Master of Architecture

Most states require that an individual intending to become an architect hold an accredited degree. There are two types of degrees accredited by the National Architectural Accredition Board: (1) The Bachelor of Architecture, which requires a minimum of five years of study; and (2) The Master of Architecture, which requires a minimum of three years of study following an unrelated bachelor's degree, or two years following a related preprofessional bachelor's degree. These professional degrees are structured to educate those who aspire to registration/licensure as architects.

The four-year, preprofessional degree, where offered, is not accredited by NAAB. The preprofessional degree is useful for those wishing a foundation in the field of architecture, as preparation for either continued education in a professional degree program or for employment options in architecturally related areas.

Path A Curriculum
The Path A program allows students without pre-professional undergraduate degrees, (e.g., B.S. in Architecture) to obtain a first professional degree in a minimum of three years plus an initial summer session. Applicants must hold an approved baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. After the first year, each student's studio work is evaluated to determine progress and ability to continue in the program. Prior to enrollment, it is desirable for students to have completed an equivalent to MATH 121 (Calculus) as well as a course in college Physics.

The Path A curriculum is initiated by a summer session establishing a common ground for both architecture and landscape architecture students. The Lawn is the subject of extensive analytic investigations, stressing the development of graphic skills for description, interpretation, intervention and conjunction. The summer session establishes a clear syntax of structure, a profound respect for diagrammatic clarity, and the precision of the graphic discipline.

The three-year curriculum is a sequence of recurrent architectural concerns manifested from the Lawn analyses, and it constitutes a prescribed core of foundation studies. History is reviewed and grounded here and now as useful knowledge by a conjunctive engagement with the studio. The foundation assumptions of our discipline are both presented and re-evaluated in light of critical and constructive readings of the contemporary landscape. From the start of the curriculum, building is to be appreciated as a verb and proceeds from an understanding of systems through design development, into the opportunity to work collaboratively on construction documents. Each semester an Elective opportunity requires the student to determine an intentional path through this curriculum that forces an appreciation and participation in projects engaging the larger school. A total of 111 credits is required for graduation.

Summer Session
ARCH 501	Architectural Design	3
ARCH 544	Computer Graphics and Design Application	2
ARCH 502	Architectural Design	3
ARCH 505	Architectural Graphics	2
	Total	10
First Year
First Semester
ARCH 601	Architectural Design	6
AR H 501	History of Architecture: Ancient, Medieval, and Early Renaissance	3
ARCH 553	Architectural Theory	3
L AR 514	Intro. to Theories of Modern Landscape Architecture or
LAR 512	History of European and Asian Landscape Architecture	3
ARCH 523	Materials and Assembly	3
	Total	18
Second Semester
ARCH 602	Architectural Design	6
AR H 502	History of Architecture: Renaissance to Modern	3
ARCH 554	Architectural Analysis: Key Buildings of Modernism	3
ARCH 524	Introduction to Structural Design	3
ARCH	Elective	3
	Total	18
Second Year
First Semester
ARCH 701	Architectural Design	6
AR H 571	History of Urban Form	3
ARCH 721	Structural Design for Dynamic Loads	4
ARCH	Elective	3
	Total	16
Second Semester
ARCH 702	Architectural Design	6
AR H 503	History of Modern Arch.	3
ARCH 589	Environmental Choices	2
ARCH 525	Environmental Control Systems and Building Services	4
ARCH	Elective	3
	Total	18
Third Year
First Semester
ARCH 80l	Architectural Design -- Option Studio	6
L AR 517	Site Planning	3
ARCH 823	Projects in Technology	4
ARCH	Elective	3
	Total	16
Second Semester
ARCH 802	Architectural Design -- Option Studio/Thesis	6
ARCH 848	Professional Practice	3
ARCH	Building elective	3
ARCH	Elective	3
	Total	15
	Total Credits	111

Path B Curriculum
The course of study follows the prescribed core of foundation studies -- History, Land, and Building -- each semester, stressing both professional accountability and Elective integrity. The rigorous design studios will investigate architecture between the city and the window, and stress an expectation of excellence through clearly productive strategies for construction. This demanding, fast-paced program requires students to coordinate core and elective course requirements as integral to these studio projects. Expectation of a capacity for independent work is available through several school-wide programs: Preservation, American Urbanism, Programs Abroad and Thesis. A total of 66 credits is required for graduation.

First Year
First Semester
ARCH 701	Architectural Design	6
ARCH 553	Architectural Theory	3
L AR 514	Intro. to Theories of Modern Landscape Architecture	3
ARCH 721	Structural Design for Dynamic Loads	4
ARCH	Elective	3
	Total	19
Second Semester
ARCH 702	Architectural Design	6
ARCH 554	Architectural Analysis: Key Bluildings of Modernism	3
ARCH 589	Environmental Choices	2
ARCH	Building elective	3
ARCH	Elective	3
	Total	17
Second Year
First Semester
ARCH 801	Architectural Design -- Option Studio	6
AR H	History elective	3
ARCH 823	Projects in Technology	4
ARCH	Elective	3
	Total	16
Second Semester
ARCH 802	Architectural Design -- Option Studio/Thesis	6
ARCH 848	Professional Practice	3
ARCH	Building elective	3
ARCH	Elective	3
	Total	15
	Total Credits	67

After the first year, studio work in ARCH 701 and ARCH 702 is evaluated, and honor students may be allowed to undertake a thesis or a special studio with consent of the chair.

Path C Curriculum
The Path C curriculum is for those with a professional undergraduate degree in architecture (B.Arch.). The program provides an opportunity to undertake more advanced studies in architecture. These should be self-initiated studies directed by faculty members, and should draw on the resources of the School of Architecture and the University. Because of the individualized nature of this program, the applicant is encouraged to visit the School of Architecture for an interview. A total of 30 credits are required for graduation. The course of study may be extended beyond one year with permission of the chair.

First Year
First Semester
ARCH 803	Architectural Design	6
ARCH	Elective	3
ARCH	Elective	3
ARCH	Elective	3
	Total	15
Second Semester
ARCH 804	Architectural Design	6
ARCH	Technical elective	3
ARCH	Elective	3
ARCH	Elective	3
	Total	15
	Total Credits	30

Option Programs
In addition to the three professional degree programs, the School of Architecture offers special programs or options. These programs may be undertaken by students enrolled in one of the three programs with consent of the chair and a program director. In some cases more time may be needed to satisfy normal program requirements. Students must meet all requirements for admission to and completion of the Master of Architecture program.

The following special programs are available. Interested students should consult with the chair and the program directors.

Historic Preservation Program   The option program in Historic Preservation is open to those students enrolled in Path A, Path B, and Path C. Admission to the Historic Preservation Program is subject to the approval of the Department of Architecture chair, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the Director of the Program. Students must also meet all requirements for admission to and completion of the Master of Architecture Program. It is expected that the program requirements can be met within the normal curricula of each Path with the exception of Path C, which takes an extra semester.

American Urbanism Program   The Advanced Studies in American Urbanism Program is open to qualified degree candidates in the graduate program, and to persons in mid-career who wish to extend their field of knowledge in this area. Because of the special nature of this program, interested candidates are strongly advised to arrange an interview with the program director.

Programs Abroad   Architecture students may, with approval, spend a portion of their second or third year in Venice or attend the summer program in Vicenza.

Continue to: Master of Landscape Architecture
Return to: Chapter 6 Index