The Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) in Los Angeles, California, is an independent, nonprofit school offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in Architecture. Founded in 1972, SCI-Arc is widely regarded as one of the most avant-garde US architecture schools, with a reputation for pushing the boundaries of academic study. SCI-Arc’s approximately 500 students and 80 faculty members—most of whom are practicing architects—work together to re-examine assumptions, create, explore and test the limits of architecture. Dedicated to educating architects who will imagine and shape the future, SCI-Arc also offers community design and outreach programs, and free access to frequent exhibitions and lectures by leading thinkers in architecture.
Located in a quarter-mile-long former freight depot in the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles, the school is distinguished by its vibrant studio culture and emphasis on process. Approximately half of SCI-Arc’s students are enrolled in the undergraduate program and half in the graduate programs. SCI-Arc offers a five-year Bachelor Degree in Architecture (B.Arch); a three-year professional Master of Architecture (M.Arch 1) program—open to applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any field of study; and a two-year professional Master of Architecture (M.Arch 2) program—open to applicants with a minimum of a four year degree in Architecture, or its equivalent abroad. Additionally, the school offers Master in Design Research (MDesR) degree programs in emerging systems, technologies and media, and in urban studies. During summer, the school organizes a 4-week summer program for high school students—Design Immersion Days; and a 5-week foundation program in architecture, Making + Meaning, dedicated to those interested in architecture and design or about to enroll in a degree program.
Most recently,SCI-Arc was ranked second in design and computer applications in the 2012 America’s Best Architecture Schools survey from DesignIntelligence.
960 East 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA, US , 90013
