Master of Architecture (MArch)
Aaron Gensler, MArch
Chair
Eric Olsen, MArch
Acting Chair
Parsa Rezaee, MArch
Program Director
Introduction
Woodbury’s professional graduate program in architecture embodies a fresh approach to the discipline, to Southern California, and toward global urban conditions. Within an intimate and immersive program, our innovative coursework encourages students to engage in the architectural discourse of the city to make connections between their work, new technologies in both representation and realization, and built and natural environments. We believe that there is no craft without knowledge, no technology without theory, and know-how without why.
Woodbury School of Architecture’s Master of Architecture degree takes advantage of the many research opportunities in Southern California to produce inventive designers who can address the architectural, environmental, and urban challenges of the contemporary world. Based in the urban landscape of Los Angeles, our diverse student body is engaged in transformative learning in highly collaborative and experimental environments. Graduate students play a key role in setting the course of this exploration. Our faculty and students approach subjects such as Southern California’s explosive population growth, environmental impacts, unchecked sprawl, and aging infrastructure as opportunities to learn, design, build, and effect positive change in cities around the world. Woodbury students learn to view place through a progressive lens that examines how beautiful and thoughtfully built environments may also engender social engagement.
Fieldwork defines Woodbury’s ethos of investigation and experimentation. Students in the professional MArch program spend one summer completing six units of directed research locally or abroad, depending on the topic of study. This exposure to alternative ways of living and making architecture adds depth and focus to the fieldwork and gives students new tools for understanding and contributing to the built environment.
Assessment
Faculty members assess individual student learning outcomes for each assignment and for each course. The faculty also engages in continual assessment of the effectiveness of the program, the curriculum, and its sequence, as we strive for ever-higher teaching and learning goals and demonstrate our commitment to national architectural education standards.
Accreditation
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 professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an eight-year term, an eight-year term with conditions, or a two- year term of continuing accreditation, or a three-year term of initial accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established education standards.
Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a non-accredited undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the non-accredited degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
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Licensure
The Woodbury University Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) and Master of Architecture (MArch) degree programs are accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and prepare students for Architectural Licensure in California. In addition, Woodbury University’s BArch and MArch degree programs meet the educational requirements for Architectural licensure in all 55 U.S. jurisdictions under the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). However, students who wish to practice Architecture in a location outside of California may have additional non-educational requirements, such as exams and internship hours, that individual state licensing boards may require. The California Architects Board is the licensing authority for California. Among the non-educational requirements, a candidate must complete to receive a California license are the Architectural Experience Program (AXP) and the Architect Registration Examination (ARE). Prior to enrollment, prospective students must review the Architecture Professional Licensure webpage to see a full list of the U.S states and jurisdictions in which our programs meet the educational requirements.
Woodbury University will assist applicants and students as they navigate licensure requirements in other states and U.S. jurisdictions. Please contact Admissions at admissions@woodbury.edu or 818-252-5221. Contact information and licensure requirements for the licensing authorities in other jurisdictions can also be found through the NCARB Licensing Requirements Tool.
STEM
The MArch program is designated as a STEM program in Architectural and Building Science/Technology. This STEM-designated degree program is characterized by a pedagogy with emphases on computational design, building science, industry, and practice. International MArch students may be eligible to extend their F-1 Visas for an additional 24 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT), for a total of 36 months of post-completion OPT. This designation applies to both current and incoming MArch students.
Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL)
The School of Architecture is approved by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) to offer an Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL). Participation in IPAL enables students to take the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) prior to completion of their professional degree. Master of Architecture students are encouraged to apply in the first year of the three-year program. However, any architecture student may apply for IPAL provided they can show ability to complete the IPAL requirements.
These requirements include completing all 3,740 Architectural Experience Program (AXP) hours and taking all sections of the six-part exam at least once prior to graduation. In order to complete these hours, students work full-time during summers and for one full year in an architectural office.
Between the first and second year of the 2-year MArch program—and the second and third year of 3-year MArch study—students enroll in a co-op course during their fall and spring semesters only. Students must meet these pre-requisites for the co-op year: completion of two graduate-level or equivalent studios, and be on track to complete all AXP hours by graduation. Students must work in firms belonging to the IPAL consortium or approved by the Woodbury School of Architecture IPAL committee. Students must start their NCARB record upon beginning work and must report all Architecture Experience Program (AXP) hours to NCARB according to the AXP Guidelines. Students must remain in good standing academically and financially as determined by the School of Architecture, the Registrar’s Office, and the University Business Office.
Program Learning Outcomes
Design studios form the core of the graduate architecture curriculum. Students gain skills in drawing, model making, material construction, design software, digital fabrication, and critical writing. All graduates of the graduate architecture program are expected to master five program learning outcomes:
• Critical Thinking: the ability to build abstract relationships and understand the impact of ideas based on research and analysis of multiple cultural and theoretical contexts;
• Design: the inventive and reflective conception, development, and production of our environment;
• Building: the technical aspects, systems, and materials and their role in the implementation of design;
• Representation: the wide range of media used to communicate design ideas, including writing, speaking, drawing, and model making;
• Professionalism: the ability to manage, argue, and act legally, ethically, and critically in society.
Assessment
Faculty members assess individual student learning outcomes for each assignment and for each course. The faculty also engages in continual assessment of the effectiveness of the program, the curriculum, and its sequence, as we strive for ever-higher teaching and learning goals and demonstrate our commitment to national architectural education standards.
Academic Standards and Policies
Design Studio Academic Standards
Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher for every two consecutive design studios to continue in the design studio sequence. A student whose two-studio GPA drops below 3.0 must repeat one of the two as necessary to achieve the minimum GPA prior to enrollment in the subsequent studio.
