The last two decades have seen rapid growth in the complexity of buildings and the development of specialized knowledge for their design and operation. The building profession now requires a wider range of expertise in design, operation, and management than was required in the past, and new types of professional specialists have emerged to provide this expertise. Often these experts are educated outside of traditional architectural programs, frequently through studies in other disciplines.

The Master of Science (M.S.) in Architecture is an academic, nonprofessional degree program that offers the opportunity for advanced research in the ever-broadening and increasingly complex subfields within architecture. It is intended to supplement but not supplant the Master of Architecture degree, the professional degree accredited for the practice of architecture. Students in the program generally hold a degree in architecture.

The M.S. degree emphasizes course work and supervised independent research in one of the following areas of study:

• Design Theories, Methods, and Practices;
• Building Science;
• Social and Cultural Processes in Architecture and Urbanism;
• History of Architecture and Urbanism;
• Building Structures;
• Construction and Materials;
• Environmental Design in Developing Countries.
   

Research topics outside of these fields, or combinations of several areas, may be undertaken, subject to approval of the Architecture M.S./Ph.D. committee, if supported by qualified departmental faculty members.

The M.S. in Architecture is earned through a one and one-half to two-year program of study approved by the M.S./Ph.D. Committee. Students with architecture degrees must complete a minimum of 32 credit units; those with degrees in related fields, a minimum of 48 units. A combined research methods course taught by a team of faculty from the research oriented study areas is required of all students; the remaining course work will be determined by the nature of the proposed research.

The culmination of the student’s program is a research thesis carried out independently under the direction of a three-person committee.