Architecture, M.Arch. (Accredited Professional Degree)

About the Architecture Master’s Program

Mandatory Accreditation Statement. 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 8-year, 3-year, or 2-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.

On August 5, 2016, the Master of Architecture degree program in the Huckabee College of Architecture at Texas Tech University was granted an eight-year term of accreditation. The Master of Architecture accredited professional program consists of an undergraduate curriculum of 124 hours and a graduate curriculum of 60 hours. The dual Master of Architecture / Master of Business Administration  includes an additional 30 credit hours in the graduate program. Successful completion of a graduate comprehensive exam (GCE) at the end of three semesters is required.