Satisfactory Studio Progress Policy
Any student who does not pass a studio with a grade of “C” or better after enrolling in it three times is subject to dismissal from the program.
Repeated Courses
Students may remediate courses for the purpose of improving those course grades. However, students only have one chance to repeat courses in which they have received passing grades. If a passing grade was not achieved, then a student may repeat the course until they do achieve a passing grade. Financial aid cannot be applied to courses repeated voluntarily.
Final Year Portfolio—The faculty review student portfolios prior to their final year to assess whether the work demonstrates the appropriate learning outcomes to proceed to the advanced curriculum. Students who fail the portfolio review are required to meet with the chair or assistant chair for advising and to agree upon necessary improvements to the portfolio or the studios the student must repeat.
Completion Time Limits
Part-time graduate students may receive an additional two years to complete their degree objective. The graduate academic progress and grading policy is administered by the department and the registrar with Office of Student Development support.
Coursework
Students in the full 3-year MArch program study for seven semesters; those with advanced placement study for five semesters. The summer semester before the final year in each track is devoted to a Fieldwork studio. Students take professional and elective courses in addition to studios in fall and spring semesters. The final spring semester centers on a graduate thesis studio, culminating in a public thesis review.
In addition to our regular semester classes, incoming MArch students may be required to participate in Groundwork, an intensive two-week program, prior to their first semester at Woodbury. During this course, students receive 10 days of instruction introducing them to tools and concepts including digital drawing, analog modeling, software, fabrication, and local design and research resources. Three units of graduate credit are awarded for the successful completion of Groundwork.
Curriculum Summary
Program Major Curriculum
Three-Year Sequence
Students in the full 3-year MArch program study for seven semesters; those with advanced placement study for five semesters. The summer semester before the final year in each track is devoted to a required Fieldwork studio. Students take professional and elective courses in addition to the studio in fall and spring semesters.
The final spring semester centers on a graduate thesis studio, culminating in a public thesis review.
| Unit Type (UT) |
# of Units |
| Major (MA) |
78 |
| Unrestricted Electives (UE) |
15 |
| Minimum Total Units Required |
93 |
Suggested Sequence of Courses
First Year
Fall Semester
| ARCH 583 | Graduate Studio 1: Spaces within Spaces | 6 |
| ARCH 562 | Visualization 1: Making Technique | 3 |
| ARCH 544 | Building 1: Matter and Making | 3 |
| ARCH 554 | Criticism 1: Architecture History 1 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| ARCH 584 | Graduate Studio 2: Living Organizations | 6 |
| ARCH 563 | Visualization 2: Analytical Construction | 3 |
| ARCH 545 | Building 2: Structural Concepts | 3 |
| ARCH 555 | Criticism 2: Architecture History 2 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Second Year
Fall Semester
| ARCH 587 | Graduate Studio 3: Infrastructure | 6 |
| ARCH 564 | Visualization 3: Advanced Drawing | 3 |
| ARCH 546 | Building 3: Advanced Structures | 3 |
____ ___
| Unrestricted Elective* | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| ARCH 589 | Graduate Studio 4: The Total Building | 6 |
| ARCH 547 | Building 4: Environmental Systems Integration | 3 |
| ARCH 556 | Criticism 3: Architectural Theory | 3 |
____ ___
| Unrestricted Elective* | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Summer Term
| ARCH 575 | Graduate Fieldwork Studio | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
Third Year
Fall Semester
| ARCH 691 | Graduate Studio 5: Focus/Topic | 6 |
| ARCH 620 | Practice 1: Contemporary Arch Profession | 3 |
| ARCH 648 | Criticism 4: Arch Research Salon | 3 |
____ ___
| Unrestricted Elective* | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| ARCH 692 | Graduate Thesis Studio | 6 |
____ ___
| Unrestricted Elective* | 3 |
____ ___
| Unrestricted Elective* | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Type:
ARCH 692: MA.
Unrestricted Elective: UE.
Curriculum Summary
Program Major Curriculum
Two-Year Sequence
| Unit Type (UT) |
Number of Units (U) |
| Major (MA) |
54 |
| Unrestricted Electives (UE) |
9 |
| Minimum Total Units Required |
63 |
Suggested Sequence of Courses
First Year
Fall Semester
| ARCH 587 | Graduate Studio 3: Infrastructure | 6 |
| ARCH 564 | Visualization 3: Advanced Drawing | 3 |
| ARCH 546 | Building 3: Advanced Structures | 3 |
| ARCH 554 | Criticism 1: Architecture History 1 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| ARCH 589 | Graduate Studio 4: The Total Building | 6 |
| ARCH 547 | Building 4: Environmental Systems Integration | 3 |
| ARCH 555 | Criticism 2: Architecture History 2 | 3 |
____ ___
| Unrestricted Elective* | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Summer Term
| ARCH 575 | Graduate Fieldwork Studio | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
Second Year
Fall Semester
| ARCH 691 | Graduate Studio 5: Focus/Topic | 6 |
| ARCH 620 | Practice 1: Contemporary Arch Profession | 3 |
| ARCH 648 | Criticism 4: Arch Research Salon | 3 |
____ ___
| Unrestricted Elective* | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| ARCH 692 | Graduate Thesis Studio | 6 |
| ARCH 556 | Criticism 3: Architectural Theory | 3 |
____ ___
| Unrestricted Elective* | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 12 |
Program Emphasis in Interior Design (San Diego Only)
This emphasis will offer an opportunity for students enrolled in the MArch program in San Diego to inflect and enhance their degree through a concentration in MID coursework.
*All unrestricted electives must be graduate-level