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2024-2025 Graduate Catalog
Architecture Major, MArch
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The School of Architecture offers paths to NAAB-accredited, professional Master of Architecture degrees, which qualify the graduate to sit for the Architects Registration Exam in the United States. These degrees are distinguished by the length of study required and level of study and are determined by the student’s baccalaureate education. All graduate architecture degrees also offer several options to specialize in concentrations, furthering the student’s ability to customize their graduate educations in areas that they find the most promising and inviting.
In the United States, state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure http://www.tn.gov/commerce/boards/ae/. 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 an 8-year, 3-year, or 2-year term.
The Master of Architecture 3G (MArch 3G) program is a program for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in a field other than architecture. Typically three academic years plus one summer in length, the Master of Architecture program is designed to accommodate students who come from a variety of backgrounds, including those with no previous formal study in architecture. This academic plan culminates in either a written- or design-based Master of Architecture Project (MAP). This program requires 102 credit hours of graduate coursework.
The Master of Architecture 2G, (MArch 2G) is a professional degree program for students with an NAAB accredited 4-year pre-professional bachelor’s degree in architecture. Typically two academic years in length, this academic plan culminates in either a Master of Architecture Project (MAP) or in a Diploma Studio. This program requires 60 credit hours of graduate coursework.
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Concentrations
Conservation and Stewardship
Computational Design and Fabrication
Sustainable Design
Urbanism
Options Available
Project (MArch 3G and MArch 2G)
Campus Code
Knoxville Campus
Admissions Standards/Procedures
The following must be submitted by all applicants directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions:
- A completed online Graduate Application for Admission. See Applying to Graduate School for the online application process.
- For applicants whose native language is not English, scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
In addition to meeting the Graduate School’s minimum requirements, the following specific admission requirements must be submitted to the Graduate Program in Architecture:
For applicants to all degree programs
- An essay addressing the applicant’s intent and expectations for study in the program.
- Three letters of recommendation.
- A portfolio illustrating evidence of visual creativity and/or graphic capabilities.
For applicants to MArch 3G and MArch 2G
- A minimum 3.00 undergraduate GPA, and minimum 3.25 graduate GPA. Standardized test scores can be weighted differently in the admissions process depending on an applicant’s strengths.
For MArch 2G applicants, additionally
- A four-year degree (typically, BS, BED, or BA) in architecture, with a minimum 3.00 GPA, or international equivalent degree and equivalent grades, as determined by the Graduate Admissions Office. Placement in the 2-year program requires a minimum of 24 semester credit hours of design studio as determined by the NAAB. Applicants in their undergraduate senior year are eligible to apply.
- A portfolio illustrating evidence of visual creativity and/or graphic capabilities, which must include prior academic and (if applicable) professional design work.
For MArch applicants
- A professional degree in architecture (5-yr Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Architecture, or Doctor of Architecture) with a minimum 3.00 GPA, from an NAAB accredited program or international equivalent degree and equivalent grades, as determined by the Graduate Admissions Office. Applicants in their final year of a professional architecture program are eligible to apply.
- An essay of intent identifying a specific area of study aligned with the general goals of the Architecture Graduate Program and the existing research / scholarship interests of the standing faculty in the College of Architecture and Design.
- A portfolio illustrating evidence of visual creativity and/or graphic capabilities, which must include prior academic and (if applicable) professional design work.
- Prior contact with individual faculty members in the applicant’s interest area and with the Chair of the Graduate Architecture Program is highly recommended.
Master of Architecture 3G (MArch 3G) - Project Option
Learning objectives for the MArch 3G Degree in Architecture:
- Graduating students must demonstrate the ability to build abstract relationships and understand the impact of architectural design based on research and analysis of multiple theoretical, social, political, economic, cultural and environmental contexts.
- Graduating students will be able to demonstrate that they have the basic knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to enter the profession and to become licensed architects.
- Graduating students must demonstrate a comprehension of the technical aspects of design, systems and materials, and be able to apply that comprehension in their coursework.
- Graduating students must have an understanding of the architect’s role in managing and advocating for legal, ethical, and critical action for the good of the client, society and the public.
Concentrations
Conservation and Stewardship
Computational Design and Fabrication
Sustainable Design
Urbanism
Credit Hours Required
102 graduate credit hours
Required Courses
- 42 credit hours in a required sequence of Design courses, called studio.
- 4 credit hours in Representation courses.
- 11 credit hours in History, Theory and Research courses.
- 9 credit hours in Disciplinary Discourse courses selected in consultation with the major advisor.
- 18 credit hours in Structures, Technology and Professional Practice courses.
- 18 credit hours in Architecture-Approved elective courses.
Additional Course Requirements
- A concentration in the MArch 3G requires a minimum of:
- One focus area studio and two directed elective courses, or
- Four directed elective courses
- Courses are selected in consultation with the major advisor
- The MArch 3G culminates in a rigorous final project that combines research and design in a comprehensive proposal.
