School of Architecture and Planning

Master of Architecture Programs

THE PROFESSIONAL DEGREE
CUA offers several options for earning the Master of Architecture professional degree.

Master of Architecture (two years)
For students from other institutions with a four-year undergraduate preprofessional degree in architecture. Select students graduating from The Catholic University of America with a four-year B.S. in Architecture are eligible for advanced standing, thereby reducing graduate study from four semesters (two years) to three semesters (one-and-a-half years).

Master of Architecture (three years)
For students who have an undergraduate degree in a field other than architecture, this program is three years in length.

These Master of Architecture degree programs offered at CUA are fully accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board.

GOALS
Historically, the profession of architecture has placed the highest priority on the artful creation of place, incorporating the great Roman architect/engineer Vitruvius's three principles of firmness, commodity and delight. Consequently, the architect must be well versed in the arts, technically skilled and possess a deep understanding of the human condition. Thus, the school seeks to impart a proper sense of ethics and a spirit of service to the community. The emphasis on these qualities gives professional training its distinctive character at The Catholic University of America.

The School of Architecture and Planning, located in Washington, D.C., is dedicated to the professional education of those who will design, build and conserve the built environment. Utilizing the nation's capital and other cities as design laboratories, the graduate program provides an enriching educational climate in which students investigate the realms of design, theory and building in the context of the world in which we live. Students are exposed to a diversity of architectural experiences through a choice of design studio options that include cultural studies/sacred space, digital architecture, digital fabrication, real estate development and urban design/conservation.

Central to the graduate program is the design studio, where students pursue their architectural inquiries individually or in teams. Design studios are directed by faculty members who have extensive experience in both practice and teaching. Visiting critics whose professional experience is relevant to the studio projects are brought into the school to provide richness and diversity to the students' design education. The studio experience culminates in a design thesis. Supporting the studio experience are advanced courses in architecture, planning and related fields. Lectures, seminars and exhibitions are devised to introduce the student to a multitude of considerations faced by the practicing architect to reveal differing philosophies and attitudes toward architectural design. As in the studios, lecturers are invited from among the many outstanding professionals practicing in the Washington area to provide informal talks on their current work, teach or add their particular insights to the support courses.

CONCENTRATIONS
The School of Architecture and Planning currently offers five areas of concentration for more specialization. Students enrolled in the Master of Architecture program, as well as those in the Master of Architectural Studies program, pursue a concentration in one of the five areas.

Upon successful completion of ARCH 402/503, the Comprehensive Building Studio, students entering a concentration are required to take two semesters of studios and course work (including Thesis Research), followed by Thesis Design. Required coursework within each concentration is as follows:

• two design studios
• two required courses
• two elective courses
• thesis research and thesis design

ADMISSIONS
For more detailed information on admission to CUA's graduate programs in architecture, please visit the School's Graduate Admissions page.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in graduate studies is required for graduation in all degree programs.

COURSES OF INSTRUCTION