Master of Architecture

The BGSU Architecture program pursues the convergence of technical and liberal arts to inspire and empower students to enhance the built environment.

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@2013 Toledo American Institute of Architects (AIA) Senior Architecture Award, Frist Prize Arham Siddiqui

Master of

Architecture

Bowling Green State University’s Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) program is for students who intend to become licensed architects. The two-year professional Master of Architecture degree builds on the four-year pre-professional B.S. in Architecture degree currently in operation—or its equivalent from other institutions.

 

 

Mission

In keeping with Bowling Green State University’s vision of becoming a premiere learning community, the Department of Architecture and Environmental Design takes a quality-driven approach to education and strives to maintain a pedagogical approach that balances the development of student knowledge and skills with the cultivation of professional values and leadership abilities.  The M.Arch. program capitalizes on this pedagogical tendency.

Seamless Education

The Department’s pedagogical conviction treats all facets of architecture including theory, design, technology, communications, and practice as comparable parts of the discipline.  Infusing seamlessly throughout the professional education—the undergraduate and graduate segments—this broad-based inquiry conviction benefits not only the students, but also the institution, the community, and the profession.

Contact us

Master of Architecture

Arsenio Rodrigues, Ph.D.
Director: School of the Built Environment
419-372-ARCH (2724)
atrodri@bgsu.edu

Architecture News

Can architecture impact climate change? BGSU course receives national recognition for exploring Urban Heat Islands

New studio course will feature collaboration between BGSU, University of Toledo to address complexities of Urban Heat Islands.

A state leader: School of the Built Environment director appointed to American Institute of Architects Ohio Board

Under Dr. Arsenio Rodrigues, the architecture program earned coveted NAAB accreditation and enrollment has nearly doubled.

BGSU grad student's sustainable building project earns AIA Dayton award

Grace Link, who has already been hired in her field before graduation, used her BGSU classwork as a valuable portfolio item.

The Degree

The Master of Architecture is a professional degree (a minimum 52 semester hours of credit) program that revolves around the concentrations of digital media in design and practice, urban and community design, and architectural history and historic preservation. These concentrations integrate entrepreneurial theories and strategies to advance architectural design and practice. An important feature of the program is the applied entrepreneurship which requires an internship in an organization with significant ongoing entrepreneurial initiatives.

Course Requirements

The Faculty

The faculty members are of a mix of ranks from professor to instructors. The academic and professional credentials of the full-time members combine doctorates, masters, and architectural licenses. Among the faculty are book authors, distinguished chairs, best paper writers, and expert practitioners. While the Department's plan calls for recruiting additional faculty, a core of practicing professionals provide adjunct support for the Program.

Meet our Faculty

Admission Requirements

The BGSU Master of Architecture program is for students who have met the standards of admission and holding the four-year Bachelor of Science degree with a major in architecture from BGSU, or an equivalent pre-professional degree from a domestic or international institution recognized by BGSU.

Those holding an equivalent pre-professional degree with a major in architecture from a domestic or international institution, including students holding a degree in any field other than architecture, may be admitted to the Master of Architecture program with limited standing until specific prerequisite courses have been completed. Students admitted to the Master of Architecture program with limited standing shall be duly informed of the extended length of time required for graduation prior to acceptance into the program. GRE is not required for admission.

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Admission requirements are as follows:

  • A minimum GPA of a 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA on a 4.0 scale, or a grade equivalent to B average.
  • Statement of Intent - A concise statement outlining your reasons for applying to the master's degree program and why your application should be favorably considered (about 350 words).  Applicants should attempt to produce an articulate statement both in content and composition.
  • Three (3) Letters of Recommendation from previous professors; a letter from an employer is desirable if applicable.
  • Electronic portfolio. The portfolio should have a minimum of five projects with a range of complexity representing work over the student’s undergraduate career and professional experience, if applicable. Projects should have descriptive captions that include the dates of execution, course, professor, or firm, project goals, and a brief self-analysis. Number of pages and format of the portfolio is left to the discretion of applicant. However the portfolio must be submitted as a single Adobe PDF file no larger than 20 MB.
  • A personal interview is not required; however, those wishing to visit the BGSU are encouraged to make arrangements by contacting the Department Chair.

