Mar 29, 2024  
Graduate Record 2015-2016 
    
Graduate Record 2015-2016 [ARCHIVED RECORD]

Master of Architecture


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Admission


The Master of Architecture program attracts a diverse range of students with undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science, and engineering as well as pre-architecture and architecture. Students progress through the program in anywhere from two to three years, depending on their educational backgrounds. This accredited professional architecture degree offers within its design curriculum a forum for synthesizing parallel studies in theory, history, technology, and visualization. In the design of buildings, landscapes and urban places, the curriculum supports a stimulating setting for diverse cultural expression. Advanced standing is available through three separate paths depending on the academic preparation of the student.

A separate two or three-semester non-professional, non-accredited Master of Architecture, Design Studies degree program is intended for those with a degree in architecture or a related discipline. The program is directly tailored to the research interests of the individual student.

Admission to all graduate architecture programs is extremely competitive.

Master of Architecture Curricula


The Master of Architecture (MArch) First Professional Degree curricula emphasize strong foundation studies in design with coursework in architectural history, theory, visualization, building technology, and construction. To gain broader understanding of the relationships within and parallel to the field of architecture, students may take courses in the departments of Architectural History, Landscape Architecture, and Urban and Environmental Planning. Upper level graduate students are encouraged, through an optional teaching elective or work study funding, to expand their knowledge by serving as teaching assistants to undergraduate students in design, theory, visualization or technology courses.

The undergraduate education of a student defines the appropriate MArch degree path for them to submit an application. Students can pursue the degree in three years, two and a half years, or two years, depending on the number of architectural and general education courses they have completed prior to admission to the program. A thesis option typically adds a semester to the length of the student enrollment. Enrolled students must have completed a minimum of 45 credit hours of general studies (not related to architecture) during their undergraduate degree to complete the degree in the time allotted. This is a national accreditation requirement.

Courses taken at other institutions are normally not accepted. Under exceptional circumstances a petition along with supporting materials (i.e. syllabus and work samples) may be submitted to receive an exemption from taking a required course. Candidates are required to fulfill the total degree credit requirement regardless of course exemptions granted.  Petitions are to be submitted to the department chair or graduate program director for consideration and final decision.

PATH 1
This program provides an opportunity for two or three semesters of advanced study with an emphasis on design, research and teaching. Applicants should have an undergraduate degree in architecture or a field related to the built environment (landscape architecture, planning, architectural history, urban design, etc.). Typical applicants already have a NAAB accredited professional degree, but a non-accredited architecture degree, or a degree in a related discipline is also acceptable. It is important to note that this is not a NAAB accredited degree, and is not a sufficient prerequisite for taking the architectural licensing exam.

The full multidisciplinary resources of the school are available, including certificate programs in Historic Preservation and Urban Design, and coursework in architectural history, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban and environmental planning. The curriculum is tailored to the individual student, typically combining a thesis or design studios with focused course work and collaboration with faculty members in research or teaching. Collaborative opportunities include advanced research in public interest design, urbanism, computing, community development and design-build work. Selected students may have the opportunity to work with faculty on architectural course development and teaching and create a concentration in architectural education. Because of the individualized nature of this program, the applicant is encouraged to visit the School of Architecture for an interview. Each student develops a specific curriculum with a minimum of 31 credits in consultation with the chair and program director. The duration of study may be extended beyond one year.

