Master of Architecture

photo of a man in a white hard hat looking over the edge of a building roof that is only the wooden supports

Oculus: WPI's entry for the 2019 Department of Energy Solar Decathalon Competition, Ben Guerir, Morocco

Design rendering of an indoor and outdoor mixed used space on a tree-lined city street

Design Studio 4, Class of 2025

Sketches of a person in a large space with floor to ceiling windows next to abstract artwork of people in different colored circles.

Design Studio 3, Class of 2025

drawing of a library setting, pink overtones

Design Studio 3, Class of 2025

Major Qualifying Project, Class of 2025

The Master of Architecture (M. Arch.) is a professional degree program that prepares graduates for the practice of architecture. The program balances core disciplinary competency with design experimentation, to explore creative architectural and engineering solutions that address societal and environmental concerns and opportunities for the built environment and the making of buildings. Emphasis is placed on the completion of a design thesis where students learn to synthesize the social, environmental, and technical thinking through informed design practice. The thesis project is supported by coursework that emphasizes the broadening of technical and theoretical exploration of design and supporting topics. Students develop a tailored curriculum in close collaboration with a faculty advisor.

Integrate your Passions for Architecture and Engineering

The practice of architecture and engineering typically follow two distinct education pathways that lead to different forms of licensure in the US, however, there is substantial and increasing overlap in the knowledge base and skills essential to either discipline. Global challenges, such as climate change and growing energy dependencies are intensifying the need for professionals astute to both fields. The professional Master of Architecture program at WPI is designed for students seeking to embrace their passions for both architectural and engineering design.

Track 1:

This admission track is designed to work in conjunction with our existing 4-year undergraduate BS degree in Architectural Engineering. The combined BS-AREN/M. Arch program has a total expected residency of 5 years, which is on a par with traditional accredited undergraduate programs in architecture but offers the unique benefit of dual accreditation (see NAAB and ABET accreditation information). Upon graduation, you can decide to become a registered architect or engineer, or both, depending on your career goals and aspirations. WPI is the only institution in the US offering such integrated 5-year program. Admission to the M. Arch program is decided by the program committee during your 3rd year of the undergraduate program.

Undergraduate Course Requirements				Credit Hours
Mathematics, Sciences, and Supplemental Sciences	Mathematics	MA 1021	Calculus 1	3
		MA 1022	Calculus 2	3
		MA 1023	Calculus 3	3
		MA 1024	Calculus 4	3
		MA 2051	Ordinary differential equations	3
		MA 2071	Matrixes and Linear Algebra	3
		MA 2611	Applied Statistics	3
	Basic Science	CH 1010	Chemical Properies and Bonding	3
		PH 1110	Mechanics	3
		PH 1120	Electricity and Magnetism	3
	Supplemental Science	PH 2101	Thermodynamics	3
	Supplemental Science	ER 3004	Fluid Mechanics	3
Architectural and Engineering Design	Architectural Design Studios	AREN 2002	Architectural Design I	3
		AREN2004	Architectural Design II - Light and Lighting systems	3
		AREN 3002	Architectural Design III	3
		AREN 3020	Architectural Design IV - Building Energy Simulation	3
		AREN 3022	Architectural Design V - Building Envelope Design	3
	Major Qualifying Project (Undergraduate Capstone Design Project)	MQP	Major Qualifying Project	3
		MQP	Major Qualifying Project	3
		MQP	Major Qualifying Project	3
Building Engineering and Technology	Materials and Methods of Construction	AREN 2023	Introduction to Architectural Engineering Systems	3
	Building Structural Systems	CE 2000	Analytical Mechanics 1	3
		CE 2001	Analytical Mechanics 2	3
		CE 2002	Introduction to analysis and design	3
	Building Structural Systems (Students are required to select at least 2 additional courses from this list)	CE 3006	Design of steel structures	6
		CE 3008	Design or reinforced concrete structures
		CE 3010	Structural engineering
	Professional Practice (Students are required to select at least 2 courses from this list)	CE 3025	Project Evaluation	6
		CE 3020	Project Management
		CE 3022	Legal Aspects of Professional Practice
	Building Mechanical Systems	AREN 3024	Building Physics	3
		AREN 3003	Introduction to HVAC design	3
		AREN 3006	Advanced HVAC design	3
	Building Electrical and Lighting Systems	AREN 2025	Building Electrical Systems	3
History and Theory of Architecture Note 1: Undergraduate students can complete these courses as free electives, or as part of the general education requirements when completing their undergraduate BS degree in Architectural Engineering. Note 2: The HUA Inquiry Seminar may be counted toward the H&T requirement for topics focusing on history and theory of architecture and cities.	Required	AR 2114	Modern Architecture in the American Era, 1750-2001 and beyond	3
	Select at least 1	AR 2115	Topics in Architecture Since 1960	See Notes
	Select at least 1	AR 3112	Modernism, Mass Culture, and the Avant-Garde
	Select at least 1	HI 1311	Introduction to American Urban History
		HI 2310	Topics in Urban History
		HI 3310	Topics in Urban History: Suburbs, Sprawl, and Smart Growth
	Select at least 1	ENV 2201	Planning for Sustainable Communities
		ENV 2710	Designing for Climate Resilience and Justice
		ENV 3100	Adventures in Sustainable Urbanism
		IGS 501	Theorizing Place, Community, and Global Environmental Change
	Required	CE 3070	Urban and Environmental Planning	3
	Required	CE 4071	Land use Development and Controls	3
General Studies*	Humanities and Arts	HU 3900	Inquiry Seminar 2	3
			HUA electives	12
	Social Sciences		SS Electives	6
	Interactive Qualifying Project		Interactive Qualifying Project	9
	Physical Education			3
	Free Electives			3
UNDERGRADUATE Semester Credit Hours TOTAL				141

