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 background. 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 either 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 both 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 courses they have completed prior to admission to the program.
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 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 maybe be eligible for advanced standing and will be considered for waivers of individual courses by permission of the chair.
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 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 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
Master of Architecture; Design Studies:
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 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 Land 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. 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 thirty credits in consultation with the chair. The duration of study may be extended beyond one year.
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 US 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 six-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of conformance with established educational standards.
Masters degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, comprise an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional undergraduate degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
The University of Virginia’s Master of Architecture program received a professional six-year term of accreditation in 2009. This program will be reviewed again in 2015.
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