Three Year Professional Program in Architecture
(M. Arch. III)

(88 credit-hour track for students with degrees in other disciplines)

The three-year professional program is designed for students whose undergraduate degrees are outside the field of architecture. The program was established for two reasons. First, M. Arch III students are generally a diverse group of individuals who bring perspective and an intellectual maturity that can benefit the program. Second, these students often return to school after significant work experience and, when combined with their prior education, can significantly enrich the teaching and learning culture of the graduate program and the Department at large.

Students admitted to the M. Arch. III graduate program must complete 88 graduate credit hours that may normally be completed in three academic years.

All students in the M. Arch. III program are expected to produce a written thesis document and a thesis design project. Holders of graduate assistantships may receive a tuition waiver, a stipend, and academic credit for independent study.

Students who have previously completed course work that is the equivalent of required courses in the M. Arch. III sequence may be given credit for that work toward completion of the Master of Architecture degree. While students may petition to have these course requirements waived, the credit hours required to fulfill degree requirements will not be reduced. Miami credit and waivers are approved only by the department’s graduate faculty in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies.

The following curriculum outlines a typical sequence of required courses and electives for the three-and-one-half-year graduate program.

Preparatory Year: (28 credits)
(for three-year graduates only)

The first year of the 88 credit-hour track is a preparatory year during which students receive intensive education in the fundamental principles of architectural design, graphic communication and visual analysis, architectural history and theory, and architectural technology. For M. Arch III graduate students to continue in the program, design work from the preparatory year must be reviewed and approved by a committee of graduate faculty at the conclusion of the spring semester.