Graduate programs
The NAAB accredited professional Master of Architecture at Portland State University encourages substantive investigation of significant urban situations and prevailing architectural issues pertinent to contemporary human experience. It meets the demands of an accredited first professional degree in architecture as determined by the National Architectural Accrediting Board.
Through a series of focused design studios, and courses in humanities, technology and the profession, the program encourages depth in questioning, aptitude in discursive thinking, and versatility in means of representation as each student assimilates the skills, knowledge and dexterity to negotiate the professional demands of comprehensive design while developing a mode of creative inquiry that extends beyond established conventions to possibilities yet to be tested in a critical arena. Student generated questions and polemics will form the inspiration for the final year Design Thesis exploration culminating in a unique thesis proposal fully articulated in drawings, models and text.
The Master of Architecture program is designed for students intending to become licensed architects and has full professional accreditation with the National Architectural Accrediting Board.
In the United States, most state 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 U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a 6-year, 3-year, or 2-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.
We offer two tracks towards the Master of Architecture: the 2-year track for candidates with a pre-professional undergraduate degree in Architecture (74 credits); and the 3-year track for candidates with a Bachelor's degree in any discipline (134 credits).
We also offer two graduate certificates: a Graduate Certificate in Public Interest Design consisting of coursework and fieldwork that will prepare future leaders in architecture and related fields to aid currently underserved populations throughout the world through sustainable design methods, with an emphasis on addressing social, economic and environmental issues; and a Graduate Certificate in Urban Design, focusing on the design of urban public space, offered in partnership with the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning.
Architecture M.Arch: 3-year track
Degree Requirements
Students will enter the program in the Summer term and must complete 4-quarters of graduate transition courses with a minimum of 60 credits followed by the requirements for the 2-year track, for a total of 134 credits to graduate. The transition program includes the following:
Courses
| Arch 522 | Architectural Graphics and Media | 4 |
| Arch 536 | Architectural History and Theory I | 4 |
| Arch 537 | Architectural History and Theory II | 4 |
| Arch 538 | Architectural History and Theory III | 4 |
| Arch 539 | Architectural History and Theory IV | 4 |
| Arch 567 | Architectural Structures | 4 |
| Arch 568 | Architectural Technology I | 4 |
| Arch 569 | Architectural Technology II | 4 |
| Arch 564 | Architectural Technology III | 4 |
| Arch 570 | Architectural Design Transition Studio I | 6 |
| Arch 571 | Architectural Design Transition Studio II | 6 |
| Arch 572 | Architectural Design Transition Studio III | 6 |
| Arch 573 | Architectural Design Transition Studio IV | 6 |
Total Credit Hours: 60