PATH 2
This program allows students with a pre-professional undergraduate architecture degree to pursue the MArch degree in two years. Typically students have a Bachelor of Science in Architecture. At a minimum, students must have completed the following coursework:

  • 6 architectural design studios, five or six credits each
  • 3 architectural history or architectural theory courses
  • 1 course addressing passive design or enviromental systems
  • 1 structures course, addressing statics, mechanics of materials, structural analysis, and the design and behavior of basic structural elements and systems
  • 1 course addressing construction materials and assembly/construction methods

PATH 2.5
This program allows students with a pre-professional undergraduate architecture degree to pursue the MArch degree in two and a half years. Typically students have a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture or Environmental Design, or a Bachelor of Architecture or Environmental Design. At a minimum, students must have completed the following coursework:

  • 4 architectural design studios, five or six credits each
  • 2 architectural history or architectural theory courses
  • 1 course addressing passive design or environmental systems
  • 1 structures course, addressing statics, mechanics of materials, structural analysis, and the design and behavior of basic structural elements and systems
  • 1 course addressing construction materials and assembly/construction methods

PATH 3
This program allows students without a pre-professional undergraduate architecture degree to obtain an MArch in a minimum of three years plus an initial month-long summer session. The curriculum follows a prescribed core of foundational courses. Students are encouraged to develop a planned sequence of electives. Independent scholarship is encouraged through research studios, a comprehensive studio and the thesis option. Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree in any field from an accredited college or university.

After an introductory summer session, students are expected to complete the program in six semesters. Students with a pre-architecture (Bachelor of Arts in Architecture or Environmental Design) or similar undergraduate degree may be eligible for advanced standing and will be considered for waivers of individual courses by permission of the chair or program director.

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. Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, a pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

The University of Virginia School of Architecture offers a Master of Architecture (MArch) degree that is NAAB accredited. The Bachelor of Science Architecture, Pre-Professional concentration at U.Va. is not an accredited degree, but offers the opportunity to receive substantial advanced standing in the top MArch programs around the country, including at U.Va. The paths to achieve the MArch degree and the total number of credit hours are described below.

The University of Virginia’s Master of Architecture program received a full professional six-year term of accreditation in 2009. This program will be reviewed again in 2015.

Master of Architecture, Design Studies Curriculum


PATH 1


Fall Semester - Credits: 15 Spring Semester - Credits: 15

PATH 1 Degree Total - 30 Credits Minimum


Notes:

  1. A student is required to take ALAR 8995.  
  2. A student must take ALAR 8100 Design Research Seminar as a prerequisite to ALAR 8995.  
  3. A student is required to complete a minimum of three elective credit hours in visualization coursework.  Three additional visualization credits are highly recommended.  Visualization courses can be made up of elective visualization modules (SARC 5555) or other courses that focus on learning digital tools, software, drawing, fabrication, painting, photography, etc.  Visualization courses without a SARC 5555 designation require approval of the Graduate Program Director.

Master of Architecture First Professional Degree Curriculum - PATH 2


PATH 2 First Year


Fall Semester - Credits: 17 Spring Semester - Credits: 16

PATH 2 Second Year


Fall Semester - Credits: 18

Spring Semester - Credits: 15

     or

PATH 2 OPTIONAL Thesis Semester - Credits: 12


OPTIONAL Fall Semester - Credits: 12

PATH 2 Degree Total - 66 Credits


Notes:

  1. A student who intends to pursue a thesis project is required to enroll in ALAR 8999.   
  2. A student, who has fulfilled the 67-credit PATH 2 degree requirement by the end of the fourth semester and chooses to pursue a thesis project in the fifth and optional semester, may enroll in ALAR 8999 Non-Topical Design Research Masters.
  3. A student is required to only enroll in 12 credits of ALAR 8999 to receive the non-topical research tuition rate
  4. A student must take ALAR 8100 Design Research Seminar as a prerequisite to ALAR 8995 or ALAR 8999.  Completing the ALAR 8100 seminar does not obligate you to take ALAR 8995 or ALAR 8999 nor does it confirm that you will be accepted into the thesis studio.
  5. A student is required to complete a minimum of five elective credit hours in visualization coursework.  Three additional visualization credits are highly recommended.  Visualization courses can be made up of elective visualization modules (SARC 5555) or other courses that focus on learning digital tools, software, drawing, fabrication, painting, photography, etc.  Visualization courses without a SARC 5555 designation require approval of the Graduate Pro

