Architecture Master’s program at Rice University

Upon completing the MArch degree, students will be able to:.

Innovate the knowledge and practice of architecture through advanced critical thinking, experimentation, and research.

Develop or augment a comprehensive knowledge of the technical aspects of design and construction including an understanding of their impact on design and the environment at a level commensurate with advanced study.

Develop or augment a comprehensive understanding of architectural practice and foster the development of innovative forms of practice at a level commensurate with advanced study.

The MArch degree can be either a thesis or a non-thesis master degree depending on the option the student pursues. Students pursuing the MArch degree programs must complete:.

A minimum of 93-95 credit hours or 131-1 credit hours, depending on option pursued, to satisfy degree requirements.

A minimum of 24 graduate semester credit hours must be taken at Rice University.

For the Non-Thesis MArch degree program options, a minimum of 24 graduate semester credit hours must be taken in standard or traditional courses (with a course type of lecture, seminar, laboratory, lecture laboratory).

A minimum residency enrollment of one fall or spring semester of full-time graduate study at Rice University.

A maximum of 2 courses (6 graduate semester credit hours) from transfer credit. For additional departmental guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.

The MArch degree program offers two options:.

In studio courses, strong emphasis is given to the very means by which architecture is able to change the world. The advanced option studios engage students in focused research methods, critical thinking, and the integration of other fields of knowledge to articulate an architectural project through a range of subjects (urbanism, climate, culture, history theory, social equity, material and technology). In their final thesis semester, students are asked to engage the world through architectural imagination and a precise understanding of historical, political, economic, and physical dimensions, which can together define a better future.

There are two program options at the Master of Architecture (MArch) level: Option 1 and Option 2. MArch students in Options 1 and 2 complete the degree requirements by either submitting a thesis or by taking alternative coursework. Thesis students are required to take Design Thesis Studio (ARCH 703, 10 credit hours) and Written Thesis (ARCH 729, 3 credit hours). Students who pursue the non-thesis MArch degree are required to take the Architectural Problems: Studio (ARCH 601, 10 credit hours) in lieu of the thesis studio and an additional elective (worth 3 credit hours) in lieu of the written thesis course. All students are required to enroll in Thesis Proposal (ARCH 701), even if they pursue the non-thesis degree program (Option 1 or 2).

Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the department or program Official Certifier.

Preference for admission is given to those who have completed a balanced education in the arts, sciences, and humanities. A minimum of two semesters of college-level courses in the history of art and or architecture and one semester of college-level courses in mathematics or physics is recommended. Previous preparation in the visual arts is also desirable, as are courses in philosophy, literature, and economics.

Total Credit Hours Required for the MArch Degree.

FOUNDATIONS AND THE HISTORY AND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE I (1450-1850).

FOUNDATIONS IN THE HISTORY AND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE II (1850-1950).

FOUNDATIONS IN THE HISTORY AND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE III (1950-2000).

Students enrolled in the Paris program (RSAP) will register for ARCH 620 design studio in lieu of ARCH 601 (fall) or ARCH 602 (spring).

All students are required to take ARCH 701 even if they pursue the non-thesis degree program (Option 1 or 2). Students who pursue the non-thesis MArch degree are required to take ARCH 601 (10 credit hours) in lieu of the thesis studio and alternative coursework (worth 3 credit hours) in lieu of the written thesis course ARCH 729.

ARCH 701, ARCH 703, and ARCH 729 are taken for a Satisfactory Unsatisfactory grade and must be completed with a Satisfactory grade. As S U courses, they do not requirement of a minimum grade of B (2.67) in each required course.

All students are required to take ARCH 701 even if they pursue the non-thesis degree program (Option 1 or 2).Students who pursue the non-thesis MArch degree are required to take ARCH 601 (10 credit hours) in lieu of the thesis studio and alternative coursework (worth 3 credit hours) in lieu of the written thesis course ARCH 729.

ARCH 701, ARCH 703, and ARCH 729 and are taken for a Satisfactory Unsatisfactory grade and must be completed with a Satisfactory grade. As S U courses, they do not requirement of a minimum grade of B (2.67) in each required course.

A minimum of two semesters of college-level courses in the history of art and or architecture and one semester of college-level courses in mathematics or physics is expected.

Students enrolled in the Paris program (RSAP) should register for ARCH 620 design studio in lieu of ARCH 601 (fall) or ARCH 602 (spring).

All students are required to take ARCH 701 even if they pursue the non-thesis degree program (option 1 or 2). Students who pursue the non-thesis MArch degree are required to take ARCH 601 (10 credit hours) in lieu of the thesis studio and alternative coursework (worth 3 credit hours) in lieu of the written thesis course ARCH 729.

Students enrolled in the Paris program (RSAP) should register for ARCH 620 in lieu of ARCH 601 (fall) or ARCH 602 (spring).

Students are required to enroll in ARCH 525(the ARCH 525 course serves as a History and Theory I Introduction), after which students must select two further History and Theory courses from the following options: ARCH 645, ARCH 646, or ARCH 652. The additional credit hours earned from the two History and Theory courses will complete the 93-95 credit hours required for the MArch degree, Option 2.

Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit.

Students pursuing the MArch degree should be aware of the following departmental transfer credit guidelines:.

No than 2 courses (6 credit hours) of transfer credit from U.S. or international universities of similar standing as Rice may apply towards the degree.

Our students discover and invent new territories within architectural and urban paradigms. All MArch degree candidates are required to propose an independent thesis, articulating an ambition, and envisioning its architectural specificity. Students develop their individual thesis proposals during their penultimate semester. Students in Options 1 and 2 complete the degree requirements by either submitting a thesis or by taking alternative coursework. Thesis projects are reviewed publicly by a panel of invited guest scholars and practitioners.

MArch degree (Option 1 and Option 2) students may apply to RSAP to complete one semester in Paris: Option 1 students may do so in their fifth or sixth semester, Option 2 in their third or fourth semester. BArch students may apply to RSAP in their final year of study.