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.
Public Interest Design Graduate Certificate
Degree Requirements
The course of study for the Certificate in Public Interest Design is divided into credits for coursework and fieldwork, with a minimum of 18 credit hours. Fieldwork will provide students with real world experience in the practice of public interest design through immersed applied-learning opportunities. Fieldwork may be achieved through participation in rotating programs through the Center for Public Interest Design that offer opportunities for engagement and action within a community, or through an approved practicum working with a firm or organization engaged in public interest design work. As the culmination of their certificate, students will submit a thorough portfolio of the work they participated in to complete their fieldwork, containing a thoughtful reflection of their experience within the realm of public interest design and how it can inform their careers going forward.
Coursework
Core Requirements
| Arch 533 | Contemporary Issues Seminar - Public Interest Design in Practice | 4 |
| Arch 541 | Practicum - Public Interest Design Fieldwork | 4 |
Subtotal: 8
Choose at least ONE course from EACH of the three focus areas below, for a combined total of 10 credit hours:
Social
| Arch 585 | Design Thesis | 6 |
| | (PID Focus, Architecture students only) | |
| Mgmt 521S/Mgmt 521 | Design Thinking for Social Innovation | 4 |
| | (offered online) | |
| PA 543 | Creating Collaborative Communities | 3 |
| USP 550 | Participatory Planning | 3 |
| USP 552 | Urban Poverty in Critical Perspective | 3 |
Environmental
Economic
| Arch 543 | Topics in Professional Practice | 4 |
| | (PID focus) | |
| PA 525 | Grantwriting for Nonprofit Organizations | 3 |
| PA 541 | Social Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| Mgmt 522S | Money Matters for Social Innovation | 4 |
| | (offered online) | |
| USP 580 | Political Economy of Nonprofit Organizations | 3 |
| USP 590 | Green Economics and Sustainable Development | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 18