Oct 03, 2024  
Graduate Record 2020-2021 
    
Graduate Record 2020-2021 [ARCHIVED RECORD]

Master of Architecture


Master of Architecture Curricula


The Master of Architecture (MArch) First Professional Degree:


The UVA Master of Architecture program is a National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) accredited and STEM-designated first professional degree focused on the production of innovative architecture in the context of the global city. The breadth and depth of our faculty expertise teaches students to push experimental boundaries while providing a strong connection to society, scholarship, practice, and technology. 

The Master of Architecture program, rich in instrumental and methodological diversity, exposes students to a rigorous and inventive architectural education. We enjoy a collaborative community, comprised of internationally recognized faculty who are primarily in residence throughout the semester to engage an energetic and culturally diverse student body. The program prepares graduates as design leaders, global citizens, and critical scholars. Our students learn to actively shape the values, boundaries, and methodologies of architectural practice.

We welcome students from diverse scholarly and professional backgrounds who are interested in critically shaping the built environment. As a student here, you have the opportunity to take advantage of UVA’s proud history as a renowned research university, with nationally and internationally ranked programs, distinguished faculty, and robust resources.

The Master of Architecture program welcomes applicants with any four-year Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. Diverse scholarly and professional backgrounds enrich our educational environment in the first-professional graduate MArch program. Applicants with a previous architecture degree are eligible for advanced-placement.

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.

Courses taken at other institutions are not accepted for graduate credit in the MArch program. Under exceptional circumstances, a petition along with supporting academic materials (i.e. syllabus and work samples highlighting graduate-level content or equivalence) may be submitted to receive an exemption from taking a required course. Evidence of professional experience is not eligible for course exemption. 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.

The following Paths are part of the First Professional MArch Degree program:
 

MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE PATH 3

The three year Master of Architecture (First Professional) is a graduate professional degree intended for individuals who have completed an undergraduate degree other than pre-professional architecture.  The Path 3 program begins in July with the “Summer Design Institute” a four-week intensive introduction to design tools, concepts, and methodologies prior to the first semester of study.  After the introductory summer session, students are expected to complete the program in six semesters.

Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree in any field from an accredited college or university.
 

ADVANCED PLACEMENT PATH 2.5

The two and a half year Master of Architecture (First Professional) is an advanced placement designation, intended for students who have completed an undergraduate degree in architecture with the following course requirements:    

     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
 

ADVANCED PLACEMENT PATH 2


The two year Master of Architecture (First Professional) is an advanced placement option, intended for students who have completed an undergraduate degree in architecture with the following course requirements:    

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
 

The Master of Architecture (MArch) Post-Professional Degree:


POST-PROFESSIONAL MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE PATH 1

The one year Master of Architecture (Post Professional) is a design and research-focused degree intended for students who have completed an accredited professional degree in architecture. Closely related professional degrees (landscape architecture, urban design, etc) will also be considered for admission.

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 according to most U.S. state requirements.

The curriculum is tailored to the individual student, combining a research studio and elective coursework with the option of an individual thesis studio in the second semester.  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.  

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. 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 in Architecture, Pre-Professional concentration at Uva. 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 eight-year term of accreditation in 2015. This program will be reviewed again in 2023.

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 a waiver of attending the Summer Design Institute by permission of the chair or program director.

PATH 3 Third Year


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

PATH 3 Degree Total - 102 Credits


Notes:

Eligible students may receive up to three credits for one independent course supervised and graded by eligible UVA faculty members.  Only one “open elective” requirement may be substituted with an independent course.  Independent courses are subject to the same policies as other courses. Final approval of the independent course by the Graduate Program Director is required no later than one month prior to the start of the semester.

Eligible students may receive up to three credits for teaching experience supervised and graded by eligible UVA faculty members.  Only one “open elective” requirement may be substituted with a teaching experience course.  Teaching experience is subject to the same policies as other courses.

*Students pursuing a thesis in their final year of study must register for Thesis I in the fall semester in lieu of an Open Elective and Thesis II in the spring semester in lieu of Research Studio II.

All incoming international students, whose first language is not English, are required to take the English Language Proficiency Exam administered by the UVA Center for American English Language and Culture (CAELC) unless they have been exempted from the TOEFL or IELTS.  Based on the CAELC assessment of the test results, students who demonstrate a need for additional instruction in English communications are strongly encouraged to take courses specified by CAELC during their first school year.  A grade of “S” (Satisfactory) is required to pass the course(s).

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) credit received for summer or fall break internships cannot be applied toward overall credits for degree requirements.  Course credits are applied to allow the student to participate in an internship/externship per the F-1 eligibility requirements and regulations.

Master of Architecture First Professional Degree Curriculum - Advanced Placement, PATH 2.5


PATH 2.5 Third Year


Fall Semester - Credits: 15

PATH 2.5 Degree Total - 82 Credits


Notes:

On the Friday before the first day of classes, each student entering Path 2 and 2.5 will take an open-book, open-notes placement exam to determine whether the student starts the sequence of structural design courses in the fall of the second year with ARCH 7240 - Introduction to Structural Design or ARCH 7210 - Structural Design for Dynamic Loads.  The scope of the test comprises basic structural concepts in statics, materials, beams, trusses, and framing systems. Students should bring books and notes related to these topics for reference. 

