Qualifications to Proceed to the Master of Architecture Degree

All architecture students will be reviewed to proceed to the Master of Architecture during the fall semester prior to the year the student intends to proceed. Students must show satisfactory progress towards the Master of Architecture degree by completing or being in progress in the following courses with a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.75.

Additionally, students must also have completed the following courses prior to their progression into the Master of Architecture.

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 M. Arch track provided they maintain their qualified status for the duration.

Students who fail to meet minimum qualifications for the masters 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, he or she may choose to complete the non-accredited Bachelor of Arts in Architecture degree instead.

Master of Architecture 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

National Architectural Accrediting Board

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.

The NAAB grants candidacy status to new programs that have developed viable plans for achieving initial accreditation. Candidacy status indicates that a program expects to achieve initial accreditation within six years of achieving candidacy, if its plan is properly implemented. In order to meet the education requirement set forth by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), an applicant for an NCARB Certificate must hold a professional degree in architecture from a program accredited by the NAAB; the degree must have been awarded not more than two years prior to initial accreditation. However, meeting the education requirement for the NCARB Certificate may not be equivalent to meeting the education requirement for registration in a specific jurisdiction. Please contact NCARB for more information.

California Baptist University, College of Architecture, Visual Arts, and Design is in candidacy for accreditation of the following NAAB accredited degree program:

M. Arch. (168 semester units minimum): 2013
Next visit for accreditation: 2018
Projected year of initial accreditation: 2018

Students must meet the Qualification to Proceed to the Master of Architecture Degree requirements to declare and enroll in the graduate level of the Master of Architecture degree program. California Baptist University, College of Architecture, Visual Arts, and Design was granted candidacy for the Masters in Architecture 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.