Master of Architecture
WHAT YOU’LL STUDY
Having received over 20 national awards in the last few years, Clemson’s M.Arch program is building the next generation of architects. The M.Arch program seeks to develop students’ proficiency in responding to contemporary architectural, social and global issues with a balance of theoretical knowledge and practical abilities.
POINTS OF PRIDE
• The award-winning Lee Hall complex offers students an inspiring environment that elegantly blends historic and contemporary modern architecture.
If you’re a student of design who is intrigued by the built environment and looking to help shape the future of how and where we live, work and play, it’s time to consider a degree from Clemson’s School of Architecture.
Clemson University has taught architecture for over a century. Today, the School of Architecture is at the forefront of addressing 21st century challenges by embracing pedagogical and technological advancements.
Our program strives to provide visionary design solutions that prioritize sustainability, environmental preservation and social equity on a global scale. With southern roots and a global reach, the school embodies a lasting commitment to critical and global thinking, encouraging its students and faculty to take action and create positive change within their local communities.
• Our Fluid Campus offers study in Charleston, South Carolina; Genoa, Italy; and Barcelona, Spain — cultivating the understanding of diverse urban environments and cultures.
• Our graduate architecture program is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in architecture.
• Clemson M.Arch students have been named among the winners of the AIA COTE Top Ten competition for the last seven years.
• The School of Architecture’s Digital Design Shop is a research lab for students and faculty experimenting with digital fabrication, CAD/CAM and rapid prototyping. The facility has a full array of state-of-the-art equipment to undertake and pursue these research agendas.
“I chose the M. Arch program because of the camaraderie. The School of Architecture faculty and staff heavily invest in its students’ personal and academic aspirations. They take time to get to know students on a personal level and share in the wealth of knowledge the school has to offer. The faculty and students alike understand the importance of growing together to develop the best program to create leaders in the profession. These characteristics helped make the decision to invest my graduate education at Clemson University a simple one.”
Cameron Sunkel M. Arch ‘25 Clemson University
“I chose the M.Arch program because of the professors. I was able to work with a few of them during undergrad and knew I wanted the chance to continue to learn from them. They take the time to get to know me and are invested in my success. They also support me beyond academia. I am the president of GAPP and the graduate advisor of cNOMAS. Both of these organizations allow me to build community with others in the School of Architecture. The connections with the faculty and my peers are what the Clemson experience is all about.”
Michael Urueta M. Arch ‘23 Clemson University
DEGREE TRACKS
Clemson offers two tracks toward earning the professional, NAAB-accredited Master of Architecture degree:
• The M.Arch. I is a three-year, 90-credit hour degree track for students without a portfolio of 6-8 semesters of strong architecture studio work. Students in the M.Arch. I track have a diversity of undergraduate majors, including architecture and architectural studies, and various design (art, city planning, urban design, landscape architecture, industrial design and others) and non-design backgrounds (business, economics, engineering, literature, psychology and other fields).
• The M.Arch. II is a two-year, 60-credit hour degree track for students with a pre-professional Bachelor degree (B.A. or B.S.) in Architecture and strong portfolios documenting 6 to 8 semesters of design studio work. The M.Arch. II track is an advanced placement track; a B.A. or B.S. in a pre-professional architecture program is a minimum requirement. A competitive portfolio is also required. In the context of the applicant pool, advanced placement is determined by the Admissions Committee during the application and portfolio review process.
CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
The Master of Architecture program offers opportunities for students to engage in courses designed to enhance student’s overall academic experience and develop specialized skills.
Architecture + CommunityBUILD Certificate
Credit Hours: 18
Location of Completion: Clemson Design Center in Charleston (CDC.C)
Architecture + Community Build is an applicationbased program focused on community engagement and a holistic approach to design-build.
Digital Ecologies Certificate
Credit Hours: 15
Location of Completion: Clemson, SC
Digital Ecologies is a certificate program focused on cultivating knowledge through research and design practices responding to our increasingly digital society. This certificate is intended for graduate students interested in developing requisite skills and knowledge in domain areas associated with computational thinking and design.
Contact Us
Email: mastersofarch@clemson.edu
Dave Lee Co-Director of Architecture Graduate Programs
Andreea Mihalache Co-Director of Architecture Graduate Programs
Architecture, Society and the City Certificate
Credit Hours: 21
Location of Completion: Clemson, SC
This graduate certificate focuses on the ideas, histories and theories behind buildings. It aims to prepare students to navigate and develop agency in a world that is rapidly changing culturally, socially and physically, in terms of demographics and social structures as well in its patterns of urbanization and growth.
Resilient Urban Design Certificate
Credit Hours: 15
Location of Completion: Clemson Design Center in Charleston (CDC.C)
The Resilient Urban Design Certificate addresses design and development thinking relative to stewarding change in rapidly growing metropolitan regions. This Certificate prepares individuals to engage complex cultural, market and government policy forces through sustainable and resilient urban forms.The Certificate can also serve as the first step in achieving the Master of Resilient Urban Design degree.
