The Master of Advanced Studies in Architecture is a two-year research degree. You’ll work within the school and the wider University community as you pursue independent design or research-based studies in collaboration with a faculty supervisor. You may enrich this research through related disciplines such as community and regional planning, civil engineering, geography, art history, and visual art.
This program does not fulfill the requirements for architectural licensure. If you already hold a professional degree in architecture or a related field and have a capacity for independent research, this program may be a good choice for you.
Before you can apply to the MASA program, you need to reach out to an individual faculty member listed below explaining what and why you would like to research specifically with that faculty member. Only if the faculty member pre-approves your application in writing will you be allowed to proceed to apply through the SALA MASA website application process. The faculty approval document needs to be attached to your application process.
Faculty supervising MASA and their research expertise: James Huemoeller, Xun Liu, Blair Satterfield
The Master of Advanced Studies in Architecture degree requires the completion of 30 credits, which includes your thesis. You will largely design your own trajectory and specialized studies through elective coursework in interdisciplinary fields. In your first year, you will broaden your knowledge in academic research and electives to prepare for your research thesis in the second year. The degree normally takes two years to complete.
+ Electives
Before you can apply to the MASA program, you need to have approval by a faculty member in writing.
We accept applications for the Master of Advanced Studies in Architecture between October 1 and January 15 each year. Admissions decisions are sent out in mid- to late April. We receive many outstanding applications, and admission to our programs is competitive. Unfortunately, we cannot offer admission to all qualified applicants.
Please note that tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors and are subject to change each year. Tuition fees for international students are expected to rise for the 2023-24 academic year. For information about current tuition fees for domestic, international, and continuing students please see the UBC Academic calendar.
Admissions requirements
You must meet all admissions requirements in order to be considered for entry into the program and can’t apply until you have first you have application approval from one of the faculty members listed above open to consider MASA students to supervise.
You must hold a degree that is academically equivalent to a four-year bachelor’s degree at UBC. There is no requirement for the discipline of your previous degree. We accept students from a wide variety of academic fields.
If you have completed your degree at a Canadian or American university, you must have a B+ average in your third- and fourth-year-level coursework. If you completed your degree at an international university, you must have a B+ average in all coursework.
Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.
The minimum scores are:
TOEFL – 100 iBT or 600 paper based
IELTS – Overall band score of 7.0 with a minimum score of 6.5 in each component of the academic (not general) test.
While not required, you may submit GRE results as additional evidence of scholastic promise and aptitude.
Application materials
All application materials should be submitted through the online application.
You must submit an online application form, complete application materials and the non-refundable application fee by the deadline of January 15.
A summary of your experiences in education, work, travel, volunteering, and other relevant areas. The maximum length is two pages, single spaced.
A one- to two-page written statement outlining your research interests and aspirations. Describe the proposed area of research and explain why you believe it is important. Include methodology, citations, and a bibliography, and explain how your work experience, readings, and related activities have influenced your chosen research pursuit. Nominate no more than three professors to act as your primary research supervisor and discuss how your research interests align with theirs.
The research statement and research interests can – and do – evolve during the course of the degree. The statement helps the admissions committee judge your preparedness for undertaking the proposed research and its alignment with the faculty’s research expertise.
Your portfolio is submitted digitally in your online application. The PDF can be a maximum of 20 letter-sized (8.5″ x 11″) pages and must be under 10MB in size.
Tip: Use 150 pixels-per-inch or even 72 ppi images, or try saving the file as a Reduced Size PDF (“Save as Other”) in Adobe Acrobat, to bring down the file size.
Depending on the focus of your research, submit one to three examples of previous scholarly or a portfolio of creative works. Writing examples should clearly indicate research ability and be identified as such. A creative portfolio should be a clear, well-crafted document. The portfolio should have concise, descriptive text on each page to adequately explain the work. If working in collaboration with others, please clearly indicate your contribution to the submitted work.
You must upload scans of official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions previously attended, including transcripts from universities attended on exchange. Uploads of unofficial transcripts will not be accepted. If you are currently completing a degree, submit your transcripts to date. In that case, UBC will not grant final confirmation of acceptance until you have submitted the final transcripts after the degree is conferred. If offered admission, you will be asked to send official transcripts in hardcopy.
If the academic records are in a language other than English or French, you must submit scans of the official transcripts in their original language and accompany them with scans of official translations.
You must arrange for three letters of reference, two of which should be academic and speak to your past performance and ability to succeed in a graduate program. Referees submit their letters through the online application system.
You also need to submit written approval from the SALA Faculty member who is supporting your application.
Please note that you will pay a non-refundable application fee through the online application system.
Jaynus O’Donnell
Student Services Coordinator, Architecture
arch@sala.ubc.ca
604.822.2779
Tijana Vujosevic
Chair, Architecture program
tvujosevic@sala.ubc.ca