The Master of Architectural Studies degree offers students with a 5-year Bachelor of Architecture (First-Professional) degree an additional year of design study. As with the Master of Science in Architecture program, the thesis forms the major component of the curriculum. Students may elect to pursue a design project or series of projects in lieu of a traditional thesis. 45 units are required for completion of this program.
Note: The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) does not recognize and/or accredit Master of Architectural Studies degrees.
- Program Length: 1 Year
- Prerequisites: Bachelor of Architecture First-Professional Degree
- On-Campus Program
- Program Outline
Students can choose between two lecture course sequence options to complement their degree:
Track I: Healthy Urbanism
There is a growing acknowledgment that the way cities and neighborhoods are designed directly impacts the health of residents, workers, and visitors. At the same time, many designers and planners fail to create healthy urban environments through lack of understanding, experience, and training. This track provides students with a grounding in the processes and design strategies that promote healthful cities.
Track II: Digital Architecture & Fabrication
The concentration in digital architecture and fabrication is open to graduate students who are interested in exploring, expanding, and/or deepening their knowledge and skills about buildings in both physical and virtual architecture, structure, and interior environments. With a strong emphasis on the state-of-the-art research in digital design and fabrication, computational programming for creative buildings and spaces to support the future of human activities and well-being, and nurture creativity, the studios will focus on complex architectural environments and the process of design assessment and optimizing of the elements and components of buildings and their spatial constituents. In these courses, topics such as human interactive spaces, intelligent façade design, structural investigation, spatial layout, mass and form typology, new smart materials, context-based shaping forces, as well as energy efficiency strategies, are thoroughly and systematically examined in an incremental but comprehensive manner with special focus on their impact on formation and reformation of the design solutions.
Our Master of Architectural Studies degree program can prepare you for the following careers:
- Architect
- Architectural Manager
- Educator
- Engineering Manager
- Drafter
