This is an archived copy of the 2015-16 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.utexas.edu/.

Architecture

Master of Architecture
Master of Arts
Master of Science in Architectural Studies
Master of Science in Historic Preservation
Master of Science in Sustainable Design
Master of Science in Urban Design
Doctor of Philosophy

Areas of Study

Master’s Degrees

The School of Architecture offers master’s degree programs that lead to professional, postprofessional, and academic degrees.

Master of Architecture. There are two Master of Architecture (MArch) programs. The MArch (first professional) degree program fulfills the professional degree requirements for registration as an architect. The MArch (postprofessional) degree program offers students with professional degrees in architecture the opportunity for advanced study in an area of concentration: advanced architectural design and theory, historic preservation, interdisciplinary studies, sustainable design, or urban design. The MArch postprofessional degree is not an NAAB accredited degree and does not fulfill the professional degree requirements for registration as an architect.

Master of Arts. The Master of Arts (MA) is an academic degree with a concentration in architectural history. It is a prerequisite for doctoral work in architectural history.

Master of Science in Architectural Studies. The MSAS is an academic degree that offers a concentration in interdisciplinary studies, preparing students for careers in enhanced practice, research, or teaching.

Master of Science in Historic Preservation. The MSHP is an academic degree that prepares students for practice or doctoral study in historic preservation.

Master of Science in Sustainable Design. The MSSD is an academic degree that prepares students for doctoral study, practice-based research, work in public policy, or activism.

Master of Science in Urban Design. The MSUD is an academic degree focusing on urban design with associated coursework in the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, and community and regional planning. The program is designed to help students develop the professional skills needed to engage in improving the quality and structure of the built environment.

Doctor of Philosophy

The Doctor of Philosophy is an academic degree with concentrations in the history of architecture and landscape architecture, historic preservation, and sustainability. It provides students holding an appropriate master’s degree with a rigorous program of study intended to prepare them to conduct research and teach in these disciplines.

The concentration in the history of architecture and landscape architecture places special emphasis on understanding buildings or landscapes and their designers within their historical contexts as complex and interconnected wholes that include aspects of aesthetics, tectonics, function, culture, and meaning. The student’s program of study may address the history of architectural theory; the history of design; the history of interior design; the history of urban design, settlements, or cities; the history of building technology; and the history of landscape design.

The concentration in historic preservation embraces multi-disciplinary and culturally diverse approaches to the conservation of historic resources. The student’s program may address preservation planning and development; issues in the theory, history, and practice of the conservation of buildings, interiors, landscapes and neighborhoods; preservation-based strategies of sustainable development; and innovative methodologies for preservation practice.

The concentration in sustainability is practical, technical, and philosophical in scope and integrates three areas of inquiry related to the built environment: biophysical systems, building systems, and political systems. The study of biophysical systems relies upon the disciplines of natural and urban ecological sciences as they relate to architecture. The study of building systems includes investigating component technologies necessary to construct environmentally responsive architecture. The study of political systems situates the biophysical and building systems within the social and political contexts of architectural practice.

Graduate Studies Committee

The following faculty members served on the Graduate Studies Committee in the spring semester 2015.

Dean J Almy
Anthony Alofsin
Kevin S Alter
Simon D Atkinson
Michael L Benedikt
Miroslava M Benes
Kory Bieg
James Sinclair Black
Danelle I Briscoe
Richard L Cleary
Ulrich C Dangel
Elizabeth A Danze
Gabriel Diaz Montemayor
Larry A Doll
Matthew L Fajkus
Nerea Feliz Arrizabalaga
Michael L Garrison
Tamie Michele Glass
Francisco H Gomes
David D Heymann
Michael Holleran
Benjamin Ibarra Sevilla
Fernando Luiz Lara
Petra Gabriele Liedl
Christopher A Long
Sarah L Lopez
S Milovanovic-Bertram
Juan Miro
Steven A Moore
Michael Oden
Clay Odom
Allan W Shearer
Igor P Siddiqui
Vincent L Snyder
Lawrence W Speck
Frederick R Steiner
Danilo F Udovicki
Wilfried Wang
Nichole Wiedemann

Admission Requirements

Upon admission to the program, the student must pay a nonrefundable enrollment deposit to indicate that he or she accepts the offer of admission. The deposit is applied to the payment of tuition when the student enrolls. The deposit is also required of students admitted to dual degree programs.

Master of Architecture (first professional). This degree program is open to qualified applicants who hold baccalaureate degrees in any discipline, including pre-architecture. Prerequisites include one semester of college-level calculus and one semester of college-level physics for non-technical majors (non-calculus based).

Master of Architecture (postprofessional). This degree program is open to qualified applicants who hold a professional 5-year baccalaureate degree in architecture from an NAAB accredited school or its international equivalent. The MArch postprofessional degree is not an NAAB accredited degree. International students interested in pursuing licensure in the United States should instead apply to the Master of Architecture (first professional) degree.

Master of Arts. This degree program in architectural history is open to qualified applicants who hold baccalaureate degrees in any discipline. Prerequisites include twelve hours of architectural history, which may include courses in art history, history, or related subjects, and design experience. The design requirement may be satisfied by coursework or by evidence of previous fieldwork or professional architectural experience.

Master of Science in Architectural Studies. This degree program is open to qualified applicants who hold baccalaureate degrees in any discipline. Prerequisites for students without architecture degrees vary according to the student’s experience and intended area of inquiry.

Master of Science in Historic Preservation. This degree program is open to qualified applicants who hold baccalaureate degrees in any discipline. Prerequisites include at least one three-semester-hour course in architectural history as well as design experience. The design requirement may be satisfied by coursework or by evidence of previous fieldwork or professional architectural experience.

Master of Science in Sustainable Design. This degree program is open to qualified applicants who hold baccalaureate degrees in any discipline. Prerequisites include at least one three-semester-hour course in modern architectural history.

Master of Science in Urban Design. This degree program is open to qualified applicants who hold professional degrees in architecture or landscape architecture, or baccalaureate degrees in any discipline. Prerequisites for students without degrees in architecture or landscape architecture vary according to the student’s experience and intended concentration.

Doctor of Philosophy. Students who enter the doctoral degree program must hold a master’s degree or the equivalent in a discipline relevant to their area of concentration and must demonstrate the ability to excel in doctoral work. Admission decisions are made by the doctoral subcommittee of the Architecture Graduate Studies Committee.