- Work on this project begins in ARCH 529 MAP Seminar. In this course, it is the student’s responsibility to identify their particular area of study and the motivation for work.
- Students are expected to become familiar with current discourse including key building and texts.
- Students are also expected to formulate a premise and critical position and establish strategies for the in-depth study of the topic.
- Students may elect to complete the project as a self-directed Master of Architecture Project (ARCH 598 MAP Studio) or pursue it as part of a Diploma Studio (ARCH 599).
- In the MAP Studio students work independently with a self-selected committee of faculty advisors, who oversee the work and certify its completion. In the Diploma Studio students develop their own project in the context of a group of students working with a single faculty member.
Non-Course Requirements
- A graduating student is required to present their work in a public review and prepare a pamphlet documenting the project to be archived in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Library.
- Students may elect to complete some of their credit hours in the College of Architecture and Design’s off campus and study- abroad programs.
Master of Architecture 2G (MArch 2G) - Project Option
Learning objectives for the MArch 2G Degree in Architecture:
- Graduating students must demonstrate the ability to build abstract relationships and understand the impact of architectural design based on research and analysis of multiple theoretical, social, political, economic, cultural and environmental contexts.
- Graduating students will be able to demonstrate that they have the basic knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to enter the profession and to become licensed architects.
- Graduating students must demonstrate a comprehension of the technical aspects of design, systems and materials, and be able to apply that comprehension in their coursework.
- Graduating students must have an understanding of the architect’s role in managing and advocating for legal, ethical, and critical action for the good of the client, society and the public.
Concentrations
Conservation and Stewardship
Computational Design and Fabrication
Sustainable Design
Urbanism
Credit Hours Required
60 graduate credit hours
Required Courses
- 24 credit hours in a required sequence of Design courses, called studio.
- 9 credit hours in Disciplinary Discourse courses selected in consultation with the major advisor.
- 6 credit hours in Integration and Professional Practice courses.
- 21 credit hours in Architecture-Approved Elective Courses.
Additional Course Requirements
- A concentration in the MArch 2G requires a minimum of:
- One focus area studio and two directed elective courses, or
- Four directed elective courses
- Courses are selected in consultation with the major advisor
- The MArch 2G culminates in a rigorous final project that combines research and design in a comprehensive proposal.
- Work on this project begins in ARCH 529 MAP Seminar. In this course, it is the student’s responsibility to identify their particular area of study and the motivation for work.
- Students are expected to become familiar with current discourse including key building and texts.
- Students are also expected to formulate a thesis and/or critical position and establish strategies for the in-depth study of the topic.
- Students may elect to complete the project as a self-directed Master of Architecture Project (ARCH 598 MAP Studio) or pursue it as part of a Diploma Studio (ARCH 599).
- In the MAP Studio students work independently with a self-selected committee of faculty advisors, who oversee the work and certify its completion.
- In the Diploma Studio students develop their own project in the context of a group of students working with a single faculty member.
Non-Course Requirements
- A graduating student is required to present their work in a public review and prepare a pamphlet documenting the project to be archived in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Library.
- Students may elect to complete some of their credit hours in the College of Architecture and Design’s off campus and study- abroad programs.
Conservation and Stewardship Concentration
The Conservation and Stewardship concentration promotes and produces knowledge and techniques in the documentation, restoration and regeneration of a wide array of cultural artifacts. Broadly based in the arts and the sciences, the Conservation and Stewardship Concentration focuses on collaborative research and coursework – in particular on the relationships between the design disciplines and their effect on both built and natural environments. This concentration explores the processes and systems that affect both local and global responses to contemporary issues of public policy and the growing global concern for sustainable and regenerative responses, equity and diversity. The Conservation and Stewardship concentration has three goals: to expand local knowledge through topical research, to document the physical environment and the human effect on these environments, and to disseminate that documented knowledge to educate future practitioners and scholars, and the public at-large.
The Conservation and Stewardship concentration offers opportunities for topical study such as, but not limited to:
- Sustainable Urban and Rural Landscapes
- The Tennessee Valley Authority
- Cultural Resource Conservation and Development
- Architectural Preservation
- Social Justice and Design
- Monuments and Memory
- Appalachia
- Galleries, Libraries and Art Museums
- Regional Cultures and their Artifacts
- Identity Politics
- Engaged and Participatory Design
Potential Resources:
- UTK Smart Communities Initiative
- Knox Heritage (including internships)
- Odd Fellows Cemetery Reclamation Initiative
- Knoxville Re-Animation Coalition
- Beck Center for the Arts
- Highland Research and Education Center
- Children’s Defense Fund
- The Museum of Appalachia
- Regional Planning Agencies in Knoxville
- Regional Planning Agencies in Nashville
- Regional Planning Agencies in Chattanooga
- Nashville Civic Design Center
Requirements (12 credit hours)
To be included in the concentration, all courses must be approved by the Architecture Graduate Studies Chair in consultation with the faculty and will be based on the content of the specific course the student completed. Documentation will be kept by the School of Architecture, but it is the student’s responsibility to solicit approval through the advising process.
