UTexas

Architecture

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

Accreditation

In the United States, most registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an eight-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.
 
Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a preprofessional undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs: 

B. Arch. (161 Undergraduate credits)
M. Arch. (preprofessional degree + 60 credits)
M. Arch. (non-preprofessional degree + 96 credits)
Next accreditation visit for all programs: 2026

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. The MArch degree program fulfills the professional degree requirements for registration as an architect. The MArch is a STEM Designated Degree Program, as identified by the Department of Homeland Security for the purposes of the 24-month STEM optional practical training extension. 

Master of Advanced Architectural Design. The MAAD degree program offers students with professional degrees in architecture the opportunity for advanced study in an area of concentration. The MAAD degree is not an NAAB accredited degree and does not fulfill the professional degree requirements for registration as an architect. The MAAD is a STEM Designated Degree Program, as identified by the Department of Homeland Security for purposes of the 24-month STEM optional practical training extension. 

Master of Arts. The 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 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. The MSSD is a STEM Designated Degree Program, as identified by the Department of Homeland Security for purposes of the 24-month STEM optional practical training extension. 

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 (GSC) in the spring 2023 semester.

Michelle Addington
Dean J Almy
Kevin S Alter
Michael L Benedikt
Miroslava Benes
Kory Bieg
Danelle Irene Briscoe
Ulrich C Dangel
Elizabeth A Danze
Tara A Dudley
Matt Fajkus
Nerea Feliz Arrizabalaga
Juliana Felkner
Michael L Garrison
Francisco Henning Gomes
David D Heymann
Michael Holleran
Benjamin Ibarra Sevilla
Aleksandra Jaeschke
Daniel Koehler
Fernando Luiz Lara
Katherine E Lieberknecht
Christopher A Long
S Milovanovic-Bertram
Juan Miro
Bryan E Norwood
Michael Oden
Clay D Odom
Allan W Shearer
Igor P Siddiqui
Vincent L Snyder
Lawrence W Speck
Danilo F Udovicki
Nichole Wiedemann

Admission Requirements

Upon admission to the program, students must pay a nonrefundable enrollment deposit to indicate that they accept 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. 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 Advanced Architectural Design. This degree program is open to qualified applicants who hold a professional five-year baccalaureate degree in architecture from an NAAB accredited school, a Master of Architecture from an NAAB accredited school, or its international equivalent. The MAAD 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 degree.

Master of Arts. This degree program in architectural history is open to qualified applicants who hold baccalaureate degrees in any discipline. Prerequisites include nine hours of architectural history or a related spatial discipline. This may include courses in art history, history, geography, planning, or related subjects.

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 history (art, architecture, etc.). Students with experience in the field of historic preservation are preferred. This experience may be satisfied by coursework or by evidence of previous fieldwork or professional work.

Master of Science in Sustainable Design. This degree program is open to qualified applicants who hold baccalaureate degrees in any discipline.

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.