Candidates for graduate studies in Sustainable Building Systems will be admitted on the basis of their academic training, work experience, statement of intent, and letters of recommendation. Depending on the chosen program of study, there are different requirements that need to be followed, as outlined below.

Application Requirements

 

Professional M.S.
4+1 M.S.

Research M.S.
Ph.D.

Program Description
  • Make sure you have reviewed the program description on this page.
  • Make sure you have reviewed the program description on this page.
Bachelor’s Degree
  • A Bachelor’s degree in one of these fields:
    • BCT
    • a related engineering discipline (e.g., structural, mechanical)
    • architecture or urban studies
    • a technical degree with a focus on building science, building technology, planning or construction
    • construction management/science
    • business administration with an emphasis in real estate or construction
    • any field with a strong background in the physical or environmental sciences and professional experience working as a building professional.
  • Undergraduate grade-point average: Minimum of 3.2 in previous education (or minimum 4 years related work experience)
Statement and Letters of Recommendation
  • Personal statement
  • Letters of recommendation:
    • BCT undergrads applying: expected total is three with maximum of two from within the UMass BCT Program.
    • All others: two expected; three preferred.
Faculty Sponsor
  • You do NOT need to seek out a faculty sponsor prior to applying. The BCT Professional Master’s Chief Advisor will serve as your dedicated faculty advisor.
  • Prospective research graduate students (thesis Master’s or Ph.D.) DO need to find a faculty member who is willing to serve as advisor before they will be accepted into the program. Interested students should contact the faculty members whose research and teaching align most closely with their own interests.
Funding
  • Professional Master’s students must self-fund their degree. Once you are at UMass, however, there are various scholarship options that you can pursue.
  • A list of funding opportunities (many of which you can seek on your own) is provided below
  • Graduate funding allocation is decided by individual faculty members. Discuss possible funding opportunities directly with your faculty sponsor. If any one of our Faculty have open funded positions available within their research group, the announcement will be posted on this page.
  • Teaching and Research Assistantships (which can enable tuition and fee waivers) are frequently available to research students but are usually allocated in the second or third year of study.
  • For Ph.D. applicants, if you are able to be self-fund for the first year, you may wish to consider applying to our Professional Masters degree program and ramp up from there to a PhD program.
  • A list of funding opportunities (many of which you can seek on your own) is provided below
GREs
  • Our Department of Environmental Conservation does NOT require GRE scores to apply for a grad program.
International Students
Deadlines
  • Applications should be submitted before 1 March for Fall Semester or 1 October for Spring Semester. We may consider late applications or retain those for the next admissions period.

How to Submit Your Application

Follow these steps to complete your online application:

  1. Make sure you have reviewed the application requirements above on this page.
  2. Click Apply Now to go to the University’s Graduate School site where you can find a link to the secure online application.
  3. First-time users will need to create an account to start a new application. Note: You can submit your application before you have all your materials ready, simply save and resume your application as you gather required materials.
  4. After submitting, track your application at the Graduate School Status of Application page.

IMPORTANT: The Sustainable Building Systems Concentration is part of the Department of Environmental Conservation Graduate Program. Therefore, select “Environmental Conservation” as grad program and “Sustainable Building Systems” as concentration in your application. Also, if you are applying for the professional Master’s program, mention that explicitly in the application.

Apply Now

Do you need a fee waiver?
Those are available for qualifying applicants via the Graduate School as well as the ECo department.

Graduate Financial Assistance Opportunities

Funding opportunities can be found at the Financial Aid Services website, especially the Graduate Financial Aid page. Information on waivers and tuition credits can be found on the Bursar’s office site and on the Graduate School website.

In general terms: Financial assistance may be provided to graduate students through teaching or research assistantships, University scholarships or fellowships, or hourly wages. Tuition and most fees are waived during semesters in which at least a one-quarter-time assistantship or fellowship is awarded. The same rules regarding tuition waivers apply to stipends earned outside of the University, if the internship is directly related to the student’s graduate program. Assistantships are often available through individual faculty members who have grant-supported research or who have University funding for teaching assistants for their undergraduate classes. The Graduate School awards a small number of University fellowships to applicants (including those from outside the U.S.) with exceptionally strong records.

Some Graduate Fellowships Links

We add to this list as we become aware of opportunities.

Questions?

If you have any questions or would like to visit BCT to learn more about us, contact the Graduate Concentration Coordinator using our contact form.