Leading to a Master of Architecture Degree 

Program Educational Objectives

Wentworth's NAAB-accredited Master of Architecture (M.Arch) program is highly experiential and hands-on, introducing students to the contemporary challenges of the built environment and giving them the skills needed to become leaders in a rapidly evolving profession.

Architectural Accreditation

In 2018 Wentworth Institute of Technology was granted an eight-year term of accreditation (the maximum possible under the 2014 NAAB Conditions for Accreditation) for its Master of Architecture degree program from the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). In order to promote transparency in the process of accreditation in architectural education, Wentworth is required by NAAB to make the following information available to the public.

Statement on NAAB-Accredited Degrees

In the United States, most 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 professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an eight-year term, an eight-year term with conditions, or a two-year term of continuing accreditation, or a three-year term of initial accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established education standards. Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a non-accredited undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the non-accredited degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

Wentworth Institute of Technology's School of Architecture and Design offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program with one-, two-, or three-year curricular tracks:

• M.Arch, 1-year track (Wentworth B.S. Arch + 34-36 credits)
• M.Arch, 2-year track (pre-professional degree + 70-72 credits)
• M.Arch, 3-year track (non pre-professional degree + 106-108 credits)

The next accreditation visit for all programs is Spring 2027. Information about admission to the three M.Arch program tracks is found in the Academic Catalog under "Admissions - Graduate Programs."

Student Outcomes

The M.Arch program emphasizes the tangible, material, and cultural dimensions of the discipline, exploring a range of technologies that inform design. Graduates of the M.Arch program will have the ability to:

• Critically evaluate complex professional problems and ethical issues in the realm of architecture and reconcile diverse stakeholder needs;
• Evaluate and synthesize design methods applied in a critical iterative process towards the successful resolution of a specific set of challenges relevant to contemporary practice;
• Demonstrate a familiarity with parallel and divergent histories and the cultural norms of a variety of human and natural environments in terms of their cultural, political, economic, social, ecological and technological factors; graduates will develop sophisticated, appropriate, and workable proposals to ensure equity of access to sites, buildings and structures through meaningful interaction with other cultures in a global context;
• Apply knowledge of comprehensive practice-based design, employing advanced skills in architectural making and building.

Global Research Studios 

The Global Research Studios, offered in the fall semester of the culminating year of the M.Arch program, address research topics and sites from a global perspective. Students frame a design issue within a faculty-directed research agenda. During a ten-day travel period, students conduct site research and engage with on-site organizations and/or communities. Upon their return to campus, students generate design criteria and conduct design tests through an iterative process. In the recent past, Global Research Studios have traveled internationally to Spain, Morocco, Greece, Italy, Finland, Scotland, Iceland, France, China, Benin, and Mexico, and domestically throughout New England.

Graduate Thesis

The eight-month thesis sequence begins in the fall semester of the culminating year with the preparatory course Design as Research, which invites students to generate ideas and approaches to ground their thesis studies and project execution. The course serves as a springboard for critical thinking, writing, and making in preparation for the spring semester Thesis Studio. Primary and secondary thesis advisors work closely with graduate students throughout the semester to help them shape the content and structure of their thesis investigations, while teaching students to be critical thinkers for the future of the profession.

Graduate Fellowships

These competitively-awarded, paid positions provide graduate students with the opportunity to expand their involvement in the School of Architecture & Design by assisting faculty and staff throughout the fall and spring semesters. Positions fall into 3 categories: teaching fellows, research fellows, and special initiatives fellows. Teaching fellows assist with the delivery of undergraduate courses- typically studios and large lecture courses; research fellows assist fulltime faculty with their own research projects, and special initiatives fellows work with the leadership team on various projects that support the broader vision and mission of the School of Architecture & Design. The workload is capped at an average of 10 hours per week, to allow for an effective balance between the needs of the position and the student’s coursework.

Master of Architecture Program Tracks

The academic unit offers three paths to earn a NAAB-accredited professional Master of Architecture degree, depending on one's educational background :

• A 1-year Master of Architecture professional degree track for students who earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Wentworth.
• A 2-year Master of Architecture professional degree track for external candidates who have completed a pre-professional Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Architecture from another institution. In addition, Wentworth students earning a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design are also considered for the 2-year M.Arch track.
• A 3-year Master of Architecture professional degree track for external candidates who have completed an undergraduate in an unrelated discipline.

Cooperative Education Work Experience

M.Arch students in the two- and three-year tracks are required to spend one semester working in an architectural or allied professional office in the summer term preceding their final year of study. The graduate program collaborates with Wentworth's Co-ops + Careers Office to reinforce the learning content of these placements.

Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL)

Wentworth offers the Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL), an optional path launched by the National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB) for motivated students seeking to become architects. By participating in the IPAL initiative, students in the process of earning a degree from a NAAB-accredited program can complete the Architectural Experience Program (AXP) and the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) concurrently. Currently, the IPAL initiative is only available to students in our 1-Year M.Arch track, and participants complete the degree requirements over the course of two years as part-time students who are also working part-time in the profession.

Total credits for degree: 34 (one-year), 70 (two-year), or 106 (three-year)

This program begins in the fall of the student’s first year and ends in the spring semester of the first, second, or third year.

Students in the M.Arch program must maintain a 3.0 GPA to be in good academic standing.

Master of Architecture (One-Year)

Master of Architecture (Two-Year)

Master of Architecture (Three-Year)