School of Architecture, Graduate
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 Graduate Studies 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 | Comprehensive 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.
Master of Community Development with a Major in Community Development
The Master of Community Development is designed to meet the needs of individuals with diverse academic backgrounds who care about the problems and potential of socially, physically, and economically distressed communities. The Masters of Community Development seeks to look at economic development through the physical environment with our unique location within the School of Architecture at Prairie View A&M University. We offer classes and expertise in both the physical nature of Community Development (Real Estates Development, Land Development and Community Design), as well as the policy and programmatic elements of the discipline (Grant Writing, Negotiations, and Historic Preservation). Unique to our graduate degree is the fact that no specific undergraduate major is required. Our students have diverse undergraduate backgrounds in Education, Engineering, Business, Nursing, Sociology, and Law. Students will also be involved with the design and development of new and growing communities with the anticipation of avoiding future problems being faced by communities today. The degree consists of a minimum of 36 credit hours, of which 18 are required courses and 18 elective courses. The curriculum is designed to broaden the knowledge base, promote research, service-learning, and decision making along with developing interactive and collaborative skills applicable to teamwork, management, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
Admission Requirements
Regular application requirements of the University and Graduate Studies apply to all applicants for the Community Development Master’s degree. In addition, the candidates must schedule a meeting with the program director to develop a study plan which will lay out course selections and identify the need, if any, for additional credit hours beyond the required 36. The GRE is not required for admittance to our program. A strong undergraduate academic record along with three (3) letters of recommendation are required. An undergraduate GPA below 2.75 will be considered on a case-by-case basis with strong recommendations. A writing sample may be required at the discretion of the department.
Degree Program Requirements
The degree requires a minimum of 36 semester credit hours. The core of the program consists of 18 credit hours of courses required of all students. A list of pre-approved courses is provided, from which the student may select the remaining18 credit hours. Alternative courses may be selected from offerings of other degree programs on campus, with departmental approval.
| Major Requirements | 18 | |
Select courses from the following: | ||
| Introduction to Community Development Planning and Theory | ||
| Community Development Planning Studio | ||
| Community Develpment Financing | ||
| Community Analysis, Demography and GIS | ||
| Negotiation, Mediation and Facilitation | ||
| Electives | 18 | |
Select classes from the following: | ||
| Cultural Heritage Preservation | ||
| Historic Preservation | ||
| Introduction to Community Leadership 2 | ||
| Community Political Structure | ||
| Community Growth Management and Leadership | ||
| Community Analysis | ||
| Community Physical Structure | ||
| Grant Development | ||
| Campaigns and Gifts | ||
| Research for Capital and Grant Development | ||
| Land Development and Planning in Declining Communities 2 | ||
| Land Development Law and Use Strategies | ||
| International Community Development Policies and Practices | ||
| Principles of Real Estate I | ||
| Principle of Real Estate II | ||
| Law of Agency | ||
| Law of Contract | ||
| Internship | ||
| Total Hours | 36 | |