Eligible students may receive up to three credits for one independent course supervised and graded by eligible UVA faculty members.  Only one “open elective” requirement may be substituted with an independent course.  Independent courses are subject to the same policies as other courses. Final approval of the independent course by the Graduate Program Director is required no later than one month prior to the start of the semester.

Eligible students may receive up to three credits for teaching experience supervised and graded by eligible UVA faculty members.  Only one “open elective” requirement may be substituted with a teaching experience course.  Teaching experience is subject to the same policies as other courses.

All incoming international students, whose first language is not English, are required to take the English Language Proficiency Exam administered by the UVA Center for American English Language and Culture (CAELC) unless they have been exempted from the TOEFL or IELTS.  Based on the CAELC assessment of the test results, students who demonstrate a need for additional instruction in English communications are strongly encouraged to take courses specified by CAELC during their first school year.  A grade of “S” (Satisfactory) is required to pass the course(s).

Path 2.5 students who apply and are approved to add an additional semester to pursue a thesis in their final year of study must register for Thesis I in the fall semester in lieu of an Open Elective and Thesis II in the added spring semester.”

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) credit received for summer or fall break internships cannot be applied toward overall credits for degree requirements.  Course credits are applied to allow the student to participate in an internship/externship per the F-1 eligibility requirements and regulations.

Master of Architecture First Professional Degree Curriculum - Advanced Placement, PATH 2


PATH 2 Second Year


Fall Semester - Credits: 15

Spring Semester - Credits: 18

PATH 2 Degree Total - 67 Credits


Notes:

On the Friday before the first day of classes, each student entering Path 2 and 2.5 will take an open-book, open-notes placement exam to determine whether the student starts the sequence of structural design courses in the first fall semester with ARCH 7240 - Introduction to Structural Design or ARCH 7210 - Structural Design for Dynamic Loads.  The scope of the test comprises basic structural concepts in statics, materials, beams, trusses, and framing systems. Students should bring books and notes related to these topics for reference.

Eligible students may receive up to three credits for one independent course supervised and graded by eligible UVA faculty members.  Only one “open elective” requirement may be substituted with an independent course.  Independent courses are subject to the same policies as other courses. Final approval of the independent course by the Graduate Program Director is required no later than one month prior to the start of the semester.

Eligible students may receive up to three credits for teaching experience supervised and graded by eligible UVA faculty members.  Only one “open elective” requirement may be substituted with a teaching experience course.  Teaching experience is subject to the same policies as other courses.

All incoming international students, whose first language is not English, are required to take the English Language Proficiency Exam administered by the UVA Center for American English Language and Culture (CAELC) unless they have been exempted from the TOEFL or IELTS.  Based on the CAELC assessment of the test results, students who demonstrate a need for additional instruction in English communications are strongly encouraged to take courses specified by CAELC during their first school year.  A grade of “S” (Satisfactory) is required to pass the course(s).

*Students pursuing a thesis in their final year of study must register for Thesis I in the fall semester in lieu of an Open Elective and Thesis II in the spring semester in lieu of Research Studio II.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) credit received for summer or fall break internships cannot be applied toward overall credits for degree requirements.  Course credits are applied to allow the student to participate in an internship/externship per the F-1 eligibility requirements and regulations.

Master of Architecture, Post-Professional Degree Curriculum


PATH 1


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

PATH 1 Degree Total - 31 Credits


Notes:

Eligible students may receive up to three credits for one independent course supervised and graded by eligible UVA faculty members.  Only one “open elective” requirement may be substituted with an independent course.  Independent courses are subject to the same policies as other courses. Final approval of the independent course by the Graduate Program Director is required no later than one month prior to the start of the semester.

Eligible students may receive up to three credits for teaching experience supervised and graded by eligible UVA faculty members.  Only one “open elective” requirement may be substituted with a teaching experience course.  Teaching experience is subject to the same policies as other courses.

All incoming international students, whose first language is not English, are required to take the English Language Proficiency Exam administered by the UVA Center for American English Language and Culture (CAELC) unless they have been exempted from the TOEFL or IELTS.  Based on the CAELC assessment of the test results, students who demonstrate a need for additional instruction in English communications are strongly encouraged to take courses specified by CAELC during their first school year.  A grade of “S” (Satisfactory) is required to pass the course(s).

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) credit received for summer or fall break internships cannot be applied toward overall credits for degree requirements.  Course credits are applied to allow the student to participate in an internship/externship per the F-1 eligibility requirements and regulations.

 

Public Professional Licensure Disclosure


As a member of the State Authorizations Reciprocity Agreement, the University of Virginia (UVA) is authorized to provide curriculum in a distance learning environment to students located in all states in the United States except for California. (34 CFR 668.43(a)(6)& 34 CFR 668.72(n)).

Upon completion of the Master of Architecture at the UVA School of Architecture, graduates may be eligible for initial professional licensure in another U.S. state by applying to the licensing board or agency in that state.

Please visit the University’s state authorization web pages to make an informed decision regarding which states’ educational requirements for initial licensure are met by this program. (668.43(a)(5) (v)(A) - (C))

Enrolled students who change their current (or mailing) address to a state other than Virginia should update this information immediately in the Student Information System as it may impact their ability to complete internship, practicum, or clinical hours, use Title IV funds, or meet licensure or certification requirements in the new state. (34 CFR 668.402).