Master of Architecture

3 Years On Campus Masters Program

University of Miami

Program Overview

The Master of Architecture I at the University of Miami is a 3-year, 7-semester, NAAB-accredited and STEM-designated professional degree designed for students with non-professional undergraduate degrees, combining intensive design studios with architectural history, visualization, technology, environmental systems, and professional practice. Students progressively develop their architectural skills through immersive studios, site and infrastructure analysis, advanced design, technical systems, professional practice, and a final degree project, with opportunities to build specialist expertise through professional certificates.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: The first year builds a strong foundation in architectural design, representation, responsible practice, materials, structures, and architectural history. Students take ARC 604 – Immersive Architectural Design Studio I, ARC 605 – Immersive Architectural Design Studio II, and ARC 630 – Building Technology: Materials and Methods, followed by ARC 606 – Great Cities Design Studio, where design-based inquiry explores site, infrastructure, urban form, archaeology, anthropology, and cultural change.

Year 2: Students move into more complex architectural challenges across different scales, connecting design with structural, environmental, technical, and urban considerations. Key courses include ARC 607 – Advanced Architectural Design Studio, ARC 633 – Structure Pt. II – From Elements to Assemblies, ARC 651 – Profiles in Practice, and ARC 662 – Environmental Building Systems I, while practicing professionals contribute to the studio environment and students strengthen their technical documentation skills.

Year 3: The final year emphasizes integrated architectural design, professional management, research, and independent architectural development. Students undertake ARC 608 – Integrated Architecture Design Studio, ARC 609 – Architecture Design, and ARC 610 – Architecture Design Degree Project, which can take the form of an individual thesis, directed design research group, or Vertical Studio, allowing students to develop a focused architectural position through research and design.

Focus areas: Computation and digital technologies, design-build, building construction, sustainability and resilience, urban design, historic preservation, adaptive reuse, healthcare, hospitality, and professional certificate concentrations.

Learning outcomes: Students develop the ability to apply architectural and environmental principles, formulate and evaluate design questions, communicate effectively, use traditional and digital representational media, and make informed design decisions incorporating environmental stewardship, technical documentation, accessibility, site conditions, life safety, environmental systems, structures, and building-envelope systems.

Accreditation: The Master of Architecture I is NAAB-accredited, providing the professional architectural education recognized for the licensure pathway in the United States; the University of Miami states that most U.S. registration boards require an accredited professional architecture degree as a prerequisite for licensure. The program is also STEM-designated, strengthening its relevance for students seeking architecture education with a strong technology and systems component.

Employability rankings: A current program-specific QS, Guardian, or comparable architecture employability ranking is not stated on the University of Miami's official M.Arch. sources reviewed, so no external ranking is substituted. The School of Architecture does highlight internationally recognized visiting scholars and fellows, research units including RAD-UM, Littoral Urbanism Lab, Community, Housing & Identity Lab, Center for Urban and Community Design, and O Lab, supporting the program's professional and research environment.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The University of Miami Master of Architecture I combines intensive design studios with hands-on exploration of materials, construction, technology, and urban conditions. Students work in dedicated architecture studios and specialized fabrication and research facilities, while the curriculum includes immersive travel-based design work, practicing professionals in studio contexts, and opportunities to pursue design-build, computation, digital technologies, sustainability, urban design, and other focused areas. The final stage can involve an individual design thesis, faculty-led design research group, or Vertical Studio, giving students substantial scope to apply their skills to a developed architectural project.