The BGSU Master of Architecture (52 credit hour) program is designed as a seamless progression from years one through six with students achieving the Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree at the end of their senior-year and thereafter progressing into the Master of Architecture professional degree program.

Almost all of the students admitted into the M. Arch program complete their pre-professional education through the BGSU B.S. Arch program. Graduates of pre-professional programs in Architecture elsewhere who apply for admission into the M. Arch professional program can be required to complete additional coursework if there are no previous SPC match. In all instances, students must submit transcripts, course descriptions, and a portfolio, in addition to other admission documents, for review by the Department Chair and Graduate Admissions Committee; the content of transfer courses must align with course offerings in the Department that meet required SPC as defined by NAAB. When a student’s record indicates that prior coursework does not satisfy given SPC’s, the student is directed to enroll in program courses that will satisfy the missing criteria. In this manner, the evaluation of these documents by the program will determine placement in the curriculum and which, if any, additional courses must be taken by the student in order to complete the program. Within this context, graduates of pre-professional programs in Architecture elsewhere who apply for admission into the M. Arch professional program are evaluated individually, and such students have curricula tailored to their specific situation.

Admission to the two-year Master of Architecture program is term-specific. Students are typically admitted to Fall semester; however, there are cases where a student might be permitted to commence study in a different term, such as when needing to make up for background course deficiencies.

Graduate-College

Graduate Course Catalog Descriptions

Program Requirements

The graduate architecture curriculum immerses students in rigorous coursework and hands-on experience in designing, researching, developing architectural composition and applying those learned skills in professional practice. This curriculum is ideal for individuals with a strong interest to expand their entrepreneurial perspectives in anticipation of their future roles in a rapidly changing professional climate.

The BGSU’s M.Arch. Degree candidates fulfill the (5) core requirements of the graduate curriculum by completing 52 graduate credit hours distributed in the following areas.

Course Requirements

Design Studio (27 hrs)

ARCH 6210 - Graduate Design Studio I
Comprehension of architectural design methods through topical investigation and studio project that address diverse cultural, social, behavioral, and physical needs and problems.

ARCH 6220 - Graduate Design Studio 2
The second in the graduate design studio sequence, this course continues to develop design skills while introducing the integration of passive and sustainable technologies as fundamental components of design development. Lectures and guest lecturer will bring in contemporary practices and research in sustainability as a resource to be incorporated into guided design practice. Students will work both independent and group projects based on theoretical and actual current regional initiatives.

ARCH 6310 - Graduate Design Studio 3
Third design studio in the four course graduate studio sequence. The course focus is on the integration of structural systems and materials exploration within a design studio project. Emphasis will be placed upon the relationship of structure to building enclosure, structure to form, and the detailed investigation of building connections and exterior/interior enclosure systems. This course is also intended to provide a foundation for understanding the protocols of architectural design by following a project from schematic design through construction.

ARCH 6320 - Graduate Design Studio 4
This thesis studio constitutes the realization of the investigation and exploration initiated in the previous design studios. Specifically, it offers students the opportunity to execute an independent thesis within the structure of a supervised studio devoted to the investigation of a specific program.

Professional (9 hrs)
  • ARCH 6530 - Codes and Regulations
  • ARCH 6610 - Professional Practice/Entrepreneurship
  • ARCH 6620 - Business Innovation by Design
Electives (10 hrs)
  • Elective #1 (By Advisement)
  • Elective #2 (By Advisement)
  • Elective #3 (By Advisement)
  • ARCH 6630 Applied Entrepreneurship (or) Any 1 Credit-hour Elective Course
Technology (3 hrs)
  • ARCH 6510 - Sustainability Systems
Theory (3 hrs)
  • ARCH 6800 - Seminar in Architecture and Design

Updated: 09/07/2022 06:18PM