OVERVIEW | ACCREDITATION | 3+YEAR | 2+YEAR | 1+YEAR
OVERVIEW
The Master of Architecture is an accredited professional degree program that educates students already grounded in the liberal arts to become registered, licensed architects who assume enlightened, responsible, and imaginative roles in society. At the University of Washington, the two+ and three+year Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) degree is the only degree accredited by the The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). The one+year post-professional Master of Architecture is a non-accredited advanced degree for students already holding an NAAB accredited degree.
Design studio projects in the M.Arch. program are often set within urban areas or natural settings in the Puget Sound region and aim to foster and respond to its distinctive sense of place. In addition, many studios focus on issues surrounding the making of architecture—tectonics, design/build, wood and metal craft—this reflects a strong craft heritage in the region. Studios also frequently include a significant community service component, reflecting the Department's commitment to the people of the city and the region.
The requirements of the Master of Architecture program—in terms of length of residency, number of credits, and specific courses —vary depending upon the candidate's undergraduate major, academic and professional background.
In the United States, most state 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 U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a 6-year, 3-year, or 2-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.
Master’s degree programs may consist of a preprofessional undergraduate degree (such as the B.A. in Architectural Studies) and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
The University of Washington’s two+ and three+year M.Arch. programs are currently accredited for a 6-year term, subject to renewal in 2008.
For more information on accreditation of architecture programs in the United States, download a copy of the NAAB Conditions for Accreditation (2004 edition) or go to the NAAB website.
Candidates holding a bachelor’s degree in a discipline other than architecture pursue a three+year M.Arch. This program includes three years of instruction plus thesis. The first, preparatory year stresses the fundamentals of design, architectural graphics, architectural history, construction, structures and environmental control systems. Three+year students join the two+year program for their second and third years and thesis.
Candidates with a pre-professional B.S. or B.A. in architecture or environmental design pursue a two+year M.Arch. this program includes two years of instruction plus thesis. The curriculum emphasizes integrated architectural design and its relationship to urban issues and tectonics, as well as the technical knowledge necessary for the professional practice of architecture. Courses in architectural history and theory, building science, graphics, materials and assemblies, design/build, and international studies provide further professional training and opportunities to develop areas of specialization.
Candidates holding an accredited B.Arch. or M.Arch. pursue a one+year post-professional M.Arch. In this program students define their own course of study in close consultation with the faculty of the department.
This program is not accredited by the National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB). Candidates holding a four-year architectural degree (particularly those awarded outside the U.S.) who intend to seek a license to practice architecture in the U.S., should apply for the two+year M.Arch. degree. Candidates holding an accredited architectural degree, or a degree in an allied design discipline, who wish to pursue advanced study in design computing (both research and applications) or the history and theory of architecture, should apply to the Master of Science (M.S.) in Architecture degree program, not the one+year post-professional M.Arch.