Design studios: Students complete Immersive Architectural Design Studios and the Great Cities Design Studio, where they investigate architectural form, function, materials, infrastructure, site conditions, and urban contexts through design-based inquiry. The Great Cities studio is specifically an immersive travel-based experience, involving extensive observation and analysis of cities through architecture, archaeology, anthropology, and history.
Digital fabrication: The curriculum exposes students to computational design processes and digital fabrication, while the School provides a dedicated Fabrication Lab with equipment including 3D printers and a robotic arm for turning conceptual designs into physical models and prototypes.
Professional practice: Second-year studios incorporate practicing professionals, with emphasis on technical documentation and real architectural challenges involving structural systems, environmental systems, building envelopes, resilience, and urban context.
Design research: Students can undertake a final individual design thesis, directed design research group, or Vertical Studio, allowing them to work independently or collaboratively on advanced architectural questions.
Research labs: Students can engage with research units including RAD-UM, Littoral Urbanism Lab, Community, Housing & Identity Lab, Center for Urban and Community Design, and O Lab, supporting project-based investigation into technology, urbanism, housing, community, and other architectural issues.
Fabrication facilities: The School’s B.E. & W.R. Miller Build Lab, Fabrication Lab, Model Shop, and Computer Lab provide dedicated environments for making, digital production, modelling, and architectural experimentation.
Architecture library: The Paul Buisson Library provides a dedicated architecture resource within the School, supporting students' design, research, and academic work.
Studio environment: The Thomas B. Murphy Design Studio provides dedicated studio space alongside digital fabrication facilities and exhibition and presentation areas, supporting collaborative and hands-on architectural education.
Specialized facilities: Students also have access to the Jorge M. Perez Architecture Building, Marion Manley Historic Buildings, CUCD, RAD Lab, Photo Lab, Model Shop, Computer Lab, and Fabrication Lab, creating a broad practical environment for architectural study and experimentation

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Master of Architecture I at the University of Miami prepares graduates for professional architectural practice through intensive design studios, technical studies, research, and exposure to contemporary social, cultural, technological, and environmental challenges. As a NAAB-accredited, STEM-designated professional degree, it provides a strong foundation for architectural careers while allowing students to develop specialized interests through upper-level studios and professional certificates.

Typical job roles: Architect, Architectural Designer, Project Manager, Urban Designer: the program’s professional focus and optional concentrations can support careers across architecture, design, urbanism, construction, and related built-environment fields.

Career services: The University of Miami’s Toppel Career Center supports graduate students with industry job searches, while its Architecture Development & Construction career community provides career resources, employer information, job-search guidance, and salary resources specifically relevant to architecture and construction.
Employment statistics: University of Miami’s NAAB annual report recorded 7 of 7 graduates seeking employment employed in an architecture-related field within one year for the 2019–2020 cohort, 7 of 7 for 2020–2021, and 7 of 7 for 2021–2022.
Salary figures: The University of Miami provides access to an AIA Salary Calculator based on the AIA’s 2023 Compensation Survey and a job-market-data resource providing annual earnings information; a specific M.Arch graduate salary figure is not stated on the official University sources reviewed.
Industry partnerships: The School of Architecture’s career activities connect students with professional firms including Page Southerland Page, Perkins&Will, HKS Architects, LRK, Historical Concepts, and M.C. Harry & Associates, with firms participating in career-recruitment activities.
Professional licensure: The NAAB accreditation provides important long-term value because most U.S. registration boards require an accredited professional architecture degree as a prerequisite for licensure. The University of Miami also hosts NCARB information sessions covering the Architectural Experience Program (AXP), Architect Registration Examination (ARE), and the path to becoming a licensed architect.
Graduation outcomes: The program’s NAAB-reported outcomes show strong architecture-related employment among graduates seeking employment, while the School’s professional curriculum is explicitly designed to prepare students for professional leadership and lifelong learning in architecture, urbanism, and related fields.
Specialization opportunities: Students can build professional expertise through certificates in areas such as Historic Preservation, Classical and Traditional Design, Design for Health and Wellbeing, Sustainable and Resilient Design, Hospitality Design, Construction Management, Urban Design, and Real Estate Development.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the M.Arch, graduates can continue into the University of Miami’s Master of Science in Architecture post-professional degree, which offers specialized tracks including Digital Fabrication & Technology, Hospitality Design, Healthcare Design, Classical & Traditional Design, Historic Preservation, and Contemporary Theory and the Built Environment. Students can also pursue the Master of Urban Design or Master of Real Estate Development + Urbanism, including through dual-degree pathways with the M.Arch, allowing them to broaden their expertise into urban design, development, and the wider built environment.