The master of architecture (MArch) professional degree is the second component of architectural education at Ball State University. It is for students who seek licensure in the profession and is accredited by the National Architecture Accrediting Board (NAAB).
The first component is the bachelor of arts/science in architecture, our preprofessional four-year undergraduate degree.
With two options, our graduate degree is for those committed to developing—with faculty and fellow students—the attitudes, skill, and methods needed to work as an architect in support of a sustainable built environment of the highest quality.
We see the built field—and architecture as part of it—as an embodiment of culture in all its diversity and complexity. It is in constant flux while adhering to an underlying coherence. The built field consists of both ordinary and special buildings. Spaces found in built fields span time and space from dense urban agglomerations to the most rural settlements.
The evolution of the built field—depending on both convention and invention for its sustenance—is guided by professionals from a wide range of disciplines, including architects, engineers, planners, as well as public officials, corporate leaders, product manufacturers and everyday users.
In light of these realities, and because we expect our graduates to engage in diverse forms of local and global practice during their careers, we challenge students with knowledge both new and old. We stress how to learn and how to design, incorporating the methods that constitute the profession’s shared body of knowledge.
Because we respect the lessons practice offers, we emphasize the idea of the reflective and global practitioner as a conceptual framework linking our teaching in classrooms and studios, and a variety of immersive learning experiences away from the campus.
Because of this viewpoint, a distinct part of our program are required immersive learning experiences away from the campus including:
- 17-22 week internships in which students work in architecture firms all over the country and world.
- Foreign travel and study in one of Ball State's foreign study centers or with cooperating institutes and universities in the United States and around the world.
- On campus immersive and experiential learning experiences such as the Virgina Ball seminar.
Another distinct component of our program is the opportunity to embark on one of several Certificate Programs offered within the College of Architecture and Planning and in the University at large.
We welcome students from around the world—of all ages, races, and backgrounds—who wish to work with us on the vital issues and opportunities that face the profession as it seeks to contribute to improving our man-made environment. Learn about our admissions process.