Program Description
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 (B. Arch.), the Master of Architecture (M. Arch.), and the Doctor of Architecture (D. Arch.) A program may be granted a six-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 Master of Architecture degree programs develop proficiency in responding to contemporary architectural issues through a range of practical and theoretical knowledge, while providing opportunities for creatively challenging the limits of the profession. Emphasis is on design, accompanied by complementary coursework of a professional focus, as well as elective subjects. Complex studio design projects stress social awareness and contextual fit and are responsive to all aspects of the architectural process. The Master of Architecture degree requires a minimum of two academic years.
Clemson University, College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, School of Architecture, offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program with a concentration in Architecture + Health:
Three-Year Master of Architecture degree track:
M. Arch. I + Health Concentration (non-architecture Bachelor or Master degree + 90 credit hours)
Two-Year Master of Architecture degree track:
M. Arch. II + Health Concentration (pre-professional architecture degree + 60 credit hours)
Architecture + Health Concentration
Within the framework of an NAAB accredited Master of Architecture [M.Arch] degree, the Architecture + Health Concentration includes seminar courses and studio work appropriate for both a general professional degree and a concentration in Architecture + Health. The intent of the Architecture + Health concentration, which is the most structured and established program of its type in the United States, is to develop the generalist-specialist-graduates who can creatively work in both modes. The curriculum concentration includes both the study of health facility design and the study of relationships between architectural settings and their impact on the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and global ecosystems. The primary purpose of the concentration is to study the design of healthcare environments, how architectural environments impact health and how to create architectural settings that support the health and well-being of individuals and larger populations.
Studio design projects and seminar courses examine architecture-health relationships for settings and conditions ranging from entire communities to specific projects and individual spaces. The emphasis in the studio is on design excellence within the framework of the complex demands found in the practice of health-care architecture. Student work must stand up critically at all levels of architectural consideration.
The Architecture + Health concentration is demanding in the scope of its professional studies, with most of the coursework designated for specific areas of learning which are currently only offered on the main campus in Clemson. Students may take advantage of off-campus programs for a maximum of one semester with the approval of the program director. A thesis option is offered in the Architecture + Health concentration and is developed during the final year of study. The thesis deals with architectural topics as they relate to health and well-being.
Summary of Degree Requirements
The Master of Architecture Degree with a concentration in Architecture + Health involves either 60 credit hours for students holding an Architecture or comparable undergraduate degree, or 90 credit hours for students with another undergraduate degree.
Coursework
FIRST YEAR: CORE STUDIOS - Comprehensive Project Option and Thesis Option
Three-Year (MArch I) Track (91 Credits) begins here.
Semester 1 - FALL
15 credits
Semester 2 - SPRING
15 credits
SECOND YEAR: INTERMEDIATE STUDIOS - Comprehensive Project Option and Thesis Option
Two-Year (MArch II) Track (61 Credits) begins here.
Semester 3 - FALL 1 [even # years]
15 credits
Semester 4 - SPRING
15 credits
SECOND SUMMER (ARCHITECTURE INTERNSHIP) - Comprehensive Project Option and Thesis Option
Summer Sessions
- ARCH Electives (or Structures II)
THIRD YEAR: ADVANCED STUDIOS-Comprehensive Project Option
Semester 5 - FALL 2 [even # years]
15 credits
Semester 6 - SPRING
15 credits
THIRD YEAR: ADVANCED STUDIOS-Thesis Option
Semester 5 - FALL 2 [even # years]
15 credits
Semester 6 - SPRING
15 credits
*Fall Semester courses alternate between second and third year with every calendar year because they are vertical (shared between second- and third-year students).
Structures II: All students must have taken the equivalent of ARCH 8710 - Structures II as undergraduates or must take this course, even if this requires staying on campus for Semester 4 and excludes other electives.
