Architecture I (MAR)

College of Architecture, Art and Planning

Program Website

Program Description

Cornell's professional Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) program is a seven-semester course of study dedicated to preparing individuals from diverse disciplines and backgrounds for careers in architecture. The M.Arch. program is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). In addition, the M.Arch. program is designated as a STEM program in Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology making international M.Arch. graduates eligible to extend their F-1 visas for up to three years in order to work in the United States. This program meets the State and National Architecture Accrediting Board’s educational requirements for licensure in all states.

Note on Professional Accreditation - Architecture

In the United States, most state 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 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 eight-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.

Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
The Department of Architecture at Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning offers two NAAB-accredited degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture (154 undergraduate credits) and the Master of Architecture (pre-professional degree + 113 graduate credits).

Next accreditation visit for the B.Arch.: 2033
Next accreditation visit for the M.Arch.: 2029

Program Policies

Students are expected to follow all university, college, and program policies. Failure to comply with any policy or petition decision may result in review by the program committee.

Academic Standing

To be in good academic standing, a student must:

  • Successfully complete a minimum of 12 academic credits each semester; and
  • Earn a minimum semester grade point average (GPA) of 2.300; and
  • Follow the prescribed M.Arch. curriculum and comply with all university, college, and program policies; and
  •  Earn no letter grade lower than C in architecture studio courses.

Grades

All required courses and required department electives must be taken for a letter grade. Open electives can be taken under the letter or satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading basis. A letter grade of D- or a grade of S or SX is required for the course to be applied toward the open elective requirement.

All architecture studio courses require a minimum grade of C in order for the credit to be applied toward the studio requirement. A minimum grade of C must be achieved for the student to advance in the core design studio sequence (ARCH 5111, ARCH 5112, ARCH 5113, ARCH 5114). M.Arch. students who do not earn an advancing grade in a core design studio (ARCH 5111, ARCH 5112, ARCH 5113, ARCH 5114)  will be design-free in the following semester and must re-enroll in the core design studio the next time it is offered. 

Architecture studio courses with university passing grades (D- or better), but below C, will be applied toward the free departmental elective requirement. 

Students receiving less than a C in any architecture studio must repeat that studio and obtain a grade of C or better.

A student may repeat any given semester of design once (for a total of two semesters). If, at the end of the second attempt, the student does not achieve a grade of C or better, the student is automatically denied permission to register in design, the effect of which will be to drop the student from the M.Arch. program. Note: Repeating a core design studio given the curricular structure will generally not be possible during the following semester.

Course Equivalency

M.Arch. students receive class equivalency information when they are admitted into the program. Students will have the opportunity to submit class syllabi and other materials from previous class work during their undergraduate degree for review by a faculty member charged with reviewing that area of study (history, building technology, professional practice, etc.). Faculty members will determine if equivalency is appropriate. If a student is awarded equivalency for a course, the student will be waived from the course requirement, but they will be required to complete the credits through open electives. The equivalency request form is available online at specific times throughout the year.

M.Arch Classes Eligible for Equivalency: 

Independent Study

Students wishing to pursue an architecture department independent study course must complete an Architecture Independent Study form, which can be found online on the AAP Academic Forms page, endorsed by a faculty member in the department, and submit it to the architecture department office in accordance with enrollment deadlines. Independent study courses cannot be substituted for required courses. Independent study courses of 3 or more credits can be applied toward elective requirements.

Thesis Requirement

Thesis Submission

Each student shall have an advisory faculty committee appointed by the department chair with the recommendations of the student and faculty. Advisors from outside the Department of Architecture may be added, at the student's discretion, to serve as non-grading advisors.

Prior to the final thesis review, students must complete a thesis presentation form indicating the specific content of work to be presented. A draft of this form should be discussed with the student's committee at least one week prior to the final submission.

Presentation content indicated on the form must be validated by a committee representative at a designated time before the final review, after which time the material to be presented at the final review can be neither added to nor altered in any way. Late work will not be considered for review. Forms are collected by the department chair or a representative designated by the chair. Students may be asked to store physical presentation objects (e.g., drawings, models, or photographs of objects impractical to store) as well as files for any digital content in a secure location designated by the department.

The thesis may be excluded from review altogether if the material submitted is substantially incomplete, in which case the project will receive a mandatory grade of F.

Thesis students may receive assistance in the production of their final review material from a maximum of two current non-thesis students in the B.Arch. or M.Arch. programs; no other assistance will be allowed. All work performed by these assistants must be given proper credit at the final review, as well as in the thesis publication.

Thesis Grading

While critical evaluation is the primary focus of a final thesis review, the actual grading of a thesis project shall be the responsibility of the student's thesis committee. Additional examining faculty in attendance at the review will be asked to submit recommendations for grades; these recommendations may be used by the thesis committee in determining the final grade.

Thesis Book

As a part of the thesis requirement, each student must submit a hardbound thesis book including representations of the final project for deposit in the Fine Arts Library. The book shall include a title page that lists the student's full name, the title of the thesis project, the degree (i.e., M.Arch.), and the expected date of graduation (i.e., May, August, or January; plus year). This book must be approved by a member of the thesis committee (or, in the absence of a committee member, by the chair) before the student's final grade is submitted to the registrar. Approval is noted on the title page (signature of faculty member and date of receipt). Larger pages may be folded, and all pages must be numbered.

Expanded Design Thesis

Students may petition to complete an expanded two-semester thesis in semesters 6 and 7. Students need to form a thesis committee (two faculty) that advises during the full year of thesis. Students need to have all non-studio core curriculum requirements completed to be eligible to conduct an expanded design and research thesis.