Master of Architecture
Architecture master’s grounded in the needs of our communities and environment.
The UMass architecture graduate program prepares students for an evolving and complex profession, paying particular attention to the needs of the regional and global society.
Students who enter the program with a pre-professional degree earn 57 credits, which typically takes two years. Those who enter with a degree that is not pre-professional earn up to 87 credits, which typically takes three years.
Our curriculum is interdisciplinary, drawing from architecture, studio art, art history, public history, landscape architecture and regional planning, building construction and wood technology, environmental engineering, environmental sciences, computer science, and management.
Your coursework will consist of core requirements, areas of knowledge exploration, and a culminating master’s thesis. Through courses in design, history, technology, planning, and practice, along with courses in technical systems, materials and construction, and structures, you will prepare to meet requirements for practice. Additionally, in the studio sequence, you will develop your creative problem solving skills and proficiency through repeated exercises that continually increase in complexity and scale.
Benefits list
NAAB Accredited
In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for architecture licensure. The UMass Amherst architecture department offers several accredited degree programs.
Dual Degree Option: MLA/MArch
The master of landscape architecture program and the master of architecture program offer a dual degree program for students. Graduates will be prepared for careers in ecological design and development in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors.
Dual Degree Option: MRP/MArch
The master of regional planning and the master of architecture programs offer a dual degree program—one of only a handful in the nation—that prepares graduates for careers in policy, planning, design, and development in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors.
Featured faculty
Stephen Schreiber
Professor
Stephen Schreiber, FAIA, is a professor and the chair of the Department of Architecture.
Carey Clouse
Associate Professor
Carey Clouse teaches courses that address the overlap between social justice, environmental stewardship, and urbanism.
Eldra-Dominique Walker
Assistant Professor
Eldra-Dominique Walker is an architectural historian with a focus in nineteenth-century French architectural thought.
Architecture
UMass offers an interdisciplinary architecture and design program that embraces socially progressive, environmentally responsive, and sustainable design.