Master of Architecture

PUBLIC INFORMATION

In order to assist with your understanding of architectural education, career pathways and the profession of architecture, here are links that may prove helpful, in addition to those listed on the Links and Resources page:

The KCAD M.Arch program was approved by the Ferris State University Board of Trustees in December 2013 for a Fall 2014 entering class. That first class graduated in the spring of 2016, and all of its members are employed in the profession of architecture.

In March 2015, the program was formally granted initial candidacy status by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), effective January 1, 2014. NAAB again visited KCAD in the fall of 2016 for Continuation of Candidacy. The KCAD M.Arch is now accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), having been granted Initial Accreditation at the January 2019 NAAB Board meeting. Accreditation is effective January 1, 2018, and program graduates—beginning with the inaugural cohort, which graduated in 2016—now fully meet the educational requirements required for licensure in architecture.

Have questions on this important topic? Feel welcome to contact [email protected] or explore the following documents:

Statement on NAAB-Accredited Degree

In the United States, most 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 professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an eight-year term, an eight-year term with conditions, or a two-year term of continuing accreditation, or a three-year term of initial accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established education standards. 

Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a non-accredited undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the non-accredited degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.  

Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program: 

  • Master of Architecture 
    • Track I (preprofessional undergraduate degree + 60-66 graduate credits)  
    • Track II (non-preprofessional undergraduate degree + 90-96 graduate credits)
       

The KCAD Master of Architecture will have its next NAAB accreditation visit in Spring 2022.


DOCUMENTATION

 

Master of Architecture Curriculum

YEARLY SCHEDULE

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS