The Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) is a professional degree in architecture, qualifying the graduate to move through the various stages of professional accreditation (internship, exams) that result in receiving a license.
The degree is earned through several possible paths of study, depending on both a particular program's construction, and the candidate's previous academic experience and degrees. M.Arch degrees vary in kind, so they are frequently given names such as "M.Arch I" and "M.Arch II" to distinguish them. All M.Arch. degrees are professional degrees in architecture. There are, however, other master's degrees offered by architecture schools that are not accredited in any way.
Many schools offer several possible tracks of architectural education. Including study at the bachelor's and master's level, these tracks range up to 7.5 years in duration.
One possible route is what is commonly referred to as the "4+2" course. This path entails completing a four-year, accredited, pre-professional bachelor of arts in architecture or a bachelor of science in architecture. This degree is not
3 year, depending on the nature and quality of your undergraduate study performance, and the evaluation of your master's degree program school of your undergraduate study) Master of Architecture program. This route offers several advantages: your first four years are a bit more loose, allowing the inclusion of some liberal arts study; you can attend two different institutions for your undergraduate and graduate study, which is helpful in that it allows you to have a more varied architectural education, and you can pick the best place for you to complete your thesis (because chances are, you might not pick the program that has the exact focus that you will want when it becomes time for your thesis study); and you will finish the 4+2 course of study with a master's degree that will provide you the career option of teaching architecture at the collegiate level.
The second route to obtaining an accredited master's degree begins in graduate school, with a 3 or 3.5 year Master's degree (commonly called an "M.Arch I"). The advantage to this route is that the student can study something else he or she is interested in his/her undergraduate study (anything else). Because students come from different undergraduate backgrounds, the breadth of knowledge and experience in the student body of an M.Arch I program is often considered an advantage. One possible disadvantage is that the total time in school is longer (7 or 7.5 years with an undergraduate degree). Another disadvantage is that the student has a very short time to cover the extremely broad scope of subject areas of which architects are expected to have a working knowledge. Because a significant portion of every architect's education occurs in professional work apart from formal schooling, however, this is not always considered a problem.
It is worth noting that there is another route to becoming an architect: the continuous 5 year professional degree program. In such a program, after five years of study, students are awarded with a professional degree in architecture. Depending on the school and course of study, this could be either a B.Arch or an M.Arch. In the U.S., it is typically a 5-year B.Arch. Either degree qualifies those who complete it to sit for the ARE (the Architectural Registration Exam, the architecture equivalent of the bar exam), which leads to an architect's license in the U.S.. One disadvantage of the B.Arch. degree is that it is rarely considered as sufficient qualification for teaching architecture at the university/college level in the U.S. (though there are many exceptions). Many architects who wish to teach and have only received a B.Arch. choose to pursue a 3-semester master's degree (not an M.Arch.) to obtain further academic qualification.
Graduate-level architecture programs consist of course work in design, building science, structural engineering, architectural history, theory, professional practice, and elective courses. For those without any prior knowledge of the field, coursework in calculus, physics, computers, statics and strengths of materials, architectural history, studio, and building science is usually required. Some architecture programs allow students to specialize in a specific aspect of architecture, such as architectural technologies or digital media. A thesis or final project is usually required to graduate.
Important to consider in choosing the school(s) for an architectural education is their overall "focus". Architectural schools usually, by virtue of the history of the school and the interests of the faculty, will approach the instruction of architecture from a technical, historical, or artistic bent—or a combination thereof. This is not something that will be spelled out in the school's literature, but will be more or less apparent in the lists of classes offered and the study areas of the faculty. While it may not seem important at first, in retrospect it will probably be a major factor.
An architectural thesis is the culmination of a student’s research. Submission of the thesis represents the completion of the final requirement for the degree and may be presented as graphic representations, a written work, or physical forms. According to Groat and Wang, Architectural Research Methods, the scope of the research inquiry must not be too broad or too narrow. A good topic will clearly and simply identify a body of literature to which the topical question can be referred. Additionally, a thesis question must have significance to not only the student, but his or her peers, and to the field of architecture.
In the United States, The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) is the sole agency authorized to accredit US professional degree programs in architecture. Since most state registration boards in the United States require any applicant for licensure to have graduated from a NAAB-accredited program, obtaining such a degree is an essential aspect of preparing for the professional practice of architecture.
Again, first time students matriculating with a 5-year Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) degree can also qualify for registration, without obtaining a master's degrees. Some programs offer a concurrent learning model, allowing students the opportunity to work in the profession while they are earning their degree, so that they can test for licensure immediately upon graduation.
In Canada, Master of Architecture degrees may be accredited by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB), allowing the recipient to qualify for both the ARE and the Examination for Architects in Canada (ExAC).
As of March 2006, there were eighty-four accredited Master of Architecture programs in the United States, including Puerto Rico. In Canada, there were ten accredited programs.
Master's Degree programs
United States
Colleges and universities in the United States with accredited Master of Architecture degree programs are listed below.
Note: Schools where a Bachelor of Architecture can also be earned are marked with *
Academy of Art University, School of Architecture, San Francisco, California
Andrews University, Division of Architecture, Berrien Springs, Michigan
Arizona State University School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), Tempe, Arizona
Ball State University*, Ball State University College of Architecture and Planning, Department of Architecture, Muncie, Indiana
Boston Architectural College* Boston, Massachusetts
California College of the Arts*, Department of Architecture, San Francisco, California
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Department of Architecture, Pomona, California
The Catholic University of America, School of Architecture and Planning, Washington, D.C.
Clemson University, School of Architecture, Clemson, South Carolina
City College of the City University of New York*, school of architecture, urban design and landscape architecture New York, New York
Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation (GSAPP), New York, NY
Cornell University*, College of Architecture, Art and Planning New York
Florida A&M University*, School of Architecture, Tallahassee, Florida
Florida International University*, School of Architecture, Miami, Florida
Taliesin, The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Scottsdale, AZ
Georgia Institute of Technology, College of Architecture, Atlanta, Georgia
Hampton University*, School of Engineering - Architecture,Hampton, Virginia
Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Illinois Institute of Technology*, College of Architecture
Iowa State University*, Department of Architecture, Ames, Iowa
Judson University, Elgin, Illinois
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
Kent State University*, College of Architecture & Environmental Design, Kent, Ohio
Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan
Louisiana State University*, College of Art + Design, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
Montana State University
Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland
New Jersey Institute of Technology*, Newark, New Jersey
NewSchool of Architecture and Design, San Diego, California
North Carolina State University*, Raleigh, North Carolina
North Dakota State University*, Fargo, North Dakota
Northeastern University, School of Architecture, Boston, Massachusetts
Norwich University*, Northfield, Vermont
Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Parsons The New School for Design, Department of Architecture, Interior Design and Lighting, New York, New York*
Prairie View A&M University*, Prairie View, Texas
Pratt Institute*, Graduate Architecture and Urban Design (GAUD), New York, New York
Princeton University, School of Architecture, Princeton, New Jersey
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute*, Troy, New York
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island*
Rice University*, Houston, Texas
Roger Williams University, Bristol, Rhode Island
Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Georgia
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Southern California Institute of Architecture ("SCI-Arc"), Los Angeles, California*
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
Syracuse University*, Syracuse, New York
Temple University, Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas
Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
University of Arizona*, College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Tucson, Arizona
University of California, Berkeley, College of Environmental Design, Berkeley, California
University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Architecture and Urban Design, Los Angeles, California
University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, Cincinnati, Ohio
University of Colorado Denver
University of Detroit Mercy
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
University of Hartford, Department of Architecture, Hartford, Connecticut
University of Houston, Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture*
University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Kansas, School of Architecture and Urban Design, Lawrence, Kansas *
University of Kentucky, College of Design, Lexington, Kentucky *
University of Louisiana at Lafayette*
University of Maine at Augusta
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
University of Miami*, Coral Gables, Florida
University of Michigan, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Ann Arbor, Michigan
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
University of North Carolina at Charlotte*
University of Notre Dame*, Notre Dame, Indiana
University of Oklahoma*, Norman, Oklahoma
University of Oregon*, Eugene, Oregon
University of Pennsylvania*, School of Design (PennDesign), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Universidad de Puerto Rico
University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
University of Southern California*, Los Angeles, California
University of Tennessee, Knoxville*
University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas
University of Texas at Austin*, School of Architecture, Austin, Texas
University of Texas at San Antonio, College of Architecture,] San Antonio, Texas
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
University of Washington, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Seattle, Washington
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Milwaukee, Wisconsin*
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Blacksburg, Virginia*
Washington State University*, Pullman, Washington
Washington University in St. Louis, Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Design
Wentworth Institute of Technology*, Boston, Massachusetts
Woodbury University, in Burbank, CA - Master of Architecture in Real Estate Development
Yale University, School of Architecture, New Haven, Connecticut