The Master of Architecture degree, coupled with the 138 credit hour Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies, is a professional education designed for those interested in becoming a licensed architect. The program revolves around a comprehensive studio project undertaken, over the duration of three quarters. New students will submit a Plan of Study for approval by the Graduate Program Coordinator within the first week of the Fall Quarter.
Facilities
Hale Hall serves as the main facility for the School of Architecture. Offices and the student gallery are located on the first floor while the upper floors hold two large open plan studios, classrooms, additional faculty offices, and facilities for digital craft production. First-year studios and drawing classes take place in the Wyly Tower of Learning. Other facilities include a 10,000 sq. ft. Art and Architecture Workshop (metalwork and woodwork shop facilities) and a 3500 sq. ft. Fabrication and Assembly Shop located on the South Campus.
Professional License and Accreditation
In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional program in architecture 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 two types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture and the Master of Architecture. A program may be granted a six-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on its degree of 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 sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
Louisiana Tech University’s School of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program:
- MArch (pre-professional degree + 30 graduate credits)
Admission Requirements
Admission to the MArch program is for the Fall Quarter only and, because of the required Graduate Program committee review of each applicant, the application deadline is May 1. In addition to meeting the general admission requirements of the Graduate School, the applicant must possess a pre-professional undergraduate degree in architecture, a minimum 2.75 grade point average (4.0 scale) in all required Architecture Studios 300 level and above (or equivalent) for the pre-professional degree, a portfolio of representative design work, three letters of recommendation, and a typed personal statement. Portfolio requirements may be requested by applicants from the School of Architecture. For the School of Architecture, the GRE-general testing requirement may be waived as a criterion for admission to the Graduate School. Students seeking graduate assistantships may be required to take the GRE-general exam as a qualification to compete for an assistantship and/or out-of-state tuition fee waiver.
Pre-professional degrees not earned at Louisiana Tech University will be individually evaluated by the Graduate Program Coordinator and may be subject to “leveling” coursework as a condition to admission.
Transfer Credit
The transfer of graduate credit from another graduate institution, graduate credit by examination, graduate credit as a graduating senior, or credit earned other than as a regularly enrolled graduate student in the School of Architecture at Louisiana Tech must meet all University standards and is also subject to approval by the Graduate Program Coordinator as part of the Plan of Study. Courses taken for graduate credit while the student is registered in a non-degree graduate category will not be applied to a degree program without approval by the student’s advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies. No transfer credit will be granted towards the Master of Architecture degree for grades below “B”. A maximum of six hours may be transferred toward the Master of Architecture degree. Transfer credit is also subject to the performance criteria mandated by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. Additional information is given in the Graduate School section of the University Catalog under “Transfer Credit.”
Graduation
The candidate for the Master of Architecture must complete a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours including a three-quarter sequential comprehensive design project. A Graduate Advisory Committee, appointed for each student, shall review the final project in a formal presentation and oral defense. The student must earn a minimum grade of “B” in each course of the sequence in order to advance to the next course in the sequence or to graduate.
Financial Support
A limited number of graduate assistantships may be available to qualified students on a competitive basis. Graduate Assistants receive a stipend for the academic year (three quarters) and a waiver of out-ofstate tuition, where applicable. The deadline for assistantship applications is May 1.
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