Graduate Architecture Programs at CCA

+ Master of Architecture (MArch)

+ Master of Advanced Architectural Design (MAAD)

Martin Hitch (MArch 2023), West Oakland Public Library

Architecture at CCA is an arena for the free and open exchange of ideas about the future of our buildings, cities, and planet, and a laboratory where these ideas are tested through speculative research. Designed for those looking to enter the field of architecture as well as for experienced professionals ready to advance their careers, CCA’s STEMdesignated graduate programs connect students with various approaches to architectural practice, as they learn from award-winning architects, fabricators, and historians.

Studios and Maker Spaces

Graduate students have access to dozens of specialized shops, studios, and maker spaces throughout CCA’s campus.

Architecture Research Labs

In our research labs, students, faculty, and industry partners collaborate to translate innovative ideas about the future into prototypes and solutions for the real world. Labs include:

+ Digital Craft Lab

+ Urban Works Agency

+ History Theory Experiments

+ Architectural Ecologies Lab

Architecture Lecture Series

Lecture Series

Each semester, CCA hosts a powerful slate of thinkers and practitioners to present lectures, workshops, and critiques. Recent visiting artists and scholars in our Film, Fine Arts, and Visual and Critical Studies lecture series include: Name Name, Name Name, Name Name, Name Name, and Name Name.

Each semester, CCA hosts a powerful slate of thinkers and practitioners to present lectures, workshops, and critiques. Recent visiting speakers in our Architecture Lecture Series include: Sam Jacob, Meejin Yoon, Nader Tehrani, Mimi Hoang, Sean Canty, Mabel Wilson, and Jenny Odell.

Hannah Lee Sun (MArch), 2021

Master of Architecture (MArch)

With a focus on digital craft, urban research and activism, ecological engagement, fullscale fabrication, and experimental history, this two- to three-year NAAB-accredited professional degree program prepares students to connect state-of-the-art architectural design with engaged professional practice. Building on San Francisco’s legacy of social and environmental justice, students learn how people shape our cities and graduate prepared to challenge convention.

Master of Advanced Architectural Design (MAAD)

Geared toward those with a professional architecture degree and mid-career practitioners, this one-year, STEM-designated program allows students to prepare for a range of 21st-century design challenges by focusing on one of three distinct areas of study: computational design and digital fabrication, experimental history and theory, or contemporary urbanism. San Francisco’s prime location offers students opportunities to connect first hand with groundbreaking architecture and innovative technology companies.

Admissions deadlines

JANUARY 15

Priority application deadline

Applications received after January 15 will be reviewed on a rolling basis, but are not eligible for merit scholarship consideration.

Application requirements

All applications require the following, and your program may have specific additional requirements. Get started and find details for each degree program at cca.edu/grad-apply

By the numbers

CCA’s approximately 400 graduate students represent about 25% of our total student population. They come to our San Francisco campus from across the country and around the world.

*2023 Niche Best Colleges

Top 25 most diverse colleges in America*

86% Recieve financial aid

Scholarships

CCA awards more than $25 million in scholarships annually, and 86% of graduate students receive financial aid. Types of scholarships include:

+ merit-based + need-based + diversity + endowed

81% Are employed within 12 months of graduation

12 Average class size

49% international 51% domestic

White Asian American Hispanic/ Latinx Unknown Black

race/ethnicity (domestic) Find out more

2+ races Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, American Indian, or Alaska Native

Explore our graduate programs and the admissions process. Visit us Take an in-person or virtual tour of our expanding San Francisco campus.