Master of Architecture

The Master of Architecture is an accredited professional STEM degree with an emphasis on critical practice and sustainable design honed by the poetics of place.

The program fosters the development of architects who are both scholars and makers via the integration of passive and active building technologies, theory and history, digital fabrication, design communications, materials and assembly and methodologies of practice. This rigorous and comprehensive curriculum provides graduates with the skills necessary to enter a diverse range of leadership positions in the field of architecture, design, and construction.

At the core of the program is a carefully orchestrated series of studios and synthesized support courses that foster mastery of fundamentals and advanced processes with the experimentation required for critical practice. The two-to-three-year degree accommodates students with a non-design baccalaureate degree, a pre-professional, studio-based undergraduate architecture degree, or a NAAB-Accredited Bachelor of Architecture degree. Each program culminates in a master’s project, which includes future-oriented research that informs a design project.

The Master of Architecture (M. Arch) degree is available via one of two curriculum tracks, according to the student’s prior preparation:

• For students with little or no design background, the M. Arch III program (3 years) offers immersion in our rich, regional design culture. Beginning with fundamental architectonic problems and an orientation to the desert, the first year of M.Arch III studies brings students quickly up to competence in basic environmental design issues and skills. This program is available to students with a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution, in any discipline. No previous architecture or design experience is required.
• For students with an undergraduate studio-based architecture degree, the M. Arch II program (2 years) develops prior design fundamentals into a critical practice education. The curriculum is particularly attuned to sustainable practice and the understanding of sensible relationships between the natural and built environments. The program imparts a design sensibility appropriate to the impending environmental crises facing this generation.

For each program, students’ past work will be individually assessed and a personal curriculum developed to insure success.

Learn More About the M. Arch

Master of Architecture Curricula:

• M. Arch III (3-year track)
• M. Arch II (2-year track)

Other M.Arch Program Information:

• M. Arch Curricular Milestone
• Accreditation Status and Professional Registration
• Policy on Studio Culture
• UA, CAPLA, and School of Architecture Forms, Policies and Procedures

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Email recruiter

520-621-9819