Master of Architecture + Master of Science in Historic Preservation Dual-Degree

The Weitzman School of Design offers a unique opportunity for students interested in the intersection of architecture and historic preservation. The dual degree program between the Master of Architecture and Master of Science in Historic Preservation enables students to earn both degrees in four years through concurrent degree enrollment. Completed consecutively, earning both degrees would require five years of study.

This program has strict course sequencing to avoid time conflicts. Students begin the program by completing the first two years of the standard M.Arch course of study, followed by a blend of Historic Preservation and Architecture coursework in Years 3 and 4. To complete the degree in four years, students must begin in the Master of Architecture program and be accepted to the Historic Preservation program no later than spring of Year 2 in M.Arch. Students who begin in Historic Preservation and are accepted to the M.Arch program no later than spring of Year 1 in MSHP are still invited to complete the dual degree program but will need to work with academic advisors from both programs to develop a course of study. In this scenario, students should not expect to complete both degrees in 4 years and will need at least one additional semester of part-time study.

Both the Master of Architecture and Master of Science in Historic Preservation degree programs are STEM-designated. 

A total of 38 CUs (26 from Architecture + 12 from Historic Preservation) are needed for the dual degree program. Both degrees are awarded in the same term, when the requirements for both programs have been completed.

*HSPV Summer Institute: HSPV 7900: Summer Institute is optional for dual degree students.

**Joint Thesis Program: The M.Arch/MSHP dual degree program normally culminates with a joint thesis between Architecture and Historic Preservation, but acceptance to the Architecture Honors Thesis program is not guaranteed. Students are required to apply to the M.Arch thesis program after ARCH 6020: Studio IV is successfully completed. Without a joint thesis, students will still be able to earn the dual-degree but will follow an alternate course of study. The Joint Thesis consists of HSPV 7100: Thesis I (1 CU) in the Fall and ARCH 7060: Thesis (2 CUs) in the Spring. 

The dual degree program maximizes the time to both degrees by cross-counting some courses between the two programs. The chart below illustrates the 48 credits needed to earn both degrees separately and how those credits are fulfilled through cross-counting in this dual degree program. 

*MSHP students in the dual degree do not complete an HSPV concentration.