Master of Architecture
The graduate architecture program provides rigorous, accessible, and affordable professional preparation for a variety of careers.The full-residency Master of Architecture program (M.Arch.) offers two tracks starting in the summer term.
Track I is a 7-semester program for applicants with previous bachelors degrees in disciplines other than architecture. The 102-credit Track I starts with a year of architectural design, structures, architecture history and elective courses. In their second year and final summer, Track I students join with students entering Track II to complete the program sequence. Track l Applicants submit a portfolio of art and/or architectural work.
Track II is a 4-semester program for applicants with previous bachelors degrees in architecture. The 60-credit Track II starts with a design-build summer semester, continues through fall and spring, and ends with a summer thesis semester. Track II students must complete the equivalent of all first-year Track I requirements prior to entering Track II. On occasion, students may complete remaining Track I requirements while enrolled in the Track II program.
Program features
The Master of Architecture program is designed to provide rigorous and accessible professional preparation for a variety of architecture centered careers, in a world facing serious global challenges. Grounded in energy-conscious building and site design, studio coursework promotes the practical application of learned theory in building systems, construction technology, ethical practice and cultural traditions in architecture.
MassArt's extensive fabrication shops provide a unique opportunity for students seeking a hands-on architectural education. The curriculum combines professional requirements with hands-on design-build experience focused on community living and working spaces, so that students develop as socially aware artisan-architects who are versatile problem-solvers and skilled collaborators, dedicated to sustainable improvement of the built environment. The design-build studios are particularly helpful preparation for those whose ultimate goal is to practice as design-build architects or in the construction industry.
Frequent critiques stress sensitivity to clients' needs, ergonomic requirements, structural design, cultural context and environmental considerations.
Students are expected to develop a personal language of form and a responsible design ethic through the study of "green," modern, historic, and vernacular architectures, and experimentation with the intrinsic properties of materials and building systems.
Building social awareness
The M.Arch. curriculum includes a community project that promotes interaction between community members, architects, builders, and engineers. The students experience the design and construction of habitable spaces within a local environment, and solve diverse requirements for an actual client.
Individual studio coursework and research complements the M.Arch. curriculum. Seminars in architectural history and the building traditions of different cultures widen students' frames of reference and introduce techniques they may later require, working in preservation or adaptive re-use of historical buildings or cultural districts. Individual theses allow students to focus on personal research topics or building projects. A board composed of the student's advisor and professional readers reviews each thesis.
Community based design-build studio
In their second summer, Track I students join with incoming Track II students to participate in a community based design-build studio. Our first design-build project was built for the William E. Carter School located in Boston's South End neighborhood. MassArt M.Arch. students constructed a new interactive, environmentally-relevant shelter connecting the bus stop to the building to protect students from the elements as they move between the school and transportation.
Learn more about the Carter School Project (PDF)
Visiting professionals
The department lecture series brings in architects, engineers, and fabricators to talk about their own work. Many local architects and related professionals also enrich the discussions in design critiques.
Collaborative approach
Students work together in shared design studios where classrooms, computer laboratories, and construction workshops are located, providing media and fabrication tools to complement their design work.
Licensure
The M.Arch. program prepares students for licensure through the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards (NCARB). Graduates are eligible to apply for licensure once they have matriculated from a NAAB-approved program and fulfilled the required three-year internship with a registered and practicing architect. Read more about licensure.