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, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards. Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a preprofessional undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the preprofessional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
California Baptist University, College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design offers the following NAAB-accredited degree programs: M. Arch. (168 credits)
Next accreditation visit for all programs: 2021
Qualifications to Proceed to the Master of Architecture Track I Degree
All architecture students will be reviewed to proceed to the Master of Architecture Track I degree during the fall semester prior to the year the student intends to proceed. Students must show satisfactory progress towards the Master of Architecture Track I degree by completing or being in progress in the following courses with a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.75.
ARC 120 Design Communication |
ARC 122 Design Fundamentals |
ARC 210 Design Studio I |
ARC 212 Design Studio II |
ARC 220 Computer Modeling |
ARC 240 Architectural History I |
ARC 242 Architectural History II |
ARC 280 Materials and Methods |
ARC 310 Design Studio III |
ARC 312 Design Studio IV |
ARC 370 Professional Preparation |
ARC 380 Thermal Environmental Systems |
ARC 385 Luminous and Sonic Environmental Systems |
ARC 393 Structural Systems I |
ARC 410 Design Studio V |
ARC 460 International Design Seminar |
ARC 462 International History and Theory Seminar |
ARC 480 Advanced Sustainable Systems |
ARC 493 Structural Systems II |
DES 110 Design Thought Foundations I |
DES 310 Design Thought Practicum |
ENT 357 Small Business Management |
MAT 145 Mathematical Mthds in the Natural Sci OR MAT 245 |
PHY 115 Physics for Architects with Lab |
Additionally, students must also have completed the following courses prior to their progression into the Master of Architecture Track I degree.
ARC 350 Architectural Theory |
ARC 400 Special Topics in Architecture |
ARC 412 Design Studio VI |
Students who meet the qualifications will be approved to pursue the master’s degree with the condition they make satisfactory progress by successfully completing fourth year program courses with a minimum 2.75 cumulative grade point average. All students who meet the qualifications will be conditionally notified of their status during the fall semester prior to the year they intend to progress, and will be able to continue to pursue the Master of Architecture Track I provided they maintain their qualified status for the duration.
Students who fail to meet minimum qualifications for the master’s program by the time of review must meet with either the Dean (or Associate Dean) and Program Chair (or Program Director) as appointed to determine their qualification status and how best to proceed toward a degree completion.
If it is determined that the student does not qualify, or the student chooses not to progress to the Master of Architecture Track I degree, he or she may choose to complete the non-accredited Bachelor of Arts in Architecture degree instead.
Master of Architecture Track I Degree Requirements
- Complete all undergraduate graduation requirements
- Complete at least 168 semester units of credit, at least 39 of which must upper division (300 and 400 level courses) and at least 30 must be graduate level (500 level courses)
- Earn a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.75 overall
- Earn a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 in all graduate level courses
- Complete requirements with no grade below B- in the graduate level courses and no grade below C- in all other major field of study courses
Students must meet the Qualification to Proceed to the Master of Architecture Track I Degree requirements to declare and enroll in the graduate level of the Master of Architecture Track I degree program. California Baptist University, College of Architecture, Visual Arts, and Design was granted candidacy for the Masters in Architecture Track I professional degree program by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). For additional NAAB accreditation information please see the College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design section of the catalog.