Master of Architecture

The Master of Architecture degree program is provides graduates with the requisite educational background to enter the professional practice of architecture and its numerous variants. The Master of Architecture degree is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), qualifying its recipients to take a state professional licensing examination after a required internship period.

Recipients of a four-year pre-professional architectural degree may apply for admission directly into this program.

Admissions

Curriculum
The program is built on the undergraduate foundation of a pre-professional degree in architecture, such as the Bachelor of Environmental Design with Option in Architectural Studies. It requires 52 credit hours typically spread over two years. The curriculum includes a core of professional course work supported by specialized study in one of the several areas of emphasis (patterns of study) offered by the Department of Architecture.

The architecture program at Texas A&M University adopted the "4+2" pattern in 1969, with the first professional degree given at the graduate level.

Student Work
Studies culminate in a final project that includes the planning and design of a building of the student’s choice.

Accreditation
The Master of Architecture is a professional, National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) accredited program that satisfies educational requirements of the architectural licensing process of most states. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) is the only agency recognized by registration boards in the United States to accredit professional degree programs in architecture. Because most registration boards require an applicant for licensure to hold an NAAB-accredited degree, obtaining such a degree is an essential part of gaining access to the licensed practice of architecture.

The curriculum of an NAAB-accredited degree program includes professional studies, general studies, and electives. To gain and retain accreditation of its degree program, each institution must both develop a program specific to its mission and also educate students to be knowledgeable and capable of producing work that can be measured by, and satisfy, specific performance criteria.

The 2004 Conditions for Accreditations for Professional Programs in Architecture provides a list of Student Performance Criteria in Section 3.13, by which courses and learning outcomes are evaluated. These criteria can be found here.