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 

The final year provides students the opportunity to apply what they have learned in class and studio work, and gain further insights through professional immersion and mentorship. Final year options that align with different educational and career goals are available in Lawrence, Kansas City, and in cities across the country and around the world. 

More information about final year options is available here.


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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