Master of Architecture
Design sustainable buildings and spaces honed by the poetics of place.
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Learn more about the M Arch and talk with a recruiting specialist by calling 520-621-9819 or completing this form:
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CAPLA’s flexible two- or three-year Master of Architecture is an accredited, professional STEM degree devoted to the education of tomorrow’s leading architects.
The M Arch offers pathways that vary depending on your background. Students with undergraduate studio-based architecture degrees can complete the program in two years, while others can complete the program in three years, including an immersive summer session.
Our M Arch combines place-based design cultivated in the extreme climate and exquisite landscape of the Sonoran Desert with cutting-edge material and environmental research, all delivered through hands-on learning in our world-class facilities.
As an M Arch student, you will acquire a portable design sensibility, empowering you to develop critical modes of practice, regardless of where or how you practice.
Our M Arch is a professional degree accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).
What You'll Learn
- How to design for climate and place
- Digital and analog techniques for design representation and exploration
- Architectural history and theory
- Passive and active building technologies
- Digital fabrication and other advanced technologies
- How design should respond to materials, fabrication and construction
- The impact of sociocultural factors on design
- How to present your work visually, verbally and materially
- How to collaborate
- Professional practices and ethics
- Design for all
You’ll graduate ready to thrive in a profession of increasing importance that is taking on climate change, growing urban populations, water scarcity and a post-pandemic world.
CAPLA is a place where I can experiment and ask big questions in a stimulating environment. It is a place with so many tools and resources to truly learn through making. And most importantly, it is a place where I can collaborate and conspire with colleagues who I admire.
Athena Myers '21 M Arch
CAPLA’s Master of Architecture offers a rigorous, comprehensive studio-based curriculum and dynamic core and elective courses the prepare you for professional practice as a licensed architect.
There are two pathways available: 1) for those with an undergraduate studio-based architecture degree, comprised of 4-5 semesters; and for others with a bachelor's degree (or equivalent) from an accredited university in any field, comprised of 6-7 semesters, including an immersive summer session.
Application Deadlines
Program Cost
Demand for trained architects is high and growing, not only in Arizona, but around the world. In spite of the pandemic, the building industry is robust. Graduates can expect to work in professional architectural practice, in allied disciplines (construction, consulting, sustainability or preservation), in related fields (computer gaming, film and video modeling and production, digital fabrication and manufacturing, civic advocacy or other sectors of the building and construction industry) or in education as teachers of design.
The CAPLA Student Experience
Architecture culture is unlike any other collegiate experience. You’ll be part of a community of faculty and students committed to the exploration, intensity and fun of studio learning in our state-of-the-art facilities. You’ll also be part of the diverse multicultural community of Tucson.
As members of our close-knit community of graduate students, M Arch students also connect with students in CAPLA's other graduate programs, from landscape architecture to real estate development to urban planning.
Meet the M Arch Community
Athena Myers '21 Master of Architecture
Athena Myers, who is from Tucson, entered the M Arch program after receiving her undergraduate degree in design studies. Prior to joining CAPLA, she spent a year in Portland, Oregon, before moving back to Tucson where she worked as a manager in an advertising agency.
Courtney Crosson, Assistant Professor of Architecture
Assistant Professor of Architecture Courtney Crosson, who joined CAPLA in 2016, enjoys connecting students’ academic knowledge with real projects in the community, with a particular focus on water in the built environment and community outreach.
Altaf Engineer, Assistant Professor of Architecture
Assistant Professor of Architecture Altaf Engineer, who joined CAPLA in 2017, has always felt a deep responsibility to apply his knowledge and skills to address critical health, social and environmental issues affecting humans worldwide.
CAPLA Design/Build: Students, Faculty and Clients Building a Changing World
CAPLA Design/Build involves students in hands-on design and construction projects via studio courses, independent study and other courses with lab components.
In CAPLA Design/Build, you'll learn by doing—a powerful way to gain and retain knowledge because of the immediate application to tangible design and build problems.
Ready to design sustainable spaces honed by the poetics of place?
Learn more about the Master of Architecture by contacting us at capla-caplagradadmissions@arizona.edu or begin your application now:
Header image by M Arch student Orianna Zimmerer.