Master of Architecture

ARC 606 [Urban Design Exhibition] : Articulating the Edge Visual Resources Center Photo Photographer: Alexander J Becker May 9, 2017

The two-year Master of Architecture degree is intended for individuals who hold a pre-professional baccalaureate degree in architecture from an NAAB-accredited school of architecture or a professional architecture degree from an international university.

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The University at Buffalo offers a fully accredited Master of Architecture degree. This four-semester track is configured to provide all the coursework, including design studios and ancillary courses, required for the fully accredited MArch degree. Students participate in one of five Graduate Research Groups: Ecological Practices, Inclusive Design, Material Culture, Situated Technologies, and Urban Design. 

What will I be studying in the MArch-2YR Program

Learn more:

Explore our Graduate Research Groups

2-yr MArch - Graduate Research Group (GRG) - for students entering directly into the GRGs

Typical Curriculum - Effective Fall 2018

Semester 1:  Fall    
ARC 605  Research Studio 7
ARC*** Intellectual Domain  3
ARC*** Technical Methods 3
ARC 555 Structures 3 3
Total Semester Credits   16
Semester 2:  Spring    
ARC 606 Research Studio  7
ARC*** Intellectual Domain  3
ARC*** Technical Methods  3
ARC 575 Environmental Systems 3 3
Total Semester Credits   16
Semester 3:  Fall    
ARC 607 Research Studio/Directed Research  7
ARC*** Elective/Research Methods  3
ARC*** Elective 3
ARC*** Elective 3
Total Semester Credits   16
Semester 4:  Spring    
ARC 608 Research Studio/Thesis  7
ARC*** Elective 3
ARC*** Elective 3
ARC 582 Professional Practice  3
Total Semester Credits   16
     
Total Required Credits   64
     

Note: Students may register for a maximum of one independent study course each semester, with a maximum career total of two.

2-yr MArch - Integrated Design + GRG - for students who will do comprehensive studio prior to entering the GRG

Typical Curriculum - Effective Fall 2018

Semester 1:  Fall    
ARC 605 Integrated Design Studio  7
ARC*** Intellectual Domain  3
ARC*** Technical Methods  3
ARC 555 Structures 3 3
Total Semester Credits   16
Semester 2:  Spring    
ARC 606 Research Studio  7
ARC*** Intellectual Domain  3
ARC*** Technical Methods  3
ARC 575 Environmental Systems 3 3
Total Semester Credits   16
Semester 3:  Fall    
ARC 607 Research Studio/Directed Research  7
ARC*** Elective/Research Methods  3
ARC*** Elective  3
ARC*** Elective  3
Total Semester Credits   16
 Semester 4:  Spring    
ARC 608 Research Studio/Thesis  7
ARC 582 Professional Practice  3
ARC*** Elective 3
ARC*** Elective 3
Total Semester Credits   16
     
Total Required Credits   64

Note: Students may register for a maximum of one independent study course each semester, with a maximum career total of two.

2-yr MArch - Architectural Design + GRG - for students who will complete foundational design studio and a comprehensive studio before entering a GRG.

Typical Curriculum - Effective Fall 2018

Semester 1:  Fall xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
ARC 503 Design Studio 3  7
ARC 553 Structures 2 3
ARC 611 Architectural Communications 3  3
ARC 573 Environmental Systems 2  3
Total Semester Credits   16
 Semester 2:  Spring    
ARC 504 Design Studio 4  7
ARC 542 Construction Technology  3
ARC 575 Environmental Systems 3 3
ARC 582 Professional Practice  3
Total Semester Credits   16
 Semester 3:  Fall    
ARC 606 Research Studio  7
ARC*** Intellectual Domain  3
ARC*** Technical Methods  3
ARC 555 Structures 3 3
Total Semester Credits   16
 Semester 4:  Spring    
ARC 606 Research Studio  7
ARC*** Intellectual Domain  3
ARC*** Technical Methods  3
ARC*** Elective  3
Total Semester Credits   16
     
Total Required Credits   64

Note: Students may register for a maximum of one independent study course each semester, with a maximum career total of two.

A full copy of the curriculum can also be obtained in the department office.  

What will I be studying in the MArch-3.5YR Program

3.5 YR MArch curriculum

The curriculum is configured to provide all the coursework required for the fully accredited MArch degree. The first four semesters consist of a core sequence of architectural design studios with ancillary courses. The last three semesters are an accelerated version of the two-year track. A total of 112 credit hours are required in the 3½-year MArch track.

