M.Arch Architecture, Program Information

Program Faculty

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Department Chair (Interim)

Mary Anne Akers, PhD

Professor and Dean

 

Program Coordinator

Mohammad Gharipour, PhD

Professor

Department of Graduate Built Environment Studies

Office Location: CBEIS 217

Phone: 443-885-3910

Email:   mohammad.gharipour@morgan.edu 

 

Program Faculty

Jason Charalambides, PhD

Assistant Professor

 

Ruth Connell, AIA

Associate Professor

 

Jeremy Kargon, AIA

Associate Professor

 

Coleman Jordan

Lecturer

 

Cristina Murphy

Assistant professor

 

Fred Scharmen

Associate Professor

Program Description

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Morgan’s Master of Architecture degree program prepares well-educated professionals who can address the challenges of design for contemporary urban regions. The program is designed especially for students who are employed during the day while pursuing academic work during the late afternoon and evenings. The program therefore allows students to support themselves and, if possible, to benefit from professional internship while still in school. 

 

The Graduate Program in Architecture addresses how design affects the range of activities fundamental to urban society and its built environment: developing our cities; designing for institutions, education, commerce and government; and creating the infrastructure to support them all. The Graduate Program in Architecture is interdisciplinary and collaborates through coursework and research with its sister programs in Landscape Architecture, City and Regional Planning, and Construction Management.

Program Objectives

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The objectives of the Graduate Program in Architecture align with those of its institutional home, the School of Architecture and Planning at Morgan State University. Accordingly, Morgan’s Graduate Program in Architecture has three interrelated missions: to educate African American and other students for the profession; to promote research of critical issues in urban architecture; and to serve the metropolitan region of Baltimore and the State of Maryland through its academic activities. 

 

The Master of Architecture degree is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and is therefore accepted by National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and all US jurisdictions as a professional degree, which satisfies the educational requirements for licensure as registered architect. A complete statement about NAAB accreditation is included at the end of this catalog entry.

General Requirements

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Candidates for the Master of Architecture degree must complete one of three curriculum tracks, depending upon previous academic preparation and degree standing. 

 

• For students without previous course work in architecture, the curriculum totals ninety (90) academic credit hours, including a capstone research-and-design project, the “Terminal Project.”
   

• For students with previous course work in architecture, including a non-accredited pre-professional degree, students must complete a minimum of sixty (60) academic credit hours, including the capstone research-and-design project.
   

• For undergraduate students at Morgan with 90 credits completed towards their BSAED degree, students may apply to the accelerated “3+2” program, which allows both completion of the BSAED degree and the eventual award of the Master of Architecture degree. Students accepted to the 3+2 program must complete a total of 120 undergraduate credits, fulfill all undergraduate General Education requirements, and complete a minimum of forty eight (48) graduate credit hours, including the capstone research-and-design project.

 

Admission

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To be eligible for admission to the Master of Architecture program, an applicant must: 

 

• Have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.  Current undergraduates in Morgan’s Department of Undergraduate Built Environment Studies may apply to an accelerated “3+2” program while still in their Junior year.

• Possess an undergraduate cumulative grade point average (G.P.A.) of 3.0 or better to be considered for regular admission. Students who possess a cumulative undergraduate G.P.A. of between a 2.5 and 2.9 may be considered for conditional admission.  Post-bachelor’s undergraduate credits will not be used to enhance G.P.A. requirements for admission to graduate study. 

• Submit an application for admission to the School of Graduate Studies.  All required documents must be submitted as directed by the School of Graduate Studies prior to program review and admission decision.  

• Use the application system to arrange for three letters of recommendation to be placed with the application.  These letters must be from officials or faculty members of institutions previously attended who are acquainted with the applicant’s ability for graduate study or from employment supervisors where applicable.  

• Submit a typed exposition regarding the candidate’s personal academic and professional plans and the reasons for selecting Morgan State University. 

• Submit a portfolio of visual work, including previous architectural designs, painting, sculpture, free-hand-drawings, or other material which documents both the applicant’s aptitude with the use of visual media and her or his way of seeing the built environment.

• Please contact the Program Coordinator for the most current description of portfolio guidelines.

 

Meeting the minimum eligibility requirements and submitting all the required documents does not guarantee that an offer of admission will be made to the applicant.  The decision of the Program Admissions Committee involves a review and analysis of all the elements of the application as well as the availability of positions in the program.  The committee then recommends to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies that an offer admission should be made based on that review.

