School of Architecture
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 term, an eight-year term with conditions, or a two-year term of continuing accreditation, or a three-year term of initial accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established education standards.
Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a non-accredited undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the non-accredited degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.
Montana State University, School of Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited degree program:
Master of Architecture (pre-professional degree [126 credits] + 42 graduate credits)
The next scheduled NAAB-accreditation visit for Montana State University’s Master of Architecture degree program will take place in 2031.
The Montana State University School of Architecture received a full 8 year accreditation standard in January 2023.
The School of Architecture seeks to prepare students for a lifelong critical engagement in the arts and science of architecture. Located in "the last best place" of the Northern Rockies, we are in an extraordinary position to engage questions regarding the relationship between the natural and built environments. As architects, we strive to play an essential and innovative role in enhancing the human condition. To that end, we teach and practice a moral, ethical and aesthetic responsibility to society and the natural world in the design of the built environment. The School of Architecture empowers students to critically engage the complexities of society and the natural environment by instilling the fundamental principles of design and inspiring a spirit of exploration and creative experimentation in shaping the built environment.
It is in our design studios that this philosophy is most clearly demonstrated. Each studio is conceived to build upon the previous studio in a manner that develops a student's mastery of the science of architecture while at the same time exposing the student to the rich diversity of our faculty's philosophical beliefs. Within a structured sequence of increasingly complex problems, emphasis is placed on teaching both an iterative design process and the visualization skills necessary to demonstrate the resultant design proposals. The science of architecture is continuously evolving and will do so over the life of every architect. We are committed to preparing our students to enter the profession with both contemporary scientific knowledge and emerging technical expertise to further this evolution while at the same time ensuring that our graduates are grounded in the fundamental drawing design thinking, investigative and communication skills that have been central to architecture throughout its history. In addition to the science of architecture, we are equally committed to ensuring that our graduates acquire a critical philosophy with which they can engage the design of the built environment.
Knowing how to build is a matter of science and technology but knowing what to build is a question of morality, ethics, and aesthetic responsibility. In this regard the faculty shares a commitment to the stewardship of our environment. This is particularly important in the Northern Rockies where our historic fabric of cities, rural communities and the natural landscape coexist in a tenuous balance. Focusing on the broad principles of creating a sustainable social, cultural, economic and physical environment we utilize the region, from its major cities to its national parks, as the canvas for our teaching, research and creative activities.
Architecture
Briefly defined, architecture is the art and science of designing buildings that provide appropriate accommodation for human activities. Professional practice requires a person with the unique combination of creative ability, technical knowledge, human understanding, and administrative skill. The undergraduate Environmental Design curriculum, which leads to the Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Design degree, prepares students to enter the graduate program in Architecture at Montana State University or serves as a basis for application to other graduate programs or for employment as a non-architect in environmental design fields. However, the Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Design degree by itself does not qualify students to become registered architects. Students wishing to become registered architects must complete the graduate program of study and receive the accredited Master of Architecture degree.
Once admitted to the Environmental Design program, and after completing their fourth year design studios, students with an acceptable academic record may apply to the Master of Architecture professional program. Specific dates for graduate applications can be obtained from the main office of the School of Architecture. The program offers a professional education as well as exposure to other academic disciplines, and provides the foundation for an internship with a practicing architect.
In most states, a graduate with a professional degree in architecture needs to complete the requirements of the Architecture Experience Program (AXP) developed by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) in which students gain varied experience in an architectural office. Graduates of the Master of Architecture program are qualified to take the Architectural Registration Exam in order to obtain a professional license. A person is not authorized to practice architecture until the architectural licensing examination is passed and a license is issued. Other areas of employment open to the architecture graduate include construction, government service, industry, and education.
In addition to the college preparatory curriculum, high school students planning on enrolling in architecture are especially encouraged to take art courses such as basic design and drawing.
Students begin the undergraduate program in the fall semester because the first course of the design studio sequence is offered fall semester. Students that have completed their university core requirements or have completed a previous degree may enroll in an accelerated first year design sequence offered in the summer semester.