Master of Science in Architecture

1 Year On Campus Masters Program

University of Illinois Chicago

Program Overview

The Master of Science in Architecture (MSArch) at the University of Illinois Chicago is a post-professional, studio-centered program designed for students who already hold a professional architecture degree and want to deepen their expertise in architecture and urban design. Students develop advanced critical, analytical, design, and research abilities through studios supported by architectural technology, contemporary theory, history, and criticism.

Note: UIC’s official sources currently describe the MSArch as a one-year, two-semester program, not a two-year program.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: The program begins with advanced design and research through ARCH 565: Topic Studio, where students investigate contemporary architectural or urban-design problems, and ARCH 566: Research Seminar, which establishes the research foundation for a year-long design-research project. Students continue with ARCH 585: Architectural Theory and History III, alongside electives, developing stronger theoretical, historical, analytical, and technological perspectives before completing ARCH 567: Research Studio, which transforms the research agenda into individual or collaborative design-research.

Focus areas: Advanced architectural design, urban design, design research, architectural technology, contemporary theory and criticism, architectural and urban history, new materials and fabrication, and research addressing emerging issues in the discipline.

Learning outcomes: Students strengthen critical and analytical skills, expand architectural expertise, develop advanced design-research capabilities, investigate contemporary architectural and urban questions, and produce research capable of being developed into publishable work.

Professional alignment (accreditation): The MSArch is a post-professional degree and is not NAAB-accredited; students seeking a professional, NAAB-accredited architecture degree at UIC should consider the Master of Architecture instead.

Reputation (employability rankings): UIC does not state a specific QS, Guardian, or comparable architecture employability ranking for the MSArch on the official program sources reviewed. However, UIC publishes examples of graduate employment with firms including Gensler, SOM, Perkins + Will, Studio Gang, OMA, BIG, SHoP, AECOM, Gehry and Partners, and HDR, demonstrating the professional reach of the School of Architecture’s graduate community.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Master of Science in Architecture at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is strongly studio- and research-centered, giving students practical experience through topic studios, research seminars, and individual and collaborative design-research projects. The program begins with a summer workshop focused on architecture and design technology, while the year-long research clusters allow students to investigate contemporary architectural and urban-design issues with distinguished visiting faculty and develop work intended for publication.

Students can translate these design and research concepts into physical and digital work through UIC’s dedicated architecture facilities, including the Project Lab and FabLab, which support woodworking, metalworking, prototyping, and digital fabrication. The school also provides 24/7 building and studio access, creating an environment where students can develop projects collaboratively and independently:

Research studios: The spring Research Studio (ARCH 567) involves individual and collaborative design-research addressing issues at the edge of contemporary architecture and develops work from the preceding fall seminar.
Topic studios: ARCH 565 Topic Studio gives students the opportunity to investigate contemporary architectural or urban-design problems through the perspective of an internationally recognized instructor.
Design technology: The summer Platforms workshop introduces architecture through the design technology of its production, combining seminars and labs with contemporary design-practice themes.
Digital fabrication: The FabLab provides three universal laser cutters, a Trotec engraving machine, a three-axis CNC router, several 3D printers, a vacuum former, sandblaster, and spray room for digital and physical prototyping.
Woodworking & metalworking: The Project Lab provides planers, jointers, lathes, sanders, saws, a MIG welder, metal lathe, metal roller, and hand-bending tools, supporting hands-on exploration of materials and construction processes.
Software & digital tools: UIC's architecture curriculum explicitly introduces students to design-production technologies and software, while the school's broader digital-design coursework includes 3D software modelling and fabrication workflows.
Collaborative work: The MSArch spring research project specifically includes individual and collaborative design-research, giving students experience developing architectural ideas through research and project-based work.
Visiting faculty: Research clusters involve distinguished visiting faculty, including the Greenwald Visiting Professor, allowing students to work on contemporary research and design agendas with internationally recognized instructors.
Print & presentation facilities: The architecture facilities include a Print Lab with multiple large-format plotters and color copiers, with technical tutorials and lab assistance available.
Photography: The Arch Photo Lab is available exclusively to School of Architecture students and can be reserved for architectural photography and documentation work after completing the required authorization and training.
Studio environment: Students have assigned studio workspaces and 24/7 keycard access to the Architecture + Design Studios building, supporting extended project development and collaboration.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The UIC Master of Science in Architecture is a focused one-year post-professional degree designed for students who already hold a professional architecture degree. Its studio-centered work, advanced technology studies, and contemporary theory and criticism can strengthen critical, analytical, and design expertise for careers across architecture and related creative fields.

Typical job roles: Architectural Designer, Design Researcher, Architectural Critic, Urban Design Professional: the program’s advanced design and critical focus supports progression into architecture and design practices, while UIC alumni have gone on to firms including Gensler, SOM, Studio Gang, Perkins + Will, HOK, AECOM, BIG, OMA, and Gehry Partners.

Career services: UIC Career Services provides an online job board, while the School of Architecture hosts an annual Career Fair with approximately 20–30 firms and provides networking opportunities with alumni and architecture professionals throughout the year.
Employment outcomes: UIC publishes a sample of recent graduate employment and professional activities, showing alumni working at firms such as Gensler, CannonDesign, HOK, SOM, Studio Gang, Perkins + Will, AECOM, BIG, OMA, SHoP, and Gehry Partners.
Salary figures: A program-specific MS Architecture employment salary figure is not stated on the official UIC sources reviewed, so no unrelated salary figure is substituted.
Industry partnerships: UIC’s annual School of Architecture Career Fair brings Chicago-area and wider regional firms directly to campus to recruit and network with students; recent participating/employing firms represented in UIC’s official alumni information include Gensler, SOM, Studio Gang, Perkins + Will, HOK, AECOM, and CannonDesign.
Accreditation value: The MSArch is explicitly a post-professional degree and is not NAAB-accredited. UIC’s NAAB accreditation applies to its professional Master of Architecture, so students seeking a NAAB-accredited professional degree for the U.S. licensure pathway should consider the MArch instead.
Graduation outcomes: UIC reports that its architecture graduates go on to work in architecture and design firms across the U.S. and internationally, with alumni employment documented at leading practices and institutions.
International progression: UIC states that its graduate architecture programs are not STEM-designated; eligible international graduates may receive up to 12 months of OPT, but are not eligible for the extended STEM OPT period.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can deepen their specialization through UIC’s Master of Architecture/Master of Arts in Design Criticism pathway or pursue the MSArch/MAD-Crit joint degree, combining advanced architectural design and technology with writing and criticism. The joint MSArch/MAD-Crit option can prepare graduates for additional roles such as critics, journalists, curators, and designers.