Individuals who have completed a pre-professional four-year Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree with a major in architecture or environmental design may be eligible for admission with advanced standing, subject to the review of the admissions committee. Such applicants will be considered for placement in the third term of the program, thus reducing the required course of study to two-and-one-half years.
Applicants who are granted advanced standing must have completed the same preparation in college-level calculus, physics, and history as described in the previous section, as well as undergraduate courses that are roughly analogous to the course of study of the first year of the graduate program, demonstrating high achievement in design.
Individuals admitted with advanced standing normally begin with the third term of the program and must complete a minimum of five terms of full-time study in residence. Under special circumstances, students may receive permission to reduce their course load and extend their studies over a longer period of time.
Please note that the MArch program is now designated as a STEM program. Accordingly, international students holding F-1 visas may be eligible for a 24-month Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension on top of their initial OPT of 12 months, for a total of 36 months, following graduation. Each F-1 student must petition United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to approve the 24-month STEM extension, and Harvard does not represent or warrant that USCIS will grant any individual petition.
BRICK: THICK/THIN STU-1311 Frano Violich
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.
The Harvard University Graduate School of Design’s Department of Architecture offers the following NAAB accredited degree programs:
Master of Architecture (non-pre-professional degree + 105 graduate credit hours on the NAAB scale) Note: this is equivalent to 140 units in the GSD course unit calculations.
Master of Architecture AP (pre-professional degree + 75 graduate credit hours on the NAAB scale) Note: this is equivalent to 100 units in the GSD course unit calculations.
Master of Architecture in Urban Design / Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design
Master of Architecture in Urban Design / Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design
Important Dates
January 5, 2026 5:00 p.m. ET
MAUD/MLAUD application deadline
Master of Architecture in Urban Design / Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design
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As a post-professional studio based program, the Master of Architecture in Urban Design (MAUD) and the Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design (MLAUD) combines intense design instruction, extensive applied research, and knowledge of urban history and theory.
Taking advantage of the remarkable international makeup of the faculty and student body, the MAUD/MLAUD program establishes a common intellectual ground among architects who have a strong interest in engaging the practice and theory of contemporary urbanism.
Conceived as a two-year (four-semester) program, the MAUD/MLAUD core curriculum includes the Elements of Urban Design Studio and the Urban Design Contexts and Operations seminar in the fall, followed by an Urban Planning and Design Studio and the Cities by Design seminar in the spring. An otherwise flexible academic path in each of the four semesters allows students to engage in advanced studios and elective courses across all three GSD departments as well as other schools at Harvard and MIT. The curricular structure also encourages advanced research and the possibility to develop an individual elective thesis.
The MAUD/MLAUD program introduces post-professional students, already trained in architecture or landscape architecture, to the critical concepts, strategies, and technical skills associated with contemporary Urban Design research and practice. Through studio and coursework, students are challenged to imagine new formal and organizational strategies for the delivery of housing, infrastructure, and a democratic public realm by taking on issues of inequality, climate change, the environment, and public health. Through history and theory lecture courses, seminars, and research projects, students engage a range of critical frameworks and conceptual models for understanding the complex socio-spatial dynamics of urban design practices and the technological, institutional, and political contexts in which they operate over time and across cultures and geographies.
Since the emergence of Urban Design as a modern practice in the 19th century and its establishment as a distinct field of study at Harvard in 1960, the scope and ambition of Urban Design has significantly expanded. As cities grow and diversify, so does the landscape of urban and peri-urban conditions. Globally, the expansion and transformation of metropolitan regions have introduced new scales and urban archetypes, producing an even wider range of local characteristics, cultural identities, and community needs requiring attention and resolution. This increase in formal, social, economic, and environmental complexity has further complicated the field of urban design, shifting the geography and focus from rigid specialization in primarily western contexts to trans-disciplinary and internationally varied processes that embrace complexity and anticipate change.
During their two years of study, students develop the necessary literacies to critically engage with, interrogate the character, and transform the form of complex built environments. In addition to diverse course offerings, numerous research opportunities with faculty further enrich a dynamic and exciting learning environment for exploring and advancing meaningful responses to the challenges of our time.
Four terms of full-time study in residence are required for award of the degree. Under special circumstances, students may receive permission to reduce their course loads and extend their studies over a longer period. Concurrent and joint degree candidates must consult the rules governing concurrent and joint degrees for information on residency requirements.
Please note that the MAUD/MLAUD program is designated as a STEM program. Accordingly, international students holding F-1 visas may be eligible for a 24-month Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension on top of their initial OPT of 12 months, for a total of 36 months, following graduation. Each F-1 student must petition United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to approve the 24-month STEM extension, and Harvard does not represent or warrant that USCIS will grant any individual petition.
Students may study for a PhD degree in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning. An additional track in Architectural Technology is also available. This degree is administered jointly by the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Therefore, students benefit from a dual affiliation with both schools.
The program is mainly geared towards individuals who wish to enter academic teaching and research careers. Students are afforded a high degree of flexibility in their studies, however areas of work are broadly organized into the following areas: the Theory and History of Architecture, Architectural Technology, the Theory and History of Landscape Architecture, and the Evolution of Cities and Regions.
Theory and History of Architecture:
Students interested in this area typically study buildings, architectural texts, technologies, and their political, social, and cultural contexts through the early modern, modern, and contemporary eras.
Architectural Technology:
Doctoral research in architectural technology at the GSD aims to advance current knowledge in green building, for example, and will typically involve issues related to engineering, computation, and digital simulations.
Theory and History of Landscape Architecture:
Students whose research focuses on the theory and history of landscape architecture typically investigate the ways in which the natural environment has been thought of, represented, and transformed, from the early modern to the contemporary period.
