The Master of Architecture (MArch) is a graduate level degree in architecture that prepares students to obtain a license and practice as a professional architect.
There are several options for earning a MArch depending on a student’s academic history, prior degrees obtained and the design of the master’s degree program.
There are several different kinds of MArch degrees. To help distinguish, they are often are given different names, like “MArch I” or “MArch II”, to help students distinguish between them.
All MArch degrees are fully accredited professional degrees that will help qualify students to become licensed practitioners of the trade. There are, however, other master’s degrees in architecture that are not accredited by the National Architecture Accrediting Board (NAAB). It is important that you do your research.
Architecture schools offer several pathways to earning a master’s degree in architecture, which includes pursuing education options at both the bachelor’s and master’s level. Whatever pathway you choose, it typically takes just over 7 years to earn a MArch degree. A few possible pathways include the following:
MArch Degree Pathways
1. 4+2
The first pathway to earning a MArch degree is known as the “4+2″.
This route requires students to first complete an accredited pre-professional bachelor of science in architecture (BS Arch) or a bachelor of arts in architecture (BA Arch), both three- to four-year programs.
Program duration at the bachelor’s level will be determined by the construction of the program and study performance. One of the benefits of the pathway is that it provides students a bit more flexibility to take undergraduate liberal arts classes and graduate with a more comprehensive four-year college education.
Another benefit is that students are able to attend two different post-secondary institutions, providing a more varied architectural education. Students can attend one college to earn their bachelor’s degree and another to earn their MArch.
Pursuing the 4+2 track also provides students the option of pursuing a career in teaching architecture at the collegiate level. Not only will students be qualified to pursue professional licensure but they’ll have the option of pursuing a career in architecture education.
2. MArch I (Graduate School)
The second way to earn a master’s degree in architecture starts in graduate school.
As an undergraduate, the student can study any topic desired and his or her education in architecture does not begin until graduate school.
The graduate degree in architecture takes 3.5 years to complete and is often referred to as a MArch I.
One of the advantages of attending a MArch I program is that the student body has a very diverse educational background, as most students will have earned bachelor’s degrees in varying subjects outside of architecture.
Pursuing this route does, however, require about 7 to 7.5 years of study (including an undergraduate degree).
One of the more obvious disadvantages is that students who pursue the MArch I option only have about 3.5 years to learn everything they need to know about architecture. Students who earn an undergraduate degree in architecture have a total of 6 to 7 years of architecture-specific education and training once they complete their master’s degree.
3. Post-Professional Master’s Degree
A third way to becoming a licensed architect is through a “post-professional” master’s degree. Post-professional master’s degrees are research-intensive and can lead you into a doctorate program called a Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture.
4. 5-year Professional Degree
The final route for becoming an architect is to participate in an intensive 5-year professional degree program in architecture. These programs vary from school to school but are typically either a Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) or Master of Architecture (MArch).
The most popular form in the U.S. is the BArch. Upon completion of one of these degree programs, students are qualified to sit for the Architectural Registration Exam (ARE).
Passing the ARE exam is a prerequisite to being awarded an architect’s license and practicing in the United States. The only drawback to this route is that it typically does not qualify students to pursue a career in architecture education at the collegiate level.
Students who pursue this track and decide to pursue a career in education often must complete an academic master’s degree in architecture (not a MArch), which requires 3 semesters of additional study.
What to Consider When Choosing An Architecture School
When selecting a school to pursue a master’s degree in architecture (or even a bachelor’s degree) it’s important to consider the “focus” of the school as not all architecture programs are identical.
Schools will often take a historical, technical or artistic approach to teaching architecture, depending on the history and interests of the school and its faculty. This is not something that school’s typically advertise, so you’ll have to really evaluate program curriculum, courses and study areas of the faculty to determine how a school approaches the instruction of architecture.
Students who blindly enter a program without doing their due diligence may come to regret their decision down the line.
Typically Required Architecture Courses
Most graduate degree programs in architecture include core courses in structural engineering, general construction, design, architectural history, design, professional practice, and theory, complemented by a variety of elective courses.
Some of the prerequisite courses students must complete prior to entering a professional architecture program at the graduate-level include physics, statistics, mathematics (calculus), basic building science, studio, and computers. Many architectural programs allow students to select a study concentration in a specific area of architecture.
Architecture Final Project or Thesis
It’s also a standard requirement for students to complete a final project or thesis in order to graduate.
The architectural thesis is intended to provide a student the opportunity to demonstrate what he or she has learned over the duration of the program. The thesis is typically represented as a written paper, physical model/representation or graphic design.
The thesis is based on a student’s research and cumulative knowledge of architecture and should address a topic significant to the student, his peers and the field at large.
Architectural Registration Exam (ARE)
As previously mentioned, in order to sit for the ARE exam and obtain licensure a student must graduate from an accredited architecture program.
An architecture program must be accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) which is the only organization authorized to provide accreditation for professional degree programs in architecture in the United States.
Obtaining a degree from a NAAB-accredited program is a necessary step in order to practice architecture anywhere in the U.S.
In Canada, the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) is the equivalent to the ARE in the United States. Students who earn a degree from a NAAB or CACB-accredited school may qualify to sit for the ARE and/or the Examination of Architects in Canada (ExaAC).
Master’s Degree Programs in Architecture
There are currently about 85 NAAB-accredited Master of Architecture (MArch) degree programs in the United States.
The following U.S. colleges and universities offer Machelor of Architecture programs. (Note: Institutions with an asterisk next to their name also provided accredited Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) programs.
- Andrews University, School of Architecture, Art & Design
- Arizona State University, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
- Ball State University, Ball State University College of Architecture and Planning
- California College of the Arts*, Department of Architecture
- California State Polytechnic University, Pomona*, Department of Architecture
- Catholic University of America, The, School of Architecture and Planning
- Clemson University, School of Architecture
- City College of the City University of New York*
- Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation (GSAPP)
- Cooper Union* The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture
- Cornell University*, College of Architecture, Art and Planning
- Florida A&M University*, School of Architecture
- Florida International University, School of Architecture
- Georgia Institute of Technology, College of Architecture
- Hampton University*, School of Engineering – Architecture
- Harvard University, Graduate School of Design
- Illinois Institute of Technology*, College of Architecture
- Iowa State University*, Department of Architecture
- Judson University
- Kent State University*, College of Architecture & Environmental Design
- Lawrence Technological University
- Louisiana State University*, College of Art + Design
- Louisiana Tech University, School of Architecture
- Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Architectural Design Department
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Architecture
- Miami University
- Montana State University
- Morgan State University
- New Jersey Institute of Technology*
- New School of Architecture and Design*
- North Carolina State University*
- North Dakota State University
- Northeastern University*, School of Architecture
- Norwich University*
- Ohio State University
- Parsons The New School of Design, Department of Architecture, Interior Design and Lighting
- Prairie View A&M University
- Pratt Institute*, Graduate Architecture and Urban Design (GAUD)
- Princeton University, School of Architecture
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute*
- Rhode Island School of Design*
- Rice University*
- Roger Williams University*
- Savannah College of Art and Design*
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Southern California Institute of Architecture*
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale
- Syracuse University*
- Temple University, Tyler School of Art
- Texas A&M University
- Taliesin, The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture
- Tulane University
- University of Arizona*, College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
- University of Buffalo, The State University of New York
- University of California, Berkeley, College of Environmental Design
- University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Architecture and Urban Design
- University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning
- University of Colorado Denver
- University of Detroit Mercy
- University of Florida
- University of Hartford, Department of Architecture
- University of Houston*, Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture
- University of Idaho
- University of Illinois Chicago
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- University of Kansas, School of Architecture and Urban Design
- University of Kentucky*, College of Design
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette*
- University of Maine at Augusta
- University of Maryland, College Park
- University of Massachusetts-Amherst
- University of Miami*
- University of Michigan, Tauban College of Architecture and Urban Planning
- University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- University of Nevada-Las Vegas
- University of New Mexico
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte*
- University of Notre Dame*
- University of Oklahoma*
- University of Oregon*
- University of Pennsylvania, School of Design (PennDesign)
- University of South Florida
- University of Southern California*
- University of Tennessee*
- University of Texas at Arlington
- University of Texas at Austin*, School of Architecture
- University of Texas San Antonio, College of Architecture
- University of Utah
- University of Virginia*
- University of Washington, College of Architecture and Urban Planning
- University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, School of Architecture and Urban Planning
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University*, College of Architecture and Urban Studies
- Washington State University*
- Washington University in St. Louis, Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Design
- Wentworth Institute of Technology
- Woodbury University
- Yale University, School of Architecture