Academic Programs
Learning by Doing

For application to the Auburn University Master of Science in Architecture / Option in Public Interest Design (MS Arch) Program, applicants should submit the following directly to the Graduate School, by January 31st of the year in which they intend to enter the program. Previous achievements and a demonstrated desire to address the social and built environmental issues of a rural American community are important selection criteria for applicants. Apply online through Auburn University Graduate School.

• Official academic transcripts
• Grade point average of at least 2.75
• GRE (Graduate Record Examination) score of at least 300
• TOEFL scores (international students only); For more information visit admission requirements at graduate school webpage
• Three letters of recommendation
• A statement of intent (approximately 500-words) that explains why the applicant is interested in participating in the Rural Studio graduate program
• A curriculum vitae or resume
• A link to a digital version of the candidate’s portfolio that can be downloaded from the link
• Applicants must demonstrate the availability of adequate financial resources to meet personal and education obligations. The properly completed “Official Statement of Finances” accompanied by certified evidence of your sponsor’s financial capability MUST BE filed with this office before an admission letter and your I-20 Form can be released.

In addition, applicants must submit a physical, printed portfolio of work to the following address:

Rural Studio Chair of the Graduate Program
Auburn University Rural Studio
PO Box 278
Newbern, AL 36765

Calendar

January 31   Application due

March 1   Acceptance letters mailed

April 15   Deadline to respond to offer

August 15  Fall semester begins*

January 10  Spring semester begins*

May 15  Summer semester begins*

August 15  Summer semester ends*

*Dates given are approximate, as they vary year-to-year. Check the Auburn University academic calendar for exact dates.

*The health insurance fee is not required for students that have their own insurance.
** Includes lunch on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and 14 dinners during the semester.

Tuition information may vary slightly and is subject to change.
Students are responsible for obtaining housing in the area, basic living expenses and transportation. Also, a vehicle will be needed, as there is no public transportation.

The Master of Science in Architecture/ Option in Public Interest Design (MS Arch) offers a limited number of Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA) and Tuition Waivers each year. The number offered each year fluctuates. GRA positions are highly competitive. The assistantships are awarded on the basis of merit.

The Tuition Waiver applies to in-state and out-of-state students alike and covers part of the tuition fee for each semester that the student is a GRA. Students who are appointed as GRAs are required to pay the Professional Fee.

For further information about the Auburn University Master of Science in Architecture / Option in Public Interest Design (MS Arch) program contact: rsmasters@auburn.edu

Graduate School Web Links
Graduate School
International Graduate Admissions
General Admission Requirements
Areas of Study and Contact Information
Auburn University’s Bulletin 2019-2020
Office of International Programs
English as a Second Language
Fellowships and Financial Aid
Insurance — Graduate Student Health Insurance Program

To supplement the intense team-based design studio design-build project, 5th-year and master’s students have a weekly individual hand drawing class. On and Beyond the Chair supplements and improves students’ graphic experimentation with free-hand drawing methods. Students “learn by making,” focusing on executing work with intelligence, manual skills, and high quality. To manifest this work, the students focus on a single chair of their choosing, creating two full-scale drawings: a 2-D drawing focused on the construction of the chair and a 3-D drawing recording the chair’s proportions. They also create a 4:1-scale mixed-media drawing dedicated to a large, personal image from the imagination.

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This history and theory seminar at Rural Studio familiarizes the students with the built environment in Alabama’s Black Belt. It communicates the national and international context of wooden buildings—the physical, social, and cultural environments—when they were built and how they relate to the world today. They study how wooden buildings have survived so long (raised off the ground out of the water with big overhanging roofs), how they were naturally ventilated (with narrow plans good cross ventilation, high ceilings, operable transom windows and porches that shaded the building), and how they gave human comfort (the great porches). Students travel weekly to historic wood buildings in West Alabama, then discuss and free hand sketch each building. Student work culminates in a “Beaux Arts” watercolor of a historic wood building in the Black Belt.

Students in this furniture-making course acquire solid woodworking by developing and designing the process of recreating iconic Modernist architect designed chairs through research, drawing, modeling, and building. The final products are extensive drawings, jigs, mock-ups, and the actual reproduction of the chair. By removing the design of the object from the process, the students focus on construction technique and craft. They acquire a greater understanding of the properties of wood by using only hand tools: we don’t use CNC routers or digital technology. The challenge is to craft by hand and to “feel” the material.

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