Graduate Course Requirements				Credit Hours
Research Seminar		ARCH 500	Thesis Research Seminar	3
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE (2 courses)		CE 501	Professional Practice	3
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE (2 courses)			Required Professional Practice Elective	3
FOCUS ELECTIVES			Focus Elective	3
			Focus Elective	3
			Focus Elective	3
DESIGN THESIS		ARCH 599	Design Thesis	12
GRADUATE Semester Credit Hours TOTAL				30

TOTAL semester credit hours of combined undergraduate and graduate coursework				171

Portfolio Submission Guide

The portfolio provides an opportunity to gain insight into your creative abilities, design sensibility, and technical proficiency developed through your studies as well as through independent or extracurricular experiences. It should include a curated selection of your most recent and meaningful work, balancing technical proficiency with creativity and personal expression. Portfolios typically consist of 10–15 pieces that may include design studio projects, visual studies, research-based work, and independent creative explorations completed outside regular coursework, such as competition entries, professional work, or self-initiated projects. Select work that reflects your voice, perspective, and interests, showing both conceptual depth and technical understanding. We value portfolios that feature a range of media such as hand drawings, models, photography, fabrication work, or digital designs. Work derived from direct observation, such as sketches or life drawings, is particularly appreciated for demonstrating your ability to observe and interpret the built environment, while projects developed from imagination or research should reveal your creative and problem-solving process. The portfolio should communicate how your design thinking integrates aesthetic, technical, and contextual considerations, reflecting your readiness to engage in graduate-level architectural study.

Portfolio Format and Submission

Format: Portfolios must be uploaded as a single PDF and include your most important and representative visual arts, design, research, and/or professional work.

File Size: Maximum 40 MB.

Page Limit: Maximum 20 pages, excluding cover and table of contents. A cover page is required and must include your name as it appears on your application.

Resolution and Color: Maximum 150dpi; RGB color format is recommended.

Page Size: Portfolios should be designed and formatted for on-screen viewing

Curriculum

The Master of Architecture program offers a unique interdisciplinary experience, one that includes coursework in subjects including architectural and engineering design, the history and theory of architecture, and professional practice. The curriculum is designed to produce graduates that have sufficient breadth and depth in all aspects important to the practice of architecture. The program culminates in a graduate design thesis that entails creating and advancing a comprehensive architectural project that exhibits adequate scope and intricacy. Thesis topics are developed in close collaboration with a thesis committee, which is composed of a primary thesis advisor and an advisor in a focus area. The design thesis is underpinned by elective courses that are thematically aligned with a focus area, allowing students to broaden their skills and develop a meaningful grasp of a thematic area of interest. To ensure this depth, students complete at least three courses of thematically related work. Different focus areas are possible and currently include a focus on structures, and climate adaptation. Other focus areas can be developed, and students can propose alternative thematically related coursework with sponsorship from a thesis advisor and approval of the program committee.

