Master of Architecture I Curriculum | U- SoA Graduate Programs in Architecture | University of Miami

Master of Architecture I
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The Master of Architecture I is a NAAB-accredited, 3-year (7 semester) program intended for students holding non-professional undergraduate degrees. This STEM-designated professional degree program provides a well-grounded understanding of architecture as students immerse in contemporary challenges to address a variety of social, cultural, technological and programmatic contexts.

At the heart of the M.Arch I curriculum are Core Studios that introduce students to critical topics, imbue necessary skills, inspire critical thinking, examine the production of meaning in architecture, and foster an understanding of architecture as an integrative discipline. The Core Studios are carefully synchronized with core courses in drawing and visualization, history and theory, technology and systems, and practice.

The first year of the program is an intensive introduction to the tools, conventions and agendas central to the discipline of architecture. The first two studios balance an exploration of form and function that will define the future of the profession, with a deep commitment to learning from architecture's past and present. The following summer, students participate in the Great Cities Design Studio. The Great Cities Design Studio uses design-based critical inquiry to address issues of site-specific design and infrastructure. This immersive travel-based studio provides ample opportunities for extensive student analysis and observation. Students will discover the layers of the City, combining archaeology and anthropology with architecture and history. Coursework emphasizes a critical assessment of the given site relative to questions of program, infrastructure, and cultural changes. 

During the second year, studios focus on the complex interrelationship of architectural problems across scales, from building details to global ecologies. Through design-based critical inquiry, students engage the many mandates of architectural design, including resilience, program, form, structural and environmental systems, building envelope, and urban context. The realities of the architectural profession are a consistent presence throughout the year, with practicing professionals incorporated into the studio context, and an emphasis on proficiency in technical documentation. 

Beyond the Core Studios, students are able to develop individual focuses, including computation and digital technologies, design-build, building construction, sustainability and resilience, urban design, historic preservation, adaptive-reuse, healthcare, or hospitality. Students direct this trajectory to match their own interests and career ambitions, allowing them to earn certificates in a professional concentration. This development is supported by a range of Upper Level Design Studios that reflect the diversity of faculty interests and experience, including those of internationally-recognized visiting scholars and fellows. The School is also home to innovative research units, including RAD-UM, Littoral Urbanism Lab, Community, Housing & Identity Lab, Center for Urban and Community Design and O Lab.

In their final year, graduate M.Arch students can opt to take an additional Upper Level Design Studio or pursue an Architecture Design Degree Project. The Architecture Design Degree Project takes one of three forms: 1) an individual design thesis on a topic selected and developed by the student through rigorous research, or 2) a directed design research group or 3) a Vertical Studio. Individual thesis is an opportunity for each student, working with a faculty advisor, to define an individual position with regard to the discipline of Architecture. In contrast, design research groups are led by faculty, and address relevant architectural questions through the lens of the faculty's areas of expertise. 

The M.Arch degree can also be combined efficiently with on-site post-professional degree programs, such as the Master of Urban Design and the Master of Real Estate Development and Urbanism.

1. Architecture and professional courses completed in a non-professional bachelor’s degree program will be evaluated to identify courses that may be waived in the Master of Architecture Professional Degree Program (max. of 6 credits).
2. Requirements/Recommendations for additional coursework will be contingent on the evaluation of the student’s prior work at the time of admission.
3. An additional summer semester may be added for students with less than 8 Design Studios from a Bachelor of Architecture degree (6 credits).

A strong sense of community, collaboration, and responsibility among U-SoA students and faculty contribute to the international stature of our Graduate programs.

To find out more about the M.Arch. program please contact: