You are here
Master of Architecture
Course of Study
Master of Architecture students study through two principal tracks that culminate in the M.Arch degree:
- Track I: a 2.5-year program for students with an undergraduate degree outside the field of architecture (102 credits). This Track includes pre-professional coursework (42 credits) followed by professional coursework (60 credits), and is completed in seven terms, including two summers.
- Track II: a 1.5 year program of professional coursework for students with an undergraduate degree in architecture (60 credits). This program is completed in four terms including one summer.
Architecture at MassArt is foremost a social art, with a hands-on approach to building, gaining its strength from MassArt's legacy as an educational institution that provides affordable access to students from diverse backgrounds.
Beginning in the first summer of Track I, the program connects history, drawing, structure, hands-on fabrication, and responsibly created design to focus students on a path to develop three essential attributes: their individuality, a strong ability to collaborate, and a shared sense of values. Each faculty member is committed to combining education and practice to reinforce these values. The curricular building blocks are expressed through the development of studios centered on emerging subjects and trends in the architectural profession. Students acquire skills that are applied through collaborations with the community, offering an opportunity to engage with the public.
The focus on making, along with the department’s commitment to current challenges in the built environment, aligns with the public mission of our school. Within this context the program has developed initiatives with the non-profit community in the greater Boston area, and over several years the department has collaborated with community partners on the creation of design options, construction, and development of projects. These partnerships are central to the development of architects who are socially responsible citizens.
The program offers electives that appeal across departments, augmenting the College’s 3D fine arts offerings, and providing students access to superior shop facilities and new shop equipment, such as the laser cutter with current software, 3-D printers, and a range of computer labs. Additional support for students is provided through course assistants and lab/shop monitors. Collaboration, shared values, and mutual support for project-based learning allows students to evolve strategies that engage a complex set of skills to inform their projects.
View M.Arch Brochure Discover Community Build
Alumni Success
Alumni from the Master of Architecture program have acquired positions at the following firms and organizations:
Shepley Bullfinch, Perkins + Will, Gensler/Boston, Stantec/Boston, LDa Architects, Toyo Sekkei, Guzman-Prufer, Reisen Design Associates, EVB Architects, The Narrowgate, designLAB, Drelling Terrones Architecture, Workshop/APD, Arium AE, Regent Associates, Inc., URS/AECOM, Cambridge Seven Associates, Resolution 4 Architecture, Snøhetta/NY, T2 Architecture, Inc., William Sloan Associates, Thomas Douglas Architects, Grimshaw, Truex Cullins Architecture and Interiors, Westlake Reed Leskowsky, PRAUD, Ben Herzog Architect, PC/Brooklyn, Studio G Architects/Boston, Add Inc., M+W Group, Farwell Group, KPF, Bertaux + Iwerks, Inc., Sleeping Dog, EDM, Richard Cardarelli Architects, Siga Cover, Yaro, Placetailor, Broad Institute, Cameron Roberts Advisors, Shuco USA/NY
Accreditation
In the United States, most 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 professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture.
A program may be granted an eight-year, three-year, or two-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 require a preprofessional undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
MassArt offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:
- M. Arch. Track I - 102 Credits (non-pre-professional degree + 42 pre-professional credits + 60 graduate credits)
- M. Arch. Track II - 60 credits (pre-professional degree + 60 credits).
This program leads to the following professional licenses: ARE through NCARB. Please look up your state’s professional licensure agency contact information to determine whether MassArt’s program meets your state’s requirements for licensure.
The National Architecture Accrediting Board (NAAB) granted the MassArt Master of Architecture degree program an eight-year term of accreditation effective January 1, 2016.
The next accreditation visit for the M.Arch program is 2024.