Graduate Curriculum

The graduate curriculum is composed of 2 professional practice courses (6 credits), a thesis research seminar (3 credits), 3 concentration courses (9 credits), and a design thesis (12 credits):

CE 501. Professional Practice (required - 3 credits)
CE 580. Advanced Project Management
CE 584. Advanced Cost Estimating Procedures
CE 583. Contracts and Law for Civil Engineers

This seminar prepares students to conceive and develop a graduate thesis project proposal that is rooted in the originality and innovation of research and design practice. The course is structured with seminars of invited speakers, discussions of readings, workshops, student presentations, and thesis proposal development. The seminar may include a travel component. The topics vary each year with the focus on research methodologies and broad issues relevant to the discipline of architecture.

The graduate design thesis involves creating and advancing a comprehensive architectural project that exhibits adequate scope and intricacy. Thesis design topics are developed in close collaboration with a thesis committee, which is composed of a primary thesis advisor and an advisor in a focus area. A formal thesis rational and plan is developed during the thesis research seminar. The design thesis is required of all graduate students in the Master of Architecture program. Students register for 6 credits during the fall semester and 6 credits during the spring semester of their master’s year.

The design thesis is underpinned by elective courses that are thematically aligned with a focus area, allowing students to broaden their skills and develop a meaningful grasp of a thematic area of interest. To ensure this depth, students complete at least three courses of thematically related work. Different focus areas are possible and currently include a focus on (1) structures, and (2) climate adaptation. Other focus areas can be developed, and students can propose alternative thematically related coursework with sponsorship from a thesis advisor and approval of the M. Arch program committee. The focus area is seen as an important mechanism to connect the graduate program with faculty from other research domains and programs across campus. A list of recommended courses for two exemplary focus areas is included below:

Focus Area: Structures

CE 524: Finite Element Method and Applications
CE 510: Structural Mechanics
CE 511: Structural Dynamics
CE 514/ME 5383: Continuum Mechanics
CE 519: Advanced Structural Analysis
CE 531: Advanced Design of Steel Structures
CE 532: Advanced Design of Reinforced Concrete Structures
CE 534: Structural Design for Fire Conditions
CE/ME 5303: Applied Finite Element Methods in Engineering

Focus Area: Climate Adaptation

IGS 501: Theorizing Place, Community, and Global Environmental Change
IGS 505: Qualitative Methods for Community-Engaged Research
IGS 510: Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change
IGS 545: Climate Change: Vulnerability and Mitigation
IGS 590: Capstone Seminar: Comparative Climate Action

Faculty Profiles

Shichao Liu

Associate Professor, Civil, Environmental, & Architectural Engineering

Sabbatical Leave in Fall 2026 Openings in Spring and/or Fall 2027: Postdoc in Fire Experiments and Modeling (here) PhD student in Fire Experiments and Modeling (here) PhD student in Human-Environment Interaction (here) Dr. Shichao Liu is an Associate Professor in the Department [...]

Soroush Farzin

Assistant Professor of Teaching, Civil, Environmental, & Architectural Engineering

I am a designer, researcher, and educator working at the interface of Architecture and engineering. I am currently an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Architectural Engineering program at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where I teach Design Studio and Great Project Semina [...]

Navneet Anand

Adjunct Instructor/Lecturer, Architectural Engineering

Navneet Magon Anand is a design strategist, consultant and researcher with a background in Architecture and Sustainability. She is the founder of Design Veritas, a design strategy consultancy and creative studio advocating for human and environmental sustainability and wellbeing. [...]

Clyde Robinson

Adjunct Instructor/Lecturer, Civil, Environmental, & Architectural Engineering

Steven Van Dessel

Professor, Civil, Environmental, & Architectural Engineering

My research and teaching activities are in the area of sustainable building design and building technology, with a special focus on the study of adaptive building enclosure systems. One of the goals of this research is to develop smart materials that can alter their thermal prope [...]

Joseph Cullon

Professor of Teaching,

Humanities and Arts - HUA

One of Professor Cullon’s students recently called him "strangely fascinating." He knew that he was strange but he was happy to learn that a student found his approach to teaching fascinating. He likes to encourage students to see history not as a mass of dead facts but as a vita [...]