Master of Architecture II Degree Program
Post-Professional Degree
Bimal Mendis, Director of Post-Professional Studies
The Master of Architecture II program is for students already holding a professional degree in architecture (B.Arch., or an equivalent first professional degree) who seek a second, master’s-level degree in this discipline and who are interested in developing a stronger theoretical basis for their understanding of the field to give shape to their own future disciplinary and professional direction. Since candidates for this program are expected to have received a professional degree prior to admittance, it should be understood that the degree awarded from this program will not fulfill the educational prerequisite for obtaining an architect’s license in the United States.
This program leads to a degree of Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) and typically requires two years of full-time residency. Because the program combines two years of studio-based activities with a variety of opportunities (both course-related and individually conceived) to extend their understanding of architectural design and its meaning within a broader cultural and social context, students in the M.Arch. II program are given considerable freedom and support to develop an increasingly reflexive, critical, and speculative relationship to their work.
Students develop their own independent design research projects over four terms, beginning with two required preparatory seminars and culminating in two independent design research studios in their final year. Within this common framework, students take an advanced design studio, selected by lottery, in each of the first two terms; these are led by leading designers, urbanists, and theoreticians drawn from the architecture profession worldwide.
Students also take elective courses and are encouraged to explore a diversity of elective seminar options. Courses—falling into the broad categories of design and visualization, technology and practice, history and theory, and urbanism and landscape—support and augment the pivotal studio offerings. Courses offered by other schools and departments within the university may be taken for credit.
With a number of courses available within the School of Architecture, and with access to a wide variety of Yale courses outside the School of Architecture, post-professional students are able to expand their understanding of the broader cultural context of architecture. Post-professional students are also given opportunities to organize symposia, exhibitions, and publications. Thus, to an exceptional degree, they are able to shape the curriculum to their own specific interests in collaboration with other students and faculty in the School.
Course of Study
In course titles, a designates fall term, and b designates spring term. The school reserves the right to change the prescribed course of study as necessary.
M.Arch. II: Total Requirement: 72 credits
First-Year Required Courses
| Pre-First Year (Summer) | ||
| ARCH 1062 | Resources for Design Research | 0 |
| Fall | ||
| Advanced Design Studio | 9 | |
| ARCH 3072 | Design Research I: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| Advanced Design Studio | 9 | |
| ARCH 3073 | Design Research II: Methods Workshop | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
Second-Year Required Courses
| Fall | ||
| ARCH 1261 | Independent Design Research Studio I | 9 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Spring | ||
| ARCH 1121 | Independent Design Research Studio II | 9 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
Summer Preparation Courses for Incoming M.Arch. II Students
In the three weeks before the beginning of the fall term, the school offers an integrated set of preparatory workshops required for incoming M.Arch. II students.
- Summer Shops Techniques Course. This one-week course introduces incoming students to the school’s fabrication equipment and shops. The course stresses good and safe shop techniques. Students are not allowed to use the school’s shops unless they have satisfactorily completed this course.
- Summer Digital Media Orientation Course. This two-part workshop, which occurs during the same week as Summer Shops Techniques, covers accessing the school’s servers, the use of the school’s equipment, and the school’s digital media policies and procedures.
- Arts Library Research Methods. This ninety-minute session covers various strategies to answer research questions pertaining to course curricula and topics by using tools such as the Yale University online catalog, architecture databases, image resources, print resources, and archival resources.
School Portfolio
In addition to the 72 satisfactorily completed course credits, a student must satisfactorily complete the portfolio requirement (as described under Academic Regulations in the chapter Life at the School of Architecture) in order to receive an M.Arch. degree. The portfolio requirement is administered and periodically reviewed by the Design Committee.
Academic Rules and Regulations
Procedures and restrictions for the M.Arch. II program can be found in the School’s Academic Rules and Regulations section of the School of Architecture Handbook. This handbook is available online at http://architecture.yale.edu/academics/school-handbook.