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M.ARCH to D.ARCH |
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This site is dedicated to consolidating the various degrees granted in architecture to a single professional degree, D.ARCH (Doctorate of Architecture). The D.ARCH would be considered a first-professional degree on par with the MD or JD and is meant to give architects a richer degree and title that demonstrates the extremely high level of achievement not indicated by the Mastership. See the links below for documentation that supports this change.
Currently, the field of architecture grants the following degrees: 5-year NAAB Accredited B.ARCH degrees, 4-year Non Accredited Bachelor’s degrees in architecture, 2-year Accredited M.ARCH for those with Non Accredited 4-year Bachelor’s, 5-year accredited M.ARCH degrees, 1.5-year Accredited M.ARCH for those with accredited B.ARCH degrees, 3.5 year M.ARCH degrees for those with Bachelor’s degrees in fields outside architecture, the newly created 7-8 year Accredited D.ARCH, and several other second professional PhD or ArchD degrees. The system is complicated—especially to those outside the field of architecture. The M.ARCH has traditionally been considered the “terminal” professional degree in architecture and is supposed to be on par with other first, professional degrees such as MD, JD, DDS, OD, PharmD, but for some odd reason, does not grant the “doctorate” title. The result is that M.ARCH graduates are under-compensated and displaced in their academic and professional endeavors.
There are several plausible solutions to correct this complicated system of nomenclature that can benefit the schools, faculty, current/prospective students, and graduates. One possible solution is to phase out all existing degrees and create one D.ARCH. Students would complete either a 4-year pre-professional program in architecture or a bachelor’s in another field and then enter the 3-4 year professional D.ARCH tract. This is how many existing 4+2 or 4+3.5 year programs are currently structured. D.ARCH degrees could (and should) be offered retroactively to former graduates...otherwise, their existing M.ARCH titles would become inferior over time. The PhD would still be an option beyond D.ARCH reserved for research in a specific concentration.
According to the NAAB, all 3+ year programs are currently eligible to change their M.ARCH titles to D.ARCH—and the titles can and should be offered retroactively; other degree tracts may be “grandfathered” as well at the discretion of each institution. The University of Hawaii, Manoa has already implemented this change. (see documentation).
Note: there are two petitions below. The 3.5 Year petition was the original petition designed for 3+ graduates; petition 2 is for all professional architecture degree paths...feel free to sign both.
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“No other profession outside art or architecture understands the definition of a ‘terminal masters degree’. This is why M.Arch and MFA graduates are consistently under compensated in practice relative to other professional fields and displaced in academia by other programs that grant professional doctorates or PhD’s.” |
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2008 marchtodarch |