Programs of Study
Our programs of study build on a legacy of disciplined experimentation in materials and technologies to educate and inspire the next generation of architects and landscape architects. From our landmark campus and home at S. R. Crown Hall, we teach our students to address the complex challenges of contemporary design and construction across all scales.
Our students and faculty enjoy deep relationships with professional practice in Chicago, a city with an unmatched tradition of innovation in architecture, design, landscape architecture, and urbanism.
Our research and design topics put students in direct contact with the realities of architecture, landscapes, and urbanism in Chicago and throughout the world. Our curriculum stresses disciplined research, analysis, and synthesis as the fundamental skills that will allow our graduates to seize opportunities and explore new territories.
In our extensive fabrication workshop, students learn to handle materials, explore structural systems, and refine building details.
Our award-winning Design/Build studios allow students to design and construct full-scale buildings, fulfilling the notion of a “hands-on” education.
Our degree programs (B.ARCH., M.ARCH., M.S.ARCH., M.L.A.+U., and PhD) are officially approved as STEM designated fields of study in Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s STEM designated fields list.
International students who have earned degrees in (STEM) fields in the US, may apply for a 24 month extension of their post completion OPT employment for a total of 36 months, a significant benefit for international students who wish to stay and work in the US post-graduation.
Degree Programs
BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE (B.ARCH.)
Our five-year undergraduate program leads to an accredited professional degree that allows our graduates to become licensed architects. The curriculum is centered on a studio sequence of increasing complexity. In addition to design studios, courses include architectural history and theory, building technologies, structures, design technologies, design communication, and professional practice, as well as courses beyond architecture, for a well-rounded undergraduate education.
MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE (M.ARCH.)
Our M.Arch. degree is an accredited professional degree that allows our graduates to become licensed architects. The curriculum prepares students to make and remake a better world. Building on our renowned legacy, we emphasize design, technological innovation, and creative inquiry in a hands-on professional learning environment. Depending on previous education, students enter the program in either the full three-year or the advanced-standing two-year sequence.
MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE (M.L.A.)
Our M.L.A. degree is an accredited professional degree that allows our graduates to become licensed landscape architects. Landscape architects have emerged as leaders in the understanding, organization, reclamation, and re-imagining of our cities to meet the challenges of the future. Depending on previous education, students enter our M.L.A. program in either the full three-year or the advanced-standing two-year sequence.
MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE + MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE DUAL DEGREE (M.ARCH. + M.L.A.)
This program combines professional masters degrees in architecture and landscape architecture. With just two additional semesters of study, students can obtain a second highly desirable graduate degree. The program provides core knowledge in both fields, while emphasizing shared territories and concerns, preparing students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
MASTER OF HIGH PERFORMANCE BUILDINGS (M.HPB)
The Master of High Performance Buildings degree—offered jointly by the College of Architecture and Armour College of Engineering’s Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering—is a post-professional program for individuals seeking the skills necessary to create design-driven, technologically innovative sustainable buildings.
MASTER OF TALL BUILDINGS AND VERTICAL URBANISM (M.TBVU.)
The Master of Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism—the only degree of its kind—is a design-based, interdisciplinary program offered by Illinois Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture. It supports the research and discovery that is vital to the development of high-performance, energy-efficient, healthy, and sustainable high-rise buildings that will define the cities of tomorrow.
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE (M.S.ARCH.)
Our M.S. is a post-professional program structured around independent student research. Research topics center on the theme of Technologies of Architecture and Urbanism—approached as technical, historical, or applied (including design) research. The program is open to applicants holding accredited professional degrees in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, or an allied field.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ARCHITECTURE (PH.D.)
We offer the only Ph.D. in architecture in Chicago. Our program attracts graduate students from around the world who converge on our landmarked Mies-designed campus to address the theme of Technologies of Architecture and Urbanism. Students work in two tracks of specialization: History, Theory and Criticism (HTC), and Technologies of the Built Environment (TBE).