32 MSc Programs in Architecture Studies in USA for 2024

The program focuses on energy and the built environment with research + design projects ranging across many scales, from urban design to high-performance buildings, from VR and computational simulation to building material research and product design, and across a range of disciplinary and practice areas.

SCI-Arc’s Master of Science in Design Theory and Pedagogy one-year program prepares students for a new kind of hybrid career that has emerged in architecture: the architect-theorist-educator. (This program is pending WSCUC approval.)

The MS in Sustainable Building Technology is a 30 credit-hour post-professional degree program for practitioners in architecture, construction, engineering, and other allied fields.

In the Environmental Economics and Urban Planning Interdisciplinary Degree Program, you will combine economic analyses with the tools of a professional planner to approach real-world environmental challenges facing cities and urban planners.

The Master of Architectural Studies (5+1) degree is designed for students with a 5-year Bachelor of Architecture (First-Professional) degree who want to advance their knowledge of architecture through focused study and design-studio work. This one-year program builds on foundational knowledge in art and design and integrates thesis-based learning and coursework to explore architecture in the context of history and theory, tectonics, urban studies, and professional practice.

The M.S. in Historic Preservation Program curriculum educates students to create new, future-oriented roles for built heritage that promote inclusive and resilient communities. With a particular focus on adapting to climate change and promoting social justice, the curriculum integrates humanist, scientific, and technological approaches necessary for students to shape the future of the profession: including the reuse of buildings, the design of adaptation technologies, planning and policy innovations, social and historical research, materials science and digital computation applied to the 3D scanning, documentation, assessment, monitoring, and care of built heritage.

The Master of Science in Urban Planning is a two-year accredited professional degree. Our program takes a comparative, global perspective to urban planning, centering social justice and critical practice. It connects the study of the urban built environment with grounded analysis of socioeconomic and political conditions to inform planning practice and praxis toward social, racial, and climate justice. We prepare students to confront and break down structures and practices of oppression rooted in class inequality, racism, and sexism. By studying the impact of global processes (such as immigration, climate change, and public health) on cities, neighborhoods, and communities—across the Global North and Global South—the program aims to foster new, creative planning and policy approaches that will improve processes and outcomes in cities around the world.

Master of Science in Landscape Architecture is combining lab and classroom experiences, the program offers an interdepartmental and multidisciplinary education to prepare you for the future. You will be able to expand on your undergraduate degree in environmental science, other natural or social sciences, engineering or health professions. The master's degree is designed with your goals in mind and prepare you for supervisory roles and professional advancement. Courses emphasize a risk-based approach to the solving of environmental problems.

The MS program in architecture with a concentration in energy performance and climate-responsive architecture educates students to become energy-efficient building design and energy technology experts.

The Master’s of Science in Planning (MSP) degree is the professional degree of most planners in the United States. The graduates of our program work in more than 40 states and about 30 foreign countries, with the largest proportion working in Florida. Click here to learn more about our program’s measures of student achievement.

Chatham's Master of Science in Interior Architecture (MSIA) is designed to expand upon the education and experience of professionals with an undergraduate degree in interior design, interior architecture, or architecture. Students may take classes entirely online, entirely on-campus, or a hybrid of the two.

Integrating theoretical and technical competencies, the Master of Architecture program nurtures future professionals through a comprehensive and flexible core curriculum. Students learn to analyze complex environments and propose innovative design solutions to the world's most urgent problems.

The Master of Science in Historic Preservation (MSHP) is a 45 credit hour program, usually completed in 15 or 18 months (three regular semesters and possibly part or all of one summer). It is designed to accommodate the background and needs of both those students with substantial experience and those new to the field.

The Master of Science in Architecture in Real Estate Development (MSArch RED) program seeks to build upon the unique perspective and ethos of the architect. Through small class sizes and individual attention, we foster close mentoring relationships between faculty, staff and students. While architects design the way a building looks and works, they are seldom involved in the decision of exactly what to build. The MSArch RED program was designed to change the status quo.

The Master of Science in Architecture is an advanced, multidisciplinary, 32-credit hour thesis degree program designed to provide highly qualified students with a traditional academic foundation in theoretical concepts and research methods in Architecture. In this program, students pursue support courses and develop a thesis topic in an emphasis area offered by the department or research centers associated with the college. The MS degree is a non-professional degree for those seeking advanced knowledge in preparation for careers in architectural research, university teaching, or specialized practice and consulting. The degree may also serve as a pathway toward a Ph.D. in architecture. Admission to the Master of Science in Architecture program is offered to those students possessing professional degrees in architecture as well as to those possessing undergraduate degrees in related disciplines. Admission depends upon the chosen area of research and the availability of qualified faculty in emphasis areas identified by applicants.