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In-Person Master of Science in Architectural Studies

In-Person Master of Science in Architectural Studies

The Master of Science in Architectural Studies enables students to develop specialized research skills to meet the challenges of tomorrow as an environmental design professional or academic.

Overview

The MS program is open to students holding a degree in architecture, as well as students with experience and degrees in allied fields who seek new ways to engage environmental design through advanced research skills. Students develop a specialized focus in one of the school’s program areas or craft their own focus through courses within the college and across campus. To earn this degree, students must complete a total of 32 hours of graduate credit. The program length varies from one to one-and-a-half years and, depending on focus area, may include fieldwork or internships.

Each Master of Science student develops an individualized program of study in consultation with the chair of the program area to which the student has been admitted. The program of study is then reviewed by the Associate Director for Graduate Studies and registered in the student’s academic file.

Current areas of study include:

Urbanism
Health and Wellbeing
Detail and Fabrication
Sustainable Technologies
Systems Optimization
Building Structures
Preservation + Heritage
Architectural History

There are traditionally three different ways this degree can be achieved after deciding on an area of study with your advisor:

Requirements are basic so students can tailor their degree program towards their area of study. These basic requirements are as follows: 16 credit hours must be achieved through ARCH courses. The other 16 credit hours can be ARCH or any other University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign course offering outside of the School of Architecture.

These requirements are similar to the coursework-based degree path, but fieldwork credit will be part of the program. It will be up to the student to find an internship or fieldwork that will support their area of study. This internship will need to be unpaid in order to receive credit for the degree completion requirements. This will need to be reviewed and approved by the architecture office. This path is customized to each student and will need to be discussed with the student’s advisor.