Master of Architecture with a Major in Architecture

The Master of Architecture is a NAAB Accredited professional degree program that prepares students for roles in the profession of architecture by building on the content of the pre-professional degree through intensive and focused advanced studies in architecture design and practice.  A major objective of this program is preparing graduates of the professional program to obtain their professional architecture registration. The degree program consists of an undergraduate curriculum of 132 credit hours plus a graduate curriculum of 37 credit hours.

Admission Requirements

All students admitted to the Master of Architecture program must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate School at Prairie View A&M University. In addition, for students matriculating from a four-year, pre-professional program or entering the program with a bachelor’s degree in some discipline other than architecture, the School of Architecture will require submission of a design portfolio for review.

Accreditation

The Master of Architecture degree is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). The NAAB provides the following mandatory accreditation statement.

“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 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 degree of conformance with established educational standards.

The Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture Degree programs may consist of a preprofessional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.”

Prairie View A&M University, School of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program:

Master of Architecture (pre-professional degree with a minimum of 132 credit hours that includes eight design studios + 37 graduate credit hours).

Next accreditation visit: 2026

Professional Degree Program Requirements

The degree requires a minimum of 37 semester credit hours. The core of the program consists of 27 credit hours of courses required of all students. The remaining ten credit hours of electives may be selected from courses in architecture, community development, or other graduate degree programs on campus.

Major Requirements
ARCH 5650	Internship	6
ARCH 5656	Architecture Design IX	6
ARCH 5351	Research Seminar	3
ARCH 5957	Integrated Project Studio	9
ARCH 5348	Structural Systems III	3
Electives		10
Total Hours		37

Students entering the graduate program with a prior non-professional degree (e.g., B.S. in Architecture, Bachelor of Environmental Design, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design or similar degrees) will complete the above requirements as a minimum and, upon review of coursework and portfolio of design work, may be required to take additional undergraduate courses missing from their prior studies.

Students with a prior degree in a major other than architecture or environmental design will have to complete the above degree requirements and approximately 78 semester credit hours of undergraduate and graduate equivalent courses. These hours include a minimum of four design studios that must be passed with a final grade of B or better. With careful scheduling, this degree track may be completed in 3½ academic years.