MArch Curriculum

The following are major requirements (total 96 units) for the master of architecture degree.

Course Requirements

First Year, Summer
MArch Studio 0 (3 units)

First Year, Fall
MArch Studio 1 (6 units)
Visual/Digital Media 1 (3 units)
Materials and Methods (3 units)
History of Architecture 1 (3 units)

First Year, Spring
MArch Studio 2 (6 units)
Visual/Digital Media 2 (3 units)
Structures (3 units)
History of Architecture 2 (3 units)
Architectural Analysis (3 units)

Second Year, Fall
MArch Studio 3 (6 units)
Building Energy (3 units)
Architectural Theory (3 units)
Open Elective (3 units)

Second Year, Spring
Advanced Studio or Comprehensive Building
Design Studio (6 units)
Advanced Technological Systems (3 units)
Building Technology Elective (3 units)
Open Elective (3 units)
Internship (0 units)

Third Year, Fall
Advanced Studio or Comprehensive Building
Design Studio (6 units)
Advanced Research Seminar (3 units)
Architectural Research Lab (3 units)
Graduate Seminar Elective (MArch) (3 units)

Third Year, Spring
Thesis Studio (6 units)
Professional Practice (3 units)
Graduate Seminar Elective (any discipline) (3 units)
Open Elective (3 units)

Studio Sequence

The heart of architectural education is the design studio, where students learn to synthesize the wide range of ideas, issues, and technologies required for the conceptualization of architecture. It is also the place where some aspects of architectural practice are modeled and where history, theory, and technology are integrated into design.

The first three semesters introduce the culture of architecture and the nature of the discipline through rigorous studios that are open to graduate students only. In the following two semesters, students explore their own interests, choosing from a menu of elective studios that are taught by architects and focus on a broad range of practice strategies. The final studio semester is spent executing an honors design thesis or an advanced studio using the student's own research and focusing on his or her specific interests. A course on the intricacies of professional practice rounds out this cluster.

History/Theory Sequence

Running parallel to the studio courses is a sequence of courses in history and theory. These courses ground studio practice in the world of ideas.

The first year includes an in-depth study of the history of architecture as well as a seminar course that places architecture in the context of culture, politics, technology, and philosophy. In the second year, a one-semester seminar introduces architectural theory. The fall of the third year includes an intensive independent research lab, in which students explore their individual interests under the close supervision of a faculty member. This work provides the intellectual framework for the concluding semester of studio work.

Finally, each student selects two semesters of graduate-level, topically based theory seminars from a menu of courses offered across all of CCA's graduate programs.

Technology Sequence

A third parallel sequence of courses builds knowledge and skills related to technology and practice issues. Courses in sustainable building systems, building energy, structures, materials, and methods of construction form the heart of this sequence. Electives within the sequence include courses in deep-green building practices, advanced building construction, and digital craft.