Dezeen promotion: the Southern California Institute of Architecture has launched a scholarship for a European architecture student to study a masters at the university in Los Angeles.
The European Union 2016 Scholarship will cover the full cost of tuition fees for SCI-Arc's two-year Master of Architecture programme (MArch 2) during the 2016-2017 academic year for a citizen of the European Union.
The scholarship offers international students the opportunity to transition their careers to the United States, while also allowing them to use the university's fabrication facilities – one of the largest in the US.
SCI-Arc's MArch 2 is designed for students who hold an undergraduate degree in architecture and are looking to focus their education on contemporary tools, techniques and technologies, and to expand their experience in digital design, fabrication, and critical thinking.
Facilities within the department include an Analogue Shop, Robot House, and Magic Box — a new digital fabrication facility equipped with 17 3D printers, two Computer Numerical Control mills, and six laser cutters.
SCI-Arc draws over half of its student population from over 46 countries. The SCI-Arc European Union 2016 Scholarship is part of a school-wide effort to bring together talented architects from around the world by financially supporting them.
The initiative is led by graduate programme chair and Italian native Elena Manferdini, who has taught the MArch 2 for over 13 years. Manferdini aims to engage European students with SCI-Arc's culture of architectural innovation.
"I know firsthand how a scholarship and the trust of an institution can change someone's career," said Manferdini. "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 USA, I am proud to be able to give back and offer the same opportunity to another talented young architect to realise his or her dreams by receiving a full tuition scholarship to study at SCI-Arc."
SCI-Arc faculty is comprised largely of architects and designers that are both practitioners as well as educators. Faculty members include Hernan Diaz-Alonso, Elena Manferdini, Tom Wiscombe, Eric Owen Moss, Thom Mayne, Marcelyn Gow, Marcelo Spina, and Peter Trummer.
Additional information on SCI-Arc's MArch 2 programme can be found on SCI-Arc's official website. For requirements, guidelines, and application information, visit the scholarship webpage.
All applications for the scholarship will be reviewed by Hernan Diaz Alonso SCI-Arc Director, Elena Manferdini and one guest juror. One successful candidate will be accepted for the fall 2016 semester.
The deadline to submit all materials for the SCI-Arc European Union 2016 Scholarship is 30 June 2016. The cost to apply is $85 (£58).
To be eligible for the scholarship, candidates must demonstrate citizenship of any of the 28 countries within the European Union, along with proof of having earned an undergraduate degree between 1 January 2012 and 1 August 2016. This must be equivalent to the United States' undergraduate degree in architecture.
The programme is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board and allows graduates to pursue architectural license for professional practice in the United States.