Degree Requirements
Students admitted to this NAAB accredited professional degree program must already hold 4-year architectural studies degrees from U.S. schools with accredited professional architecture programs or from international programs that are deemed equivalent. Students must meet established standards for graduate study at USC and complete 64 credit units including prerequisite basic studies,  48 units of graduate level courses including advanced studies, and approved electives.

Basic Studies
Equivalent to the following courses at USC:
ARCH 211 Materials and Methods of Building Construction
ARCH 213ab Building Structures and Seismic Design
ARCH 214ab History of Architecture
ARCH 215 Design of the Thermal and Atmospheric Environment
ARCH 313 Design of Building Structures
ARCH 314 Theory and Criticism: Recent Trends and Developments
ARCH 315 Design for the Luminous and Sonic Environment
ARCH 402abL Architectural Design IV
ARCH 411 Architectural Technology
ARCH 525 Professional Practice: Pre-Design, Project, and Office Administration
ARCH 526 Professional Practice: Legal and Economic Context  and Project Administration

Advanced Studies
Arch 505abL Graduate Architecture Design
Arch 605abL Graduate Architecture Design
Arch 532 Elements of the Urban Landscape
Arch 533 Urban Landscape Case Studies
ARCH 561 Architecture in the Urban Landscape: Projects and Places
ARCH 563 Architecture in the Urban Landscape: Comparative Theories Thesis

Directed Design Research Option
An independent study option will allow students to substitute ARCH 693abL or ARCH 695abL for 12 credit units of electives. This option requires residency of a minimum of five instead of four semesters.

NAAB Catalog Statement for M.Arch +2
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 US 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 six-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its degree of with established educational standards.

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.

The USC School of Architecture Bachelor of Architecture program and the Master of Architecture +2 program are accredited by the NAAB.