Evolution of Cities and Regions:
Students may be interested in the subject of cities from a formal standpoint and/or develop an additional emphasis on various social, economic, technological, infrastructural, and ecological dimensions of urban life.
Model prep for Mohsen Mostafavi studio, "'Moshi Moshi, Shimokitazawa': for an Architecture of Conviviality" 2025.
Important Dates
January 5, 2026 5:00 p.m. ET
MArch II application deadline
Master of Architecture II
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The program leading to the Master of Architecture II (MArch II) is a post-professional degree intended for individuals who have completed a five-year undergraduate professional program in architecture or its equivalent.
The course of study extends the base of knowledge of the professional field through graduate study with particular emphasis on design. Students advance and expand their theoretical and analytical skills and strengthen disciplinary knowledge. A minimum of one-half of the electives in the student’s curriculum must be from courses offered by the GSD.
Individuals who have completed a comprehensive five-year professional bachelor of architecture degree or its equivalent, demonstrating high achievement in design, are eligible for admission. Programs leading to post-professional degrees do not need to be accredited, as applicants would normally have already completed the degree required for certification.
A minimum of four terms of full-time study in residence is required for award of the degree.
Please note that the MArch program is now designated as a STEM program. Accordingly, international students holding F-1 visas may be eligible for a 24-month Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension on top of their initial OPT of 12 months, for a total of 36 months, following graduation. Each F-1 student must petition United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to approve the 24-month STEM extension, and Harvard does not represent or warrant that USCIS will grant any individual petition.
Third Semester Architecture Core: INTEGRATE studio review.
Important Dates
January 5, 2026 5:00 p.m. ET
MArch I application deadline
Master of Architecture I
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The program leading to the Master of Architecture (MArch) is an accredited professional degree intended for individuals who have completed the bachelor’s degree with a major other than one of the design professions or with a pre-professional undergraduate major in one of the design professions.
The course of study is rigorous and comprehensive, preparing graduates for the full range of professional activities in the field of architecture. It provides a solid intellectual base of knowledge in history, theory, technology, the social environment, and professional practice. Particular emphasis is given to developing mastery of design through an intensive series of design studio courses. Committed to developing independent thinking and resolving design issues, students are required to prepare a design thesis that serves as a transition from graduate school to professional practice. To attain registration for professional practice after completion of the degree, a candidate must complete an internship in an architectural office and pass a registration examination. Many students partially complete their internships during the summer while in graduate school.
Individuals who have completed a four-year Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in any field (architecture or other) are eligible for admission to the first term of the professional degree program. Preference for admission is given to applicants who have completed a balanced undergraduate education that includes study in the arts, sciences, and humanities. Four college-level, semester-long courses are specifically required as prerequisites for admission to the M.Arch-1 program: one semester of calculus; one semester of physics(algebra-based, covering mechanics and thermodynamics); and two semesters of history of architecture(together covering Renaissance through Modern periods at minimum). Applicants must achieve a grade of B- or better in each of these courses. Applicants who have scored a 4 or 5 on AP Calculus or AP Physics exams will be considered to have met these prerequisites only if their undergraduate transcript acknowledges the results by awarding institutional credit.
Preparation in the visual arts is desirable and may include drawing, sculpture, and/or graphics. Courses in the humanities, philosophy, literature, and economics are also recommended but are not required.
The Graduate School of Design offers a Pre-Core Workshop to incoming students, which is required for all entering Master of Architecture students without an undergraduate degree in architecture. The workshop may also be required or recommended for students whose portfolios demonstrate a need for more depth of knowledge with software used to design and represent architectural projects (for example, Rhino, V-Ray, AutoCAD, Illustrator, Photoshop). The workshop allows students to set up their computers, their GSD network accounts, and to familiarize themselves with the GSD’s Digital facilities prior to the start of classes. Most importantly, the workshop allows incoming students to gain a basic knowledge of the workflows and digital techniques used in the context of studios: 3D software basics, rendering basics, data-transfer from 3D software, output and model building techniques using CAD/CAM facilities. No academic credit is given for the workshop.
A minimum of seven terms of full-time study in residence, including thesis, is required. Under special circumstances, students may receive permission to reduce their course load and extend their studies over a longer period of time.
Please note that the MArch program is now designated as a STEM program. Accordingly, international students holding F-1 visas may be eligible for a 24-month Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension on top of their initial OPT of 12 months, for a total of 36 months, following graduation. Each F-1 student must petition United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to approve the 24-month STEM extension, and Harvard does not represent or warrant that USCIS will grant any individual petition.
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.
The Harvard University Graduate School of Design’s Department of Architecture offers the following NAAB accredited degree programs:
Master of Architecture (non-pre-professional degree + 105 graduate credit hours on the NAAB scale) Note: this is equivalent to 140 units in the GSD course unit calculations.
Master of Architecture AP (pre-professional degree + 75 graduate credit hours on the NAAB scale) Note: this is equivalent to 100 units in the GSD course unit calculations.
The study of architecture integrates technical and humanistic methods of inquiry with written and visual modes of representation, in traditional classroom venues and “making”-based studios designed especially for Harvard College undergraduate students within this track.
For students of Harvard College, Architecture Studies is a track within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, History of Art and Architecture concentration, jointly administered by the History of Art and Architecture Department and the Graduate School of Design (GSD). Linking the GSD and Harvard College, the track represents not only a first chance for undergraduates to tap into the Graduate School of Design’s course and event offerings, but also the enrichment that architecture and design thinking can offer to liberal-arts studies.
Architecture stands at the intersection of creative imagination, practical realization, and social use, comprising not only material structures of human occupation, but also the dynamic processes that shape human action and experience. The study of architecture integrates technical and humanistic methods of inquiry with written and visual modes of representation, in traditional classroom venues and “making”-based studios designed especially for Harvard College undergraduate students within this track.
