Scholarship will Fully Cover Tuition for Young European Architects to Study at SCI-Arc

Los Angeles, CA (June 1, 2016) – SCI-Arc is pleased to announce the launch of a new scholarship for European architects eager to expand their knowledge of contemporary architecture. The SCI-Arc European Union 2016 Scholarship will cover the full cost of tuition for SCI-Arc’s 2-year Master of Architecture program at the SCI-Arc campus in Los Angeles. As SCI-Arc’s international presence expands, the school is thrilled to enable top talent from Europe to study at SCI-Arc in LA. Eligible candidates must demonstrate citizenship of any of the 28 countries within the European Union along with proof of having earned an undergraduate degree that is equivalent to the United States’ undergraduate degree in architecture.

Director Hernan Diaz Alonso said this of the new initiative: “Europe has always had and continues to have a critical and decisive role in how architecture is shaped. We are excited to expand our commitment to European architects via this scholarship, the first one at SCI-Arc of its kind. This bridge between SCI-Arc and Europe will serve to advance architecture as a creative discipline”

This scholarship, led by Graduate Program Chair Elena Manferdini, aims to bring some of the best architecture students from Europe to engage with SCI-Arc’s culture of architectural innovation. A native of Italy, Manferdini has taught in the M.Arch 2 program for over 13 years. “I know firsthand how a scholarship and the trust of an institution can change someone’s career,” Manferdini said. “At 22, I came to Los Angeles on a scholarship to pursue a Master of Architecture degree. Twenty years later, I have built a career in this country; now, as Graduate Chair of one of the most prestigious architectural schools in the US, I am proud to be able to give back and offer the same opportunity to another talented young architect to realize his or her dreams by receiving a full tuition scholarship to study at SCI-Arc.”

A professional Master of Architecture degree, SCI-Arc’s M.Arch 2 program is specifically designed for students who hold an undergraduate degree in architecture and are looking to focus their architectural education on contemporary tools, techniques, and technologies and to expand their experience in digital design, fabrication, and critical thinking. M.Arch 2 design studios propel advanced design exploration and offer students an educational model that promotes close collaboration with a team of distinguished faculty and critics including Hernan Diaz-Alonso, Elena Manferdini, Tom Wiscombe, Eric Owen Moss, Thom Mayne, Marcelyn Gow, Marcelo Spina, and Peter Trummer.

SCI-Arc is an internationally-renowned school of architecture that draws over half of its student population from over 46 various countries. The SCI-Arc European Union 2016 Scholarship is part of a school-wide effort to draw upon SCI-Arc’s international reputation and bring together talented architects from around the world by financially supporting them to push the boundaries of architecture.

Additional information on SCI-Arc’s M.Arch 2 program can be found on SCI-Arc's official website here.

For scholarship requirements, guidelines and application information, please visit the scholarship webpage on the SCI-Arc website here.

All applications for the scholarship will be reviewed by Hernan Diaz Alonso (SCI-Arc Director), Elena Manferdini (Graduate Program Chair) and one guest juror.  The deadline to submit all application materials for the SCI-Arc European Union 2016 Scholarship is June 30, 2016.

About SCI-Arc
Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) is dedicated to educating architects who will imagine and shape the future. It is an independent, accredited degree-granting institution offering undergraduate and graduate programs 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. 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. SCI-Arc faculty and leadership have garnered more than 500 national and international design awards and recognitions, including Progressive Architecture awards, American Institute of Architects (AIA) awards, and the prestigious Jencks and Pritzker architecture prizes. SCI-Arc is ranked 1st in computer applications and 2nd in design in the 2013 America’s Best Architecture Schools survey from DesignIntelligence, and #1 graduate and undergraduate architecture school in Western U.S. SCI-Arc is located at 960 E. 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013. www.sciarc.edu