About the School
Accreditation
In the United States, most state 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 U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted a 8-year, 3-year, or 2-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards. The School of Architecture, M. Arch, is accredited, granted an 8-year term of accreditation upon its last review in 2015. The upcoming accreditation visit will be in 2023.
Master's degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
Admissions
Policies are subject to change. Please consult the School of Architecture and Planning Website for current policies and requirements.
The following are required for admission into all graduate programs*:
- A minimum GPA of 2.8 (out of a possible 4.0) in undergraduate studies
- A completed application
- Statement of purpose and resume (recommended but not required)
- Certified transcripts
- One letter of recommendation (recommended for all applicants; required for students with a GPA below 3.0)
- portfolio* (required for 2-year applicants/ recommended for 3-year applicant)
A portfolio demonstrating design excellence over a broad range of architectural and technical challenges is required for all applications to the two-year M.Arch. program.
Students applying to the three-year M.Arch. program must have completed pre-calculus math and physics as a prerequisite for acceptance.
*GRE is not required but may be submitted
The application deadline for all programs is set by Graduate Admissions, late applications may be accepted, space permitting.
Advising
Once admitted to the School of Architecture and Planning, each student is assigned an academic advisor. Normally, the students remain with their assigned advisor for the duration of their program. Given sufficient reason, the student may be reassigned to another adviser at the discretion of the associate dean. All students are required to see their advisors at least once a semester for pre-registration for the next semester's classes. Students are responsible for knowing the requirements of their specific programs and for keeping track of their progress in working toward their degrees. However, students may see their advisor at any time during the academic year regarding their academic program and status.
Faculty and Resources
Many of our faculty members are recognized as leaders in the design and professional realms with world-famous guest critics and lecturers augmenting the full-time teaching staff. Student-to-professor ratios are kept small to ensure that students receive intensive one-on-one critiques and advising from studio critics and professors.
Our award-winning facility, The Crough Center for Architectural Studies, is housed in the original CUA gymnasium and provides a classic example of adaptive re-use at its best. Designed by a faculty member, the architecture center was conceived as a small city with "streets" filled with students and their work, a "piazza" for special exhibits and a "town hall" for lectures and meetings. In addition, students' needs are served by our multiple computer labs, large format printing and scanning room, fabrication lab, which includes a wood shop, CO2 laser cutters, and 3D printers.
Through the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, students may earn credits from among the several other institutions of higher learning in the community.
Location
CUA's location in Washington, D.C., puts students in touch with unparalleled professional and cultural resources. Its spacious campus lies within a 10- minute drive of the U.S. Capitol and the National Mall. Numerous national and international experts live and work in the vibrant and diverse metropolitan area and contribute to the graduate program each academic year.
The specialized expertise of these associates of the faculty allows the school to offer an outstanding array of graduate coursework. The school has had relationships with numerous Washington, D.C., cultural and artistic institutions, including the National Building Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress and others. In addition, the school's location offers it unparalleled access to many national chapter headquarters of various design-oriented organizations, such as The American Institute of Architects, AIA, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, ACSA, the National Architectural Accrediting Board, NAAB and the American Institute of Architecture Students, AIAS. The school has also over the last several years maintained a relationship with various embassies in the region, sponsoring cooperative lecture and exhibit programs with the Italian embassy, and others.