points)

Second year core subjects (62.5 points)

Architecture electives (37.5 points)

Architecture electives: Asia/Pacific Architecture

Architecture electives: History and Conservation

Architecture electives: Production, Practice and Sustainability

Architecture electives: Society and Culture

Architecture electives: Digital Architecture

Multidisciplinary electives (25 points)

To view a sample course plan go to:

1. The Selection Committee will evaluate the applicant’s ability to pursue successfully the course using the following criteria –

• completion of the Bachelor of Planning and Design (Architecture) or Bachelor of Architectural Studies at the University of Melbourne between 2005 and 2010; and
• Completion of at least 16 weeks of documented relevant full-time professional work experience;
  or
• a three-year undergraduate degree in a cognate area with a weighted average of at least 65% in the final two years, or equivalent, together with a personal statement of up to 1000 words outlining relevant prior study and work experience, and motivation to undertake the course, and a design portfolio in a format as specified by the Selection Committee.*

2. The Selection Committee may conduct interviews or tests and may call for referee reports and employer references to elucidate any of the matters referred to above.

Note: It is highly recommended that students obtain at least 16 weeks of documented relevant full-time professional work experience, before commencing the final 100 points of the degree.

Guaranteed Pathways into Master of Architecture for BEnv Graduates (available for masters entry from 2011 to 2014)

1. BEnv graduates with a major in Architecture and a weighted average of at least 70% in their final two years will be guaranteed a fee place in the 200-point Master of Architecture.
2. BEnv graduates with a major in Architecture and a weighted average of at least 75% in their final two years, and who are eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place, will be guaranteed a Commonwealth Supported Place in the 200-point Master of Architecture.

Guaranteed Transfer into Commonwealth Supported Place
Students with a fee place in the 200-point Master of Architecture who complete 100 points of the course with a weighted average of at least 75%, and who are eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place, will be guaranteed a transfer to a Commonwealth Supported Place for the final 100 points of the course.

*The design portfolio of not more than eight A3 pages should focus on design work rather than, for example, life or still-life drawing skills. Portfolios should be drawn at least partly from the design studio subject the applicant has completed. Applicants submitting work done in the context of employment should explain their role in the work produced with brief notes. Images and drawings presented in the portfolio should be reproduced at sufficient scale and resolution to be clearly readable. Elaborate formats that reduce the available page space for the design images should be avoided. It is most helpful to see a variety of kinds of drawings and images: two-dimensional (plans, sections, elevations) and three-dimensional studies, photographs of physical models, etc.

For information about the three year Master of Architecture program, designed for students with an undergraduate degree in any discipline, click here.

For information about how to apply click here.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this course are articulated in the Course Description, Course Objectives and Generic Skills of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

• Design skills that will contribute to the improvement of our built environment;
• A grounding in the rich lessons of architectural history, theory and technology enabling them to develop innovative architecture, relevant to time and place, people and culture;
• The skills to manage an architectural practice and work within teams; and
• The ability to use resources, materials and technologies to produce responsible and sustainable architecture.

Professional/International Recognition

• Royal Australian Institute of Architects
• Architects Registration Board of Victoria
• Commonwealth Association of Architects