Postprofessional Degree, 30 Credits

Ball State University's postprofessional master of architecture (M.Arch. II) degree offers advanced education and specialization for individuals who already have a professional degree in architecture. It is not a professionally accredited degree and is not applicable toward state licensing.

This program has a global focus as our students and faculty engage societies and peoples around the world and in the United States. To address problems facing society, they seek new uses for what they know about architecture while developing new knowledge for themselves and other architectural teachers, researchers, and practitioners.

The Global Citizen-Architect
The M.Arch. II program advances a "global citizen-architect" model. Many of our students and graduates are international, coming from places such as Argentina, Canada, China, Finland, Germany, India, Mexico, Nepal, Thailand, Turkey, and Yugoslavia in addition to the United States. Working with colleagues from around the world and studying in international field study programs enables all participants to familiarize themselves with the global community and to question the societies in which they live.

Students come to Ball State with many questions:

• What is the local impact of globalization pressures? 
• Can we counter the impact of environmental degradation? 
• Can architects improve the housing conditions of informal settlement dwellers around the world? 
• How will (and how should) advances in digital media and the Internet influence architectural practice? 
• How does our perspective change if we first engage the humanness of all people and then think as architects?

In recent years the M.Arch. II program has enrolled more students from more countries, some with Rotary or Fulbright scholarships, and more students present papers at national and international conferences. 

More faculty members work with graduate students and have earned doctoral degrees from prestigious schools ranging from the University of California--Berkeley and Cornell to Georgia Tech and MIT. Several are licensed architects. The College of Architecture and Planning's graduate faculty includes individuals born in Argentina, China, France, India, Italy, Mexico, and Sri Lanka. It is a diverse group ethnically and intellectually.

Several CAP-based centers and programs support the "global citizen-architect" learning objectives, including:

• Building Futures Institute
• Center for Energy Research/Education/Service
• CAP Asia field study program

Ball State's Strategic Plan 2001-2006 also strives to enhance graduate learning and to infuse civility, diversity, multicultural awareness, and environmental sustainability into the community, graduate curricula, and classroom, service, and internship opportunities.

Advanced Education
Founded in 1976, the M.Arch. II degree complements Ball State's professional bachelor of architecture program, named one of the nation's top 15 programs in 2002. Our students include recent graduates of that program plus international applicants.

This graduate program offers deeper specialization than is possible at the undergraduate level, plus interdisciplinary study and studio participation with the graduate programs in landscape architecture and urban planning. Each student's plan of study is tailored to his/her specific needs.

Areas of specialization available are:

• architectural design
• urban design
• architectural history, preservation, and restoration
• environmental science and technology
• communication technologies and design

View examples of student projects online, or learn more about the College of Architecture and Planning's design studios.

Degree Curriculum
Required courses in theory, methods, and design studio provide a shared foundation, while several elective or independent study opportunities enable students to chart their own study plans. Independent study is typically a directed reading done by one or two students with the guidance of a faculty member in a topical area of interest to both. View a course-by-course sample curriculum for this degree.

Thesis/Creative Project
M.Arch. II students must complete a required six-credit thesis or creative project. The thesis must show that the student can pursue a research problem successfully and draw valid and significant conclusions from the data. Creative projects may include full-scale mock-ups, workshops, presentations to community groups, and gallery exhibitions. Creative projects must be supported by a written report that includes background research and other significant information as well as a thorough description of and critical reflection upon the project itself.

Each student must make a public presentation of his/her thesis or creative project and submit digital documentation of it. See a list of recent M.Arch. II thesis/creative project titles.

Assistantships
A number of graduate assistantships are available annually to qualified students in the M.Arch. II program. These assistantships include stipends and tuition waivers. However, students are still responsible for the dedicated fees.

Graduate assistants support research, teaching, and other departmental and college programs. Prospective students may indicate their interest in a graduate assistantship within their admission letter. Learn more about our graduate assistantships.

Special Activities

International students may work in architectural offices as part of a curricular practical training program if the employment is relevant to a thesis or creative project. 

Noted professionals in the field share their expertise with students as guest lecturers, visiting scholars, and studio critics on campus and through interactive teleconferences and gallery exhibits. See upcoming events in our calendar of events.

Architecture students also take trips to significant sites, attend conferences, and participate in field study programs across the country and abroad, developing a multicultural perspective. Find out more about our field study opportunities.

Ball State's Glue architecture student journal and chapters of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS), and Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) offer other exciting opportunities.  Learn more about CAP's student organizations.

For More Information
Wes Janz, Director
Master of Architecture II Program
Department of Architecture
(765) 285-1900
wjanz@bsu.edu

For complete information on program requirements, please consult the Ball State University Graduate Catalog.