The MArch 3 is a six-semester, professional curriculum for students holding baccalaureate degrees with majors in architecture and with majors other than architecture. This 105-credit program leads to a professional, STEM-designated, and National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)-accredited Master of Architecture degree.
The MArch 3 sequence commences with a two-week preparatory pre-semester orientation before students begin three semesters of core studios and seminars. The last of the core studios is the International Housing Studio (ARCH 6010) where students join the MArch 2 (two-year program) cohort. Students progress into two semesters of Advanced Architectural Design Studios and conclude, in their sixth and final semester, with the Degree Project (ARCH 7020).
Calculus and Physics are required as prerequisites for admission.
Waiver Requirements
Students admitted to the MArch 3 program have the opportunity to waive the following courses:
- ARCH 3340 Building Systems
- ARCH 4340 Structures I
- ARCH 4350 Structures II
- ARCH 2210 Architectural History I: Antiquity to Baroque
- ARCH 2220 Architectural History II: Architecture Since 1880
- ARCH 4320 Architectural History III: Advanced Theory
- ARCH 3310 Environmental Systems I
- LANDARCH 2030 Shared Ecologies
Students must obtain a waiver prior to the semester in which they would normally be expected to take the course that is being waived. In other words, students may not skip a required course on the assumption that they will receive a waiver for it in the future.
Any such waiver requires evidence that the student had adequate exposure to the required material as part of their previous academic experience. Course waivers will only be granted for an equivalent course or a combination of courses completed satisfactorily to meet NAAB-accredited student performance criteria. Equivalence is measured in terms of both content and assignments. Waivers will not be granted for courses taken pass/fail. To be eligible for a waiver, prior course work must have been passed with the equivalent of a grade of C or higher. Grades for waived courses will not appear on the student's Washington University record and will not figure into the student's GPA.
Up to 6 credits (two courses) of waivers can be applied toward required degree credits. If more than two waivers are granted, the student must earn an equivalent number of general elective credits in place of the courses being waived. Courses that have been waived or previously completed as an undergraduate at Washington University cannot be repeated for credit.
For a list of faculty members, please refer to the Architecture faculty page.
Master of Architecture: MArch 3
The list below includes the required courses for the MArch 3 degree. The order in which students take their courses may vary. A sample curriculum can be found at the MArch 3 Curriculum website. Students admitted to the MArch 3 program have the opportunity to waive some courses. For more information about waivers, refer to the MArch 3 Overview.
Students in the class of 2028 and beyond must fulfill the following degree requirements. For class of 2026 and class of 2027 academic requirements, see the 2024-25 Bulletin.
Requirements: 105 units
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| |
| | 3 |
| | 3 |
| | 1.5 |
| | 1.5 |
| | 1.5 |
| | 1.5 |
| | 3 |
| | 3 |
| | 3 |
| |
| | 9 |
| | 9 |
| | 6 |
| 6 |
| 6 |
| | 6 |
| | 0 |
| |
| | 3 |
| | 3 |
| | 3 |
| | 3 |
| | 3 |
| |
| | 3 |
| | 3 |
| | 3 |
| | 3 |
| | 3 |
| | 3 |
| |
| | 3 |
| | 6 |
| Total Units | 105 |
Master of Architecture Studio Grade Requirement
Students in the MArch 3 program must earn a cumulative studio grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher by the end of the 5010/5020 first-year core studio sequence. Students who do not fulfill this cumulative studio GPA requirement must repeat at least one of the first-year core studios and raise their cumulative studio GPA to 2.5 or higher before being permitted to enroll in their final core studio, 6010. If a student still has a cumulative studio GPA below 2.5 after repeating 5010 and/or 5020, they will be dismissed from the Master of Architecture program.
Students in the MArch 3 program must earn a cumulative studio GPA of 2.6 or higher by the end of the complete core studio sequence (5010/5020/6010). Students who do not fulfill this cumulative studio GPA requirement must take a leave of absence in the spring semester, repeat the 6010 studio the following academic year, and raise their cumulative studio GPA to 2.6 or higher before being permitted to enroll in the vertical/options studio sequence. If a student still has a cumulative studio GPA below 2.6 after repeating 6010, they will be dismissed from the Master of Architecture program.
Master of Architecture Comprehensive Studio Requirement
All Master of Architecture graduate students must take one Comprehensive Options Studio and earn a minimum grade of B- before entering Degree Project.
Master of Architecture Degree Project
ARCH 7520 Degree Project must be completed during the student’s final semester. Students should not register for additional course work once Degree Project has been completed. Students should plan to complete all outstanding degree requirements during their Degree Project semester. Any exceptions to the Degree Project studio requirement must be approved in writing by the program chair for graduate architecture.
Master of Architecture Degree Project Grade Requirement
In order to enroll in ARCH 7520 Degree Project, graduate students must have earned a cumulative studio GPA of 2.7 or above. Students who have not fulfilled this cumulative studio GPA requirement must repeat an options studio and raise their cumulative studio GPA to 2.7 or higher before being permitted to enroll in Degree Project.
The option to repeat a studio is contingent on a student having met the requirements of Academic Probation. A suspension or dismissal that is a result of the Academic Probation policy takes precedence over this Studio Grade Requirement policy.
For a list of available courses, please refer to the Courses section of the Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design in this Bulletin.
Students pursuing a Master of Architecture degree have the opportunity to participate in a study abroad program that provides an immersive experience in a city distinguished by its architecture, social policies, urbanism, and public space. Students complete the 6025 or 7015 comprehensive architecture studio during the semester-long program.
MArch students with 6010 status or higher in the semester prior to study, in good academic standing, and a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher can sign up to study abroad. Priority is given to students with higher studio levels and GPAs.
- For first-semester students without a Washington University GPA, the cumulative GPA on the official transcript(s) from their previous institution(s) will be used.
- GPA scores are pulled from the Washington University Student Information System on the day of the sign-up and updated the first week of each semester.
- GPAs will not be recalculated after the first week of each semester.
- Students can participate in one study abroad program