Master of Architecture (2-year)

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

University of Kansas

Program Overview

The University of Kansas Master of Architecture (Track II, 2-year) is a professional graduate degree designed for students with prior architectural or related preparation who want to advance toward professional architectural practice and licensure, combining design studios, technical coursework, electives, and a required study-abroad experience. The 69-credit curriculum develops advanced design, building technology, environmental, urban-design, and professional skills while allowing students to pursue a specialized area through professional options, internships, capstone studios, or architectural investigation.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: The first year develops advanced architectural design and technical thinking through ARCH 701: Accelerated Design IV, ARCH 708: Urban Dwelling, and ARCH 709: Integrated Design, while support courses such as ARCH 605: Visualizing Site and Natural Environmental Systems, ARCH 558: Programming and Pre-Design Issues, ARCH 620: Theory of Urban Design, and ARCH 627: Building Technology II: Culture of Building Technology connect design decisions with site, urban, programming, and building-technology considerations.

Year 2: The second year moves toward professional development, beginning with ARCH 790: Architecture Study Abroad and continuing into 800-level professional options and professional-enrichment electives; students can develop deeper expertise through options such as Aviation & Transit, Sports & Leisure, Health and Wellness Design, Architectural Investigation, or Urban Design through the program's studio, internship, and capstone pathways.

Focus areas: Advanced architectural design, urban dwelling, integrated design, design-build and materiality, environmental systems, urban design, building technology, professional practice, aviation and transit, sports and leisure, health and wellness, architectural investigation, global practice, sustainability, and study abroad.

Learning outcomes: Graduates develop the ability to evaluate the impact of the built environment on health, safety, and welfare; apply professional ethics and regulatory knowledge; integrate user needs, site conditions, accessibility, environmental performance, building systems, structures, and life-safety considerations into design; and create equitable built environments responsive to diverse cultural and social contexts.

Professional alignment: NAAB-accredited professional degree, designed as an accredited professional education pathway that can support eligibility for architectural licensure; KU states that most U.S. state registration boards require an accredited professional architecture degree as a prerequisite for licensure.

Reputation (employability rankings): KU's official sources reviewed do not state a current QS, Guardian, or other specific employability ranking for the Master of Architecture, so no external ranking is inserted. KU does, however, document a First-Destination Survey of recent M.Arch graduates and reports that 74% rated the overall M.Arch program's preparation for one NAAB program criterion as Good or Excellent.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The University of Kansas Master of Architecture (2-year) emphasizes hands-on architectural education through an intensive collaborative studio culture, where students develop practical skills in design, construction, material science, research, and professional practice. Students have access to renovated studios, digital fabrication and simulation labs, computer facilities, and the East Hills Design-Build Center, allowing them to move from digital concepts and prototypes to physical construction. The program also provides opportunities for design-build work, community-engaged projects, research, exhibitions, competitions, professional events, and internships through KU’s network of architecture firms and companies.

Design-build experience: Studio 804 provides an intensive opportunity for final-year M.Arch students to participate in the complete design and construction process over a nine-month academic year, while KU’s Designbuild Institute also offers hands-on studios and material-based learning.
Digital fabrication: Students can work with CNC routers, laser cutters, 3-D printers, automated tools, advanced digital modelling systems, and KUKA industrial robots for prototyping, fabrication, and material research.
Computer facilities: Architecture facilities include computer labs equipped with the software and hardware required for student projects, while Snow Hall provides a computer lab with 31 workstations, printers, and digital projection equipment.
Simulation: The Health+Wellness Simulation Lab allows students to investigate digital architectural models in three dimensions at human scale, supporting exploration of how designed environments affect people.
Group projects: KU’s collaborative studio culture includes team-based work, while design-build projects require students to work through research, design, material selection, coordination, fabrication, and construction rather than stopping at drawings and specifications.
Community engagement: KU architecture students can participate in industry and community-engaged studios, including design-build activities that connect architectural work with real community needs.
Research facilities: The Center for Design Research is a working laboratory and incubator bringing together KU students, faculty, and industry representatives for interdisciplinary innovation and research.
Material exploration: Marvin Studios, known as The Mud Hut, provides flexible studio spaces and advanced fabrication facilities for 3-D prototyping, automated production, digital modelling, and research into innovative material applications.
Design-build facilities: The East Hills Design-Build Center covers approximately 68,000 square feet and includes fabrication labs, collaborative research areas, computer facilities, assembly spaces, metal and wood labs, professional tools, and customizable workspaces for large-scale projects.
Professional exposure: Career preparation is integrated into the M.Arch., with lectures, workshops, portfolio reviews, career fairs, firm visits, networking events, and internship opportunities through KU’s longstanding relationships with firms and companies worldwide.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The University of Kansas Master of Architecture (2-year) prepares graduates for professional architectural practice by combining advanced design, technical knowledge, professional practice, and real-world engagement. The NAAB-accredited degree meets the educational requirements for pursuing architectural licensure and can lead to careers across architecture, design, construction, urban planning, and the broader built environment.

Typical job roles: Architect, Architectural Designer, Project Manager, Urban Designer: graduates can apply their design, construction, communication, and professional-practice skills across architecture firms, design-build organizations, government agencies, and related built-environment employers.

Career services: Career preparation is integrated throughout the M.Arch., with portfolio reviews, career fairs, firm visits, lectures, workshops, and networking events. KU also maintains longstanding relationships with firms and companies worldwide that provide internship opportunities locally, nationally, and internationally.
Employment statistics: KU Architecture reports a 75% placement rate in the field of architecture for Architecture graduates, based on its alumni outcomes data.
Salary figures: KU’s School of Architecture & Design collects annual employment data and calculates median and mean salaries by major; a specific current median salary for the 2-year M.Arch. is not stated on the official sources reviewed.
Industry partnerships: Students gain direct professional exposure through industry and community-engaged studios, firm visits, internships, portfolio reviews, career fairs, and networking events, while Studio 804 gives graduate students experience across the complete design and construction process.
Accreditation value: The M.Arch. is NAAB-accredited through 2033 and meets NCARB certification requirements. KU states that its accredited M.Arch. programs meet the educational requirements for licensure in all U.S. states, although additional examinations and experience requirements may apply.
Licensure preparation: KU publishes Architect Registration Examination (ARE) pass-rate data; for 2024, reported pass rates ranged from 49% to 67% across the six ARE 5.0 divisions.
Graduation outcomes: KU reports that graduates leverage internship experiences into careers after graduation, while its annual destination survey tracks employment outcomes and salary information to help students and employers evaluate the value of a KU degree.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the professional M.Arch., students can pursue KU’s Master of Arts in Architecture, a research-focused academic degree that forms part of the pathway toward doctoral study, or continue to the Ph.D. in Architecture for advanced research and academic careers. KU distinguishes these post-professional degrees from the M.Arch.; the M.Arch. is the professional degree designed for students pursuing architectural registration.