Accelerated Bachelor's to Master's in Architecture

Degrees Offered
M.Arch.

Program Offered
Master of Architecture

Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Master's degree, students in the Architecture program are expected to be able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to build abstract relationships and understand the impact of ideas based on the study and analysis of multiple theoretical, social, political, economic, cultural, and environmental contexts. In addition, students will demonstrate the ability to use a diverse range of skills to think about and convey architectural ideas, including writing, investigating, speaking, drawing, and modeling. 
• Demonstrate the ability to comprehend the technical aspects of design, systems, and materials and be able to apply that comprehension to architectural solutions. In addition, the impact of such decisions on the environment must be well considered. 
• Demonstrate the ability to synthesize a wide range of variables into an integrated design solution. 
• Demonstrate an understanding of business principles for the practice of architecture, including management, advocacy, and the need to act legally, ethically, and critically for the food of the client, society, and the public.  

Prerequisites to Graduate Work
The two-year professional Master of Architecture builds on the four-year pre-professional B.S. in Architecture degree currently in operation—or its equivalent from other institutions.

The 52 semester credit hours professional Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) degree revolves around the technical explorations of materials, structure, and sustainability in the context of design, and around the historical, urban, and preservation paradigms of buildings and cities. These areas of interest integrate with entrepreneurial theories and strategies as a method to advancing architectural design and practice. A professional practice/entrepreneurship core of courses, including an applied entrepreneurship as well as a business core of courses in collaboration with the College of Business coalesce to form this unique feature of the M.Arch. Program.

Candidates for the Master of Architecture must fulfill 52 graduate credits through the following core areas:
    · Design Studio (27 credits)
    · Professional Practice (7 credits)
    · Building Technologies (6 credits)
    · History/Theory (6 credits)
    · Business (6 credits)

For a list of the approved Master of Architecture program courses, please see the webpage.

Graduate Courses
Please access graduate courses online by clicking the “Browsing Course Catalog” button at http://www.bgsu.edu/registration-records/courses-and-classes/class-course-information.html. Graduate courses offered by the Department of Architecture and Environmental Design use the prefix: ARCH.

Accelerated BSARCH to MARCH Program Plan  

Students enrolled in the Accelerated BSARCH to MARCH should follow the following course schedule for planning out graduate work that begins while still enrolled as an undergraduate student, followed by the courses taken when fully enrolled as a graduate student in the MARCH program.  In order to complete this plan in an accelerated format (4 years undergraduate + 1 1/2 year graduate) one should complete all 27 credits in design studios and the remaining 25 credits distributed among required professional, business, technology, and history/theory requirements, with a total of 52 graduate credits.

Undergraduate Accelerated Status (limited to 9 credits maximum)

Courses that may be taken while an undergraduate student with Undergraduate Accelerated Status that will overlap between the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees (choose three):

ARCH 6510: Sustainability Systems

ARCH 6530: Codes and Regulations

ARCH 6610: Professional Practice/Entrepreneurship

ARCH 6800: Seminar in Architecture and Design

Graduate Accelerated Status

Courses to be taken once the bachelor’s degree has been completed and the student is fully enrolled as a graduate student in the Master of Architecture program:

Any courses not taken in the list above while in Undergraduate Accelerated Status

ARCH 6210: Graduate Design Studio 1                

ARCH 6220: Graduate Design Studio 2                

ARCH 6310: Graduate Design Studio 3

ARCH 6630: Applied Entrepreneurship

ARCH 6620: Business Innovation by Design

Two MBA courses by advising

One Free Elective by advising

Capstone Experience: 

Plan II:

ARCH 6320: Graduate Design Studio 4

[1] For the purposes of this policy, BGSU GPA is calculated based on BGSU credits only. However, credits transferred into BGSU may be counted as part of credit hours earned (not GPA).

Admissions Requirements

Students interested in pursuing the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Architecture (BS ARCH) to Master of Architecture (M ARCH) program plan in Architecture must complete the following application requirements:  

1. By the start of the student’s Accelerated status, they must have either:
   • 75 credit hours earned and an overall BGSU GPA of at least 3.2[1], or
   • 90 credit hours earned and an overall BGSU GPA of at least 3.0;
2. A completed Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s Program Application;
3. Official transcripts from all universities attended;
4. At least one letter of recommendation from a full-time BGSU faculty member, preferably from graduate faculty within the student’s major or targeted graduate program;
5. An electronic portfolio which highlights a minimum of four projects with a range of complexity representing work over the student’s undergraduate career. The portfolio must be submitted in PDF format and is limited to 5 MB.

Admission Procedure

Applicants seeking admission to the graduate program in Master of Architecture should follow the instructions outlined in the "Graduate Admission" section of this Graduate Catalog. All required graduate materials should be uploaded to Slate.

In addition, applicants should review the admissions requirements specific to the program to which they seek admission.  

Additional criteria for the Master of Architecture program includes:

1. A statement of intent outlining the applicant’s reasons for applying to the program and why his/her application should be accepted (limited to one page).
2. Three letters of recommendation from previous professors and/or employers.
3. An electronic portfolio which highlights a minimum of five projects with a range of complexity representing work over the student’s undergraduate career and professional experience, if applicable. Each project should include a summary of the applicant’s process as well as brief descriptive captions (dates, courses, supervisions, goals). The number of pages and the format are left to the discretion of the applicant. The portfolio must be submitted in PDF format, and limited to 10MB.

The submission of the architecture portfolio replaces the requirement for GRE scores.

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