Computational Design and Fabrication Concentration
The Computational Design and Fabrication concentration is a research and experiment-based focus that incorporates knowledge from a wide range of disciplines to develop advanced computational design tools, digital fabrication techniques and experimental spatial, structural and material systems.
Coursework for this concentration incorporates ideas of computational design thinking, scripting, algorithmic modeling, digital and analog form-finding, biomimetic, emergent digital fabrication technologies, construction automation, prototyping, materials and structures.
The Computational Design and Fabrication concentration offers opportunities for topical study such as, but not limited to:
- Computational design (Analysis, Simulation, Evaluation, and Generative Design.)
- Digital Modeling and Fabrication
- Additive Manufacturing
- Robotics: Sensing, Actuation and Feedback
- Construction automation
- Biomimicry
- Smart structures
- Novel Materials
- Lightweight Structures
- Virtual and Augmented Environments
- Emergent and Self Organizing Systems
- Responsive Environments
Potential resources:
CoAD FabLab including additive manufacturing (3D-printing), robotics and subtractive computer numerical control (CNC), augmented and virtual reality.
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
- Joint Institute for Advanced Materials (JIAM)
- Fiber Composite Manufacturing Facility (FCMF)
- Entomology and Plant Pathology
- Institute for Smart Structures (ISS)
- Design | Build | Evaluate Initiative
- Clayton Homes
- Local Motors
Requirements (12 credit hours)
To be included in the concentration, all courses must be approved by the Architecture Graduate Studies Chair in consultation with the faculty and will be based on the content of the specific course the student completed. Documentation will be kept by the School of Architecture, but it is the student’s responsibility to solicit approval through the advising process.
Sustainable Design Concentration
The College of Architecture and Design offers a concentration in sustainable design incorporating knowledge from a wide range of disciplines, ranging from technical to philosophical. This concentration explores the interrelation between decisions made when designing the built environment and their short-term and long-term impacts on the ecological environment. Students are asked to take responsibility for the role architecture plays in the consumption of natural resources, underscoring the need for interdisciplinary dialogue and leadership at building, site, city, and regional scales. This responsibility usually entails attention to building performance, from design through development to evaluation.
The Sustainable Design concentration offers opportunities for topical study such as, but not limited to
- Environmental Ethics
- Environmental Policy
- Energy and Urbanism
- Energy Modeling, Simulation and Prototyping
- Design for Carbon Neutrality.
- Net Zero and Net Positive Buildings
- Resilient Design
- Passive Energy Design
- Sustainable and Renewable Materials and Methods
- High-Performance Building Envelopes
- Innovative Use of Traditional Materials
Potential resources
- Design | Build | Evaluate Initiative
- Joint Institute for Advanced Materials
- Institute for Smart Structures (ISS)
- Architecture Research Annex / GreenVision Studio
- UTK Smart Communities Initiative
- Institute for Secure and Sustainable Environments (ISSE)
- Nashville Civic Design Center (NCDC)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
Requirements (12 credit hours)
To be included in the concentration, all courses must be approved by the Architecture Graduate Studies Chair in consultation with the faculty and will be based on the content of the specific course the student completed. Documentation will be kept by the School of Architecture, but it is the student’s responsibility to solicit approval through the advising process.
Urbanism Concentration
The urbanism concentration gives students in the College of Architecture and Design a mechanism through which to develop a deep understanding of how architectural thinking impacts the myriad conditions of urbanism across multiple contexts. This concentration prompts both analytical and speculative work related to the richly layered processes that define the continuing formation of the city at multiple scales, from individual buildings to the larger metropolitan and regional scale of cities. Students are asked to reflect on the larger roles and responsibilities of architecture in the contemporary city: in the arenas of urban development and growth; on infrastructure and land use; on the impact of urbanism on natural resources; and on questions of density and spatial patterning. Students doing design and research in the concentration will actively develop new knowledge regarding the complex relationships between economic, political, technological, and social conditions that are endemic in the urbanisms of North America and globally.
The urbanism concentration offers opportunities for topical study such as, but not limited to:
- History and Theory of Urbanism
- Urban Design, Landscape, and Infrastructure
- Urban Morphology
- Comparative Research and Understanding Between Cities
- Walkable Urbanism
- The Impact of Automobility on Spatial Ordering
- Transit-Oriented Development
- Urban Housing
- Development
- Networks and Systems
Potential Resources:
- UTK Smart Communities Initiative
- Regional Planning Agencies in Knoxville
- Regional Planning Agencies in Nashville
- Regional Planning Agencies in Chattanooga
- Nashville Civic Design Center
- Urban Land Institute
- Vanderbilt University Real Estate Development Program
Requirements (12 credit hours)
To be included in the concentration, all courses must be approved by the Architecture Graduate Studies Chair in consultation with the faculty and will be based on the content of the specific course the student completed. Documentation will be kept by the School of Architecture, but it is the student’s responsibility to solicit approval through the advising process.
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