Welcome to the Department of Architecture 

The Department of Architecture emphasizes design education through diverse experiences which include learning through making, collaborative research, and community engagement. Our mission is to provide our graduates with an educational foundation for exemplary professional practice and personal career fulfillment; to prepare them to be critical thinkers and problem solvers who will serve, enrich, and sustain their professions and communities.

The excellence of the KU Architecture Program and its students and alumni is derived from the excellence of its faculty, students and alumni. Since architect and educator Goldwin Goldsmith started building our architecture program in 1912, the faculty has been characterized by a living connection to the most important and respected intellectual trends and movements in architectural education and a cosmopolitanism that includes professional experiences in architecturally important centers of activity.

Undergraduate 

The Masters of Architecture is an NAAB-accredited professional degree program and is an essential aspect of preparing for the professional practice of architecture. 

Master of Architecture - Track I
The 5-year 180-credit Master of Architecture (M.Arch. I) is a professionally-accredited degree necessary for becoming a licensed architect. KU is one of several schools in the U.S. that offer a 5-year accredited Master of Architecture degree.

Graduate

Our program has two graduate tracks with in the Masters of Architecture degree:

Master of Architecture - Track II

Track II is designed for students entering with a pre-professional baccalaureate degree in architecture. It is a 2+ year program for students entering with a pre-professional baccalaureate degree in architecture (“4+2” model). Typically, most 4+2 students have a program of study requiring 75-76 credits of coursework. 

Master of Architecture - Track III

Track III is designed for students entering with a baccalaureate degree in a field outside of architecture.  It is a 3+ year program for those with a baccalaureate degree outside of architecture (students with a 4-year pre-professional degree in architecture may seek advanced placement). Students who have successfully completed coursework in an approved NAAB curriculum (i.e. a 4+2 program) may petition for advanced standing. Learn more here

In addition, the program also offers a Master of Arts in Architecture and a Ph.D. in Architecture.

Master of Arts in Architecture
The M.A. program is designed for students who already have an undergraduate degree in Architecture or a related discipline, and want to get in-depth knowledge in one or more areas of architectural research. Students are expected to complete a minimum of 36-credit hours
Ph.D in Architecture
The Ph.D program is structured to approach architecture as an integrated discipline that combines the creative, technical and social dimensions of the building process.

Final Year Options 

Design Build

Studio 804 - A comprehensive educational opportunity for Graduate students entering the final year of the Master of Architecture program at the University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design. Every year, Studio 804 produces one building with the support of the organization and individuals committed to environmental stewardship that the program is able to continue its service to the community at large.

Health and Wellness

Students can earn a Certificate for Health & Wellness Architecture and / or pursue a Health + Wellness option for their final year in the Master of Architecture program. A 75 credit (typical) option is crafted to prepare students for professional careers in healthcare and lifecare architecture, or in any building type concerned with the promotion of human wellness (e.g. workplaces, homes, schools).

Public Interest Design 

Design has the power to create a more equitable, just, and sustainable future for all people. The Public Interest Design curriculum at KU fosters the development of leadership skills in students who are interested in using their design abilities and knowledge to serve society, in particular clients from underserved communities and nonprofit organizations. Students have the opportunity to engage stakeholders and learn to discern their real needs through collaboration on real projects.

Dotte Agency - A multi-dsciplinary collaborative engaging neighborhoods to shape a built environment in order to improve public health. 


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Contact School of Architecture & Design
arcd@ku.edu
785-864-4281
Marvin Hall, Room 200
1465 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 66045