Admissions

• Candidates for the Joint Master of Architecture (JMA) must have successfully completed one of the following courses:
  
  •    Swiss UAS bachelor’s degree in architecture.
  
  •    Swiss bachelor’s degree in architecture, plus a practical work placement as described at point 2.
  
  •    Other qualifications and courses abroad: bachelor’s degree or equivalent in architecture according to the directives of the European Union and\or the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE), and work placement as described at point 2. Candidates are responsible for demonstrating the equivalence of qualifications, more information about which is available at the following address: https://www.sbfi.admin.ch/sbfi/en/home/bildung/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications.html

Candidates having a Swiss UAS bachelor’s degree in architecture are not required to complete a work placement.

Candidates having a Swiss bachelor’s degree in architecture, a foreign equivalent or another qualification must complete a 12-month work placement with an architecture firm.

The placement must satisfy the following conditions :

•    The placement must be completed in Switzerland, a member country of the EAAE or a country whose professional, regulatory, legal and quality standards are comparable to those of Switzerland. The JMA steering committee will rule on any equivalences if the placement requirements are not satisfied in full.

•    The 12-month placement may be completed in one or more architecture firms. However, candidates must complete one placement of at least 6 months with one firm.

•    The application must include a placement report as described at point 3.

3.1  Purpose and content

The application (online) should demonstrate the candidate’s ability and interest in completing a master’s course. It must be written in English, German or French and include the following elements:

•    A letter setting out his or her motivation

•    A complete curriculum vitae

•    A copy of any qualifications awarded

•    Description of the completed course of study and corresponding grade transcripts (modules, course content and design projects)

•    Proof of mastery of the languages used in teaching the JMA (English, German and French). Level C1 competence must be certified for the language of the main training site (German for BFH, French for HES-SO) and for the chosen modules. Level B1 competence must be certified for at least one of the other two languages used in teaching the JMA.

•    Portfolio presenting at least three design projects and one construction project representative of the completed course (see point 3.2)

•    Placement report detailing the work placement if required under points 1 and 2 (see point 3.3)

3.2  Portfolio

The portfolio should take the form of a PDF document, in minimum A5 and maximum A4 format, presenting the work completed by the candidate during his or her studies, or any of his or her professional activity if the placement report is not required. It should present, in an effective, concise and relevant form, the critical stance the candidate took to the identified or stated issues, to the topics addressed, to the solutions developed and to the results obtained in his or her work. Special weight will be given to the candidate’s ability to draft and to understand the mechanisms at stake in complex issues and loosely defined problems. Every stage of the project should be clearly evident in the portfolio, from initial drafts to technical details. If work carried out by a group is presented, the names of everybody responsible must be included.

3.3  Placement report

The placement report should be a PDF document, in minimum A5 and maximum A4 format, presenting the work completed by the candidate during his or her work placement. It should present, in an effective, concise and relevant form, the critical stance the candidate took to the different tasks completed and the experience gained during the 12-month work placement. Every stage of the project should be clearly evident in the placement report, from initial drafts to technical details. The candidate’s exact role should be made clear, as should the identity of the architecture firm responsible for the project. Employment certificates for the completed placements should be included in the placement report.

Enrolment fees are as follows:

• Application fee: CHF 150.-/application (bank details)
• Tuition fees: CHF 500.-/semester
• Contribution to study costs: CHF 250.-/semester

Information about costs is given for information purposes only.

JMA admission decisions are made once per semester. Applications may be submitted until 31 May for the autumn semester and until 31 October for the spring semester. It is possible to apply for the two semesters following the current enrolment session.

Admission decisions are made by the JMA steering committee within 60 days of the end date of the corresponding enrolment session.

Achievement of the aims of the JMA course and its continuing quality are dependent on a limited student intake. Candidates may be admitted to begin the course in the semester after the semester corresponding to the current enrolment session if the maximum number of students for the desired semester is reached.

The application will be valid only if the online registration process is completed properly and the paper documents are submitted by the stated deadlines. The various elements of the portfolio will not be returned to applicants.