Accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), the Master of Architecture (M. Arch.) is the professional degree required by most state registration boards as a condition of licensure for architectural practice.
At Clemson, the M. Arch. program seeks to develop students’ proficiency in responding to contemporary architectural, social, and global issues with a balance of theoretical knowledge and practical abilities. As the only school of architecture in the state, Clemson Architecture gravitates toward the middle of the theory-practice spectrum, offering an educational foundation that respects both the theoretical, conceptual, and historical knowledge needed by educated leaders with the skills needed in the contemporary architectural practice.
Each semester, major emphasis is placed on the work of the design studio, where design solutions—architectural, environmental, conceptual, or constructed, as appropriate—are proposed for a broad range of local needs and global issues. The design studio is complemented by coursework in building technology, architectural history and theory, representation and fabrication, research methods, and professional practice topics, and these courses are integrated with studio whenever possible.
CIP Code 04.0902 (architectural and building sciences/technology)
Clemson offers four tracks toward earning the professional, NAAB-accredited (NAAB accreditation) Master of Architecture (M. Arch.) degree:
The M. Arch. I is a three-year, 90-credit hour degree track for students without a portfolio of 6-8 semesters of strong architecture studio work. Students in the M. Arch. I track have diversity of undergraduate majors, including architecture and architectural studies, and various design (art, city planning, urban design, landscape architecture, industrial design, and others) and non-design backgrounds (business, economics, engineering, literature, psychology, and other fields).
The M. Arch. II is a two-year, 60-credit hour degree track for students with a pre-professional Bachelor’s degree (BA or BS) in Architecture and strong portfolios documenting 6 to 8 semesters of design studio work. The M. Arch. II track is an advanced placement track and a BA or BS in a pre-professional architecture program is a minimum requirement. A competitive portfolio is also required. In the context of applicant pool, advanced placement is determined by the Admissions Committee during the application and portfolio review process.
There are parallel degree tracks with a concentration in Architecture + Health:
The M. Arch. I in A+H is a three-year, 91-credit hour degree track for students without a portfolio of 6-8 semesters of strong architecture studio work, as noted above, who wish to focus their studies—in studios and elective courses—in Architecture + Health. The A+H program also requires a summer internship, adding a minimum of one credit to the core program.
The M. Arch. II in A+H is a two-year, 61-credit hour degree track for students with a pre-professional Bachelor’s degree in Architecture as noted above, who wish to pursue a concentration in Architecture + Health. The A+H program requires a summer internship, adding a minimum of one credit to the core program.