3.5-Year Master of Architecture (MArch) - Typical Curriculum - Effective Fall 2018 

Semester 1: Fall    
ARC 501 Design Studio 1 7
ARC 511 Architectural Communications 1 3
ARC 531 Architectural History 1 3
ARC 541 Environmental Systems 1 3
Total Semester Credits                                                    16
Semester 2: Spring    
ARC 502 Design Studio 2 7
ARC 512 Architectural Communications 2 3
ARC 534 Architectural History 2 3
ARC 552 Structures 1 3
Total Semester Credits                                                    16
Semester 3: Fall    
ARC 502 Design Studio 3 7
ARC 553 Structures 2 3
ARC 611 Architectural Communications 3 3
ARC 573 Environmental Systems 2  3
ARC*** Architectural Theory 3
Total Semester Credits   18
Semester 4: Spring    
ARC 504 Design Studio 4 7
ARC 542 Construction Technology 4
ARC 575 Environmental Systems 3 3
ARC 582 Professional Practice 3
Total Semester Credits                                                    17
Semester 5: Fall    
ARC 605 Research Studio 7
ARC 555 Structures 3 3
ARC*** Intellectual Domain 3
ARC*** Technical Methods 3
Total Semester Credits   16
Semester 6: Spring    
ARC 606 Research Studio 7
ARC*** Intellectual Domain 3
ARC*** Technical Methods 3
ARC*** Elective/Directed Research 3
Total Semester Credits                                                    16
Semester 7: Fall    
ARC 607  Research Studio/Thesis 7
ARC*** Elective 3
ARC*** Elective 3
Total Semester Credits   13
Total Required Credits   112

MArch graduates will demonstrate proficiency in the Student Performance Criteria as outlined by the NAAB:

Critical Thinking and Representation including, communication skills; design thinking skills; visual communication skills; technical documentation; investigative skills; fundamental design skills; use of precedents; ordering systems skills; historical traditions and global culture; cultural diversity; and applied research

Integrated Building Practices, Technical Skills and Knowledge including pre-design; accessibility; sustainability; site design; life safety; comprehensive design; financial considerations; environmental systems; structural systems; building envelope systems; building service systems; building materials and assemblies.

Leadership and Practice, including collaboration; human behavior; client role in architecture; project management; practice management; leadership; legal responsibilities; ethics and professional judgment; and community and social responsibility.

Cost of study

Earn a best-value education at UB's School of Architecture and Planning

Full-Time per Semester

  Domestic In-State Domestic out-of-State International
Tuition $6,890 $11,895 $11,895
Fees $1,257 $1,257 $1,257
International Student Fee $0 $0 $100
SA&P Fee $237 $237 $237

Further details are available at: http://studentaccounts.buffalo.edu/tuition/fall.php
 Note: tuition and fees are subject to change at any time.

Updated: July 2017

Learn more about Graduate Scholarships and Fellowships

Part-Time per Semester

(per credit up to 11) Domestic In-State Domestic out-of-State International
Tuition $574 $991 $991
Fees (per credit up to 8; full-time fees above 8) $99 $99 $99
Activity Fee (per semester) $64 $64 $64
Transcript fee (per semester) $5 $5 $5
International Student Fee (per semester) $0 $0 $100
SA&P Fee (per semester) $237 $237 $237

Further details are available at: http://studentaccounts.buffalo.edu/tuition/fall.php
 Note: tuition and fees are subject to change at any time.

Updated: July 2017

Explore our Graduate Research Groups

Students at work in their master's thesis
Ecological Practices
10/26/17
The built and natural environment are a complex web of interconnected parts, constantly exchanging energy and resources. This group critically engages environmental systems and examine the role that architecture and urbanism play in harnessing and stewarding them.
Inclusive Design Graduate Research students during a project review.
Inclusive Design
10/26/17
Develop environments, products and systems for a wider range of people, especially those in underserved populations. One of the most important design movements of our era, inclusive design is based on the values of non-discrimination, social justice, equal opportunity, and personal empowerment.
adderly
Material Culture
10/26/17
Projecting forward from Buffalo’s legacy in material innovation, this group explores constructive sensibilities and investigate how our culture is deeply embedded in material artifacts. Pursue design, production, and potential materials through full-scale fabrication, assembly, and installation.
situated technologies are everywhere.
Situated Technologies
10/26/17
There is no digital architecture anymore—just architecture. Consider architecture in the expanded field of technologies and mediated environments. Complex assemblages of code, people, space, material, infrastructure, practices, and processes—each are technologies unto themselves as is their gathering in architecture.
students often spend time immersed in the urban environment as a sort of hands-on, real time experience.
Urban Design
10/3/17
Urban design works at the confluence of the scale of buildings and the scale of cities. Straddle the fields of architecture and planning to critically examine parameters of contemporary urban form, including political, economic, environmental, social, and cultural forces.

Interested in a Master of Architecture?

Apply TODAY

Would you like to learn more?

Contact:
Shannon Phillips
Assistant Dean for Graduate Education
130 Hayes Hall
716-829-5224
gradrecruitment@ap.buffalo.edu

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