graduate degrees

Areas of Study

The three master's degree programs in architecture lead to professional, post-professional, and academic degrees. The Master of Architecture (first professional) degree fulfills the professional degree requirements for registration as an architect. The Master of Architecture (post-professional) degree offers students with professional degrees in architecture advanced study in an area of concentration: historic preservation, design with climate, advanced architectural design, or urban design. The Master of Science in Architectural Studies is a nonprofessional academic degree offering concentrations in design theory and interdisciplinary studies.

Admission Requirements

Master of Architecture (first professional). This degree program is open to qualified applicants who hold baccalaureate degrees in any discipline, including pre-architecture.

Master of Architecture (post-professional). This degree program is open to qualified applicants who hold professional degrees in architecture.

Master of Science in Architectural Studies. This degree program is open to qualified applicants who hold baccalaureate degrees in any discipline. Prerequisites for students without architecture degrees vary according to the student's experience and intended area of concentration.

Degree Requirements

Master of Architecture (first professional). For students entering with degrees other than professional degrees in architecture, the Master of Architecture is an accredited first professional degree, with accelerated graduate professional courses designed to prepare the student for advanced work in architecture; the coursework is prescribed on the basis of the student's previous college work as shown in transcripts, portfolio, statement of intent, and references. Students may earn a Certificate of Specialization in Historic Preservation, Urban Design, or Sustainable Design by completing the relevant sequence of courses.

Master of Architecture (post-professional). For students entering with a professional degree in architecture, the Master of Architecture is a post-professional degree. This program requires either 30 semester hours of graduate work, including the six-hour thesis; or 36 hours of work, including a final six hours of independent study.

Master of Science in Architectural Studies. The Master of Science in Architectural Studies degree program consists of advanced academic work in areas allied with architectural design: historic preservation, design with climate, architectural history, urban design, theory, and interdisciplinary studies. This degree program is tailored to applicants who wish to pursue research and advanced academic study in these fields for a nonprofessional degree. It is available to students with or without a professional degree in architecture.

The degree program consists of at least 30 semester hours, including a thesis or professional report. An individual plan of study is defined for each student by the director of the program and the graduate advisor.

This degree does not fulfill the professional degree requirements for registration as an architect.

Accreditation

In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: The Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a 6-year, 3-year, or 2-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.

Master's degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitutes an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.