Master’s degree
Master of Architecture I
Harvard University · Harvard Graduate School of Design, Department of Architecture · Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
- Official award
- Master of Architecture (MArch I)M.Arch
- Pathway
- ProfessionalStated for United States
- Format
- On campus3.5 years; minimum of seven terms of full-time study in residence including thesis
- Tuition
- $64,000per year, 2026-27
About this program
NAAB-accredited professional M.Arch for applicants without prior design-profession study, with a required design thesis and seven terms in residence.
Intended audience: Individuals with a bachelor's degree in a field other than the design professions, or with a pre-professional design major.
- Subject
- Architecture
- Department
- Harvard Graduate School of Design, Department of Architecture
- Awarding body
- Not stated on the pages we checked
Qualification and professional pathway
Pathway is classified only from a statement on an official page. A degree title such as B.Arch, BA, BSc, M.Arch or MSc does not decide it, and no degree by itself grants permission to practise as an architect.
- Degree level
- Master’s degreeA postgraduate degree. Entry requirements differ widely: some accept graduates of any subject, others require a prior architecture degree.
- Pathway
- Professional pathwayThe program itself is a professionally accredited or validated degree in the stated jurisdiction, as shown by the source quoted on the page. Further steps are normally still required before registration.
- Why we classify it this way
- The school lists the M.Arch (non-pre-professional degree route) among its NAAB-accredited programs; NAAB directory lists Harvard M.Arch as accredited.“offers the following NAAB accredited degree programs: Master of Architecture (non-pre-professional degree + 105 graduate credit hours on the NAAB scale)”Source
- Previous architecture degree required
- No
- Applicants without an architecture degree
- Yes
- Further professional requirements
- After the degree a candidate must complete an internship in an architectural office and pass a registration examination.Source
| Route | Duration | Credits | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| No prior architecture degree needed | 3.5 years | – | four-year BA or BS in any fieldSource |
Accreditation, validation and recognition
Recorded for this program and campus, with the authority’s role. Institutional recognition, degree-awarding authority, program accreditation, professional validation and eligibility toward registration are different things; none of them is full professional registration.
Verified in official recordNational Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)Program accreditationFull statusUS
Scope: Master of Architecture (listed by the school as M.Arch I and M.Arch I AP). NAAB directory status: Accredited; current status term end 2026-12-31.
Dates: not stated to 31 December 2026
Study structure
- Delivery
- On campusTaught at the listed campus.
- Study mode
- Full-time
- Duration
- 3.5 years; minimum of seven terms of full-time study in residence including thesis
- Campus attendance
- A minimum of seven terms of full-time study in residence, including thesis, is required.
- Thesis or dissertation
- students are required to prepare a design thesis
- Intakes
- Not published
- Campus
- Cambridge campus (Gund Hall)Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street
Teaching language
- Taught in
- English
- English
- English teaching not verifiedAn English-language website does not mean a program is taught in English.
Admissions
- Portfolio
- Not published
- Interview
- Not published
- Academic prerequisites
- One semester of calculus; one semester of physics; two semesters of history of architecture (B- or better).
- Deadlines
- Application deadline January 5, 2027, 5:00 p.m. ET
Fees and costs
Original currency is authoritative. Each price keeps its basis (per year, per credit, whole program), academic year and student category, and is never converted. Annual tuition and whole-program tuition are different figures.
| Item | Amount | Applies to | Dated |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSD master's tuition (Master's Budget, except MRE; 2 semesters per academic year)Tuition | $64,000per year, 2026-27 | All students | 19 October 2026Source |
| GSD application feeApplication fee · mandatory | $90one-time, current cycle | All students | 19 October 2026Source |
No total is shown: the sources do not state a whole-program figure and the published duration and fee basis do not support a calculation.
Sources and verification
Not published on the program’s source pages: intakes, portfolio requirement.
Sources and how this was checked
Last checked 19 October 2026. Each fact carries a verbatim quote that is re-checked against the live page. Research methodology.
Sources (checked 19 October 2026)