Candidacy

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Generally, there are not candidacy in the program.  However, the Architectural Thesis Seminar (ARCH 771) is considered a prerequisite for Thesis Design Studio.

Thesis/Dissertation Completion

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Students are supposed to submit a research binder, including a research paper, for Architectural Thesis seminar before taking final studio (thesis project).

Program Accreditation

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In the United States, most state 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 U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a 6-year, 3-year, or 2-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.

 

Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

 

Morgan State University, School of Architecture and Planning offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs:

 

M. Arch. (non-pre-professional degree + 90 credits)

M. Arch. (pre-professional degree + 60 graduate credits minimum)

M. Arch. (pre-professional degree + 38 graduate credits: “3+2” Master of Architecture Degree Program)

 

Last accreditation visit for the program: 2017.

Program Course Requirements

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MArch (90 credit hours): 

 

• All courses from among the Foundational Courses must be completed (30 credits)

 

ARCH 501: Transitions in Architecture: Theory and Research 3

ENST 510: Environmental Design 6

ENST 512: Graphics Workshop 3

ARCH 525: Technology I (Statics and Strength of Materials) 3

ARCH 520: Architectural Design Studio II 6

ARCH 511: Built Environment History I 3

ARCH 526: Architectural Technology II (Structures: Wood/Steel) 3

ARCH 533: Architectural Technology V (Building Materials) 3

 

• All courses from among the Core Courses must be completed (27 credits)

 

ARCH 530: Architectural Design Studio III 6

ARCH 521: Built Environment History II 3

ARCH 527: Architectural Technology IV (Structures: Concrete) 3

URBD 511: Urban Design 3

ARCH 540: Architectural Design Studio IV 6

ARCH 523: Architectural Technology III (Environmental Controls) 3

ARCH 541: Architectural Technology VI 3

 

• All courses from among the Capstone Courses must be completed (18 credits)

 

ARCH 550 Architectural Design Studio V 6

ARCH 771 Architectural Thesis Seminar 3

ARCH 772 Architectural Design Studio VI (Terminal Project) 6

ARCH 561 Architectural Practice, Law, and Management 3
 

• Fifteen (15) credits of Graduate-level Elective Courses must be completed. At least one course must be an approved Architectural History or Theory Elective. These courses may be selected from among elective course offerings within the School of Architecture + Planning (including courses offered by the Architecture, Environmental Studies, Landscape Architecture, or City and Regional Planning programs) or in any graduate department at Morgan State University. 

 

Program Course Requirements

MArch (60 credit hours minimum): 

 

• All courses from among the Core Courses (27 credits), Capstone Courses (18 Credits), and Elective Courses (15 Credits) as indicated above must be completed, with the following exception: students in the 60 credit hour curriculum must take ARCH 501 instead of ARCH 521.
   

• Additional required courses from among the Foundation Courses may be assigned upon entry to the program. The decision about which additional courses are required will be determined by the Program Director’s review of the student’s previous academic record. The Program Director’s evaluation and decision in this matter is final and may not be changed after the student begins her or his studies at Morgan. 

 

Program Course Requirements

MArch 3+2 

168 credit hours, joint undergraduate and graduate degree program

Suggested Curriculum Sequence

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The typical plan of study requires enrollment in a minimum of nine (9) credit hours per term to remain full-time.  No student may take more than fifteen (15) credit hours per term. Not every course is offered every term, and the following plan of study is an illustration.  At the initial conference with an advisor, a preliminary plan of study will be established, and this will be reported to the School of Graduate Studies (using the SGS Plan of Study Form) for placement in the student’s official file.  At this time, any anticipated exceptions or anticipated transfer credits will be noted. An estimated time for completion of the thesis/dissertation must be included. Changes to the plan of study will be reported to the School of Graduate Studies.  The student and the advisor will sign the form submitted to the School of Graduate Studies.

 

The following Plan of Study example is based on the full 90cr curriculum and a 15 credit/semester course load. (A typical Plan of Study for the 60cr curriculum corresponds to the second and third year schedule as indicated below, with the exception of ARCH 501 taken instead of ARCH 521. For a sample Plan of Study for “3+2” program, contact the Program Director for additional information.)