Master of Architecture First Professional Degree Curriculum - PATH 2.5


PATH 2.5 First Year


Fall Semester - Credits: 17 Spring Semester - Credits: 16

PATH 2.5 Second Year


Fall Semester - Credits: 18 Spring Semester - Credits: 15

or

PATH 2.5 Third Year


Fall Semester - Credits: 15

       or

PATH 2.5 OPTIONAL Thesis Semester


or OPTIONAL Thesis Semester - Credits: 15

PATH 2.5 Degree Total - 81 Credits


Notes:

  1. A student who intends to pursue a thesis project is required to enroll in ALAR 8995 instead of ALAR 8030.  
  2. A student, who has fulfilled the 82-credit PATH 2.5 degree requirement by the end of the fourth semester and chooses to pursue a thesis project in the fifth and final semester, may enroll in ALAR 8999 Non-Topical Design Research Masters.  
  3. A student is required to only enroll in 12 credits of ALAR 8999 to receive the non-topical research tuition rate
  4. A student must take ALAR 8100 Design Research Seminar as a prerequisite to ALAR 8995 or ALAR 8999.  Completing the ALAR 8100 seminar does not obligate you to take ALAR 8995 or ALAR 8999 nor does it confirm that you will be accepted into the thesis studio.
  5. A student is required to complete a minimum of five elective credit hours in visualization coursework.  Three additional visualization credits are highly recommended.  Visualization courses can be made up of elective visualization modules (SARC 5555) or other courses that focus on learning digital tools, software, drawing, fabrication, painting, photography, etc.  Visualization courses without a SARC 5555 designation require approval of the Graduate Program Director.

Master of Architecture First Professional Degree Curriculum - PATH 3


PATH 3 Summer Design Institute - Credits: 3

 

The Summer Design Institute prepares graduate students admitted to the Master of Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture programs for rigorous professional study in these design disciplines. Three courses comprise the full time course of study over a four week period during the summer prior to enrollment. On rare occasions students with unusual circumstances and entering with design studio experience may receive waiver of attending the Summer Design Institute by permission of the chair or program director.

PATH 3 Second Year


Fall Semester - Credits: 18 Spring Semester - Credits: 15

PATH 3 Third Year


Fall Semester - Credits: 16 Spring Semester - Credits: 15

Path 3 OPTIONAL Thesis Semester - Credits: 12


OPTIONAL Thesis Semester - Credits: 12

PATH 3 Degree Total - 101 Credits


Notes:

  1. A student who intends to pursue a thesis project is required to enroll in ALAR 8999.
  2. A student, who has fulfilled the 102-credit PATH 3 degree requirement by the end of the seventh semester and chooses to pursue a thesis project in the eight and optional semester, may enroll in ALAR 8999 Non-Topical Design Research Masters.  
  3. A student is required to only enroll in 12 credits of ALAR 8999 to receive the non-topical research tuition rate
  4. A student must take ALAR 8100 Design Research Seminar as a prerequisite to ALAR 8995 or ALAR 8999.  Completing the ALAR 8100 seminar does not obligate you to take ALAR 8995 or ALAR 8999 nor does it confirm that you will be accepted into the thesis studio.
  5. In addition to ARCH 6710 and ARCH 7270, a student is required to complete a minimum of five elective credit hours in visualization.  Three additional visualization credits are highly recommended.  Visualization courses can be made up of elective visualization modules (SARC 5555) or other courses that focus on learning digital tools, software, drawing, fabrication, painting, photography, etc.  Visualization courses without a SARC 5555 designation require approval of the Graduate Program Director.
  6. A student enrolled in ARCH 6231 Building Integration Workshop 1 is required to attend the “Systems, Sites, and Buildings” lectures.
  7. A student enrolled in ARCH 6261 Building Integration Workshop 2 is required to attend the “Building Matters” lectures.

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