Overview | Degree Requirements | Mass Timber Design | Program Handbook
Pursue advanced architectural research tailored to your professional interests. This flexible degree supports in‑depth study and a culminating thesis or terminal project completed in one year or more.
The post-professional Master of Science in Architecture is a STEM-designated degree that allows students to complete advanced research and design work that builds on an existing professional degree in architecture, architectural engineering, structural engineering, construction management, or a related field.
Who Should Apply
This degree does not provide a path to licensure.
This program is intended for applicants who:
- Have a professional degree in architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture, architectural engineering, structural engineering, construction management, or another related field from a regionally accredited four‑year U.S. college or university, or
- Possess an equivalent credential from a qualifying international institution
Program Experience
The post‑professional Master of Science in Architecture is a research‑focused program designed for advanced inquiry and specialization. Students develop focused research or design expertise through individualized coursework and close faculty mentorship, with opportunities to tailor their studies around personal and professional interests. Students benefit from:
- Faculty‑mentored research and design inquiry grounded in disciplinary and societal questions
- Individualized programs of study aligned with professional goals and academic interests
- Advanced scholarly and design exploration culminating in a thesis or terminal project
These experiences support independent thinking and scholarly and creative rigor.
Locations and Learning Environment
Students at both locations benefit from close faculty mentorship and access to faculty research and creative practice. Learn more by exploring faculty profiles and the Guide to Research + Creative Practice.
Eugene
Students in this program who are enrolled at the Eugene campus are expected to develop an individual research topic leading to a thesis or terminal project in one or more of the following areas of faculty research and design excellence:
- Design Computing: Modeling, Simulations, and Design Communication
- Design for Social Sustainability: Environment-Behavior Studies, Human Context of Design, Spatial Justice, Accessibility and Universal Design, Cultural, Social and Economic Sustainability
- Health and Indoor Environments: Indoor Environmental Quality, Human-Centric Design, Occupant Performance, and Health
- Lighting Design: Daylighting, Electric Lighting, Luminaires and Photometrics, and Visual Comfort
- Sustainable Buildings: Green Technologies, High-Performance Envelopes, Net-Zero Buildings, and Eco-Districts
- Sustainable Construction: Mass Timber Design*, Green Building Materials, Fabrication, Construction Methods, and Life Cycle Analysis
Portland
Students in this program who are enrolled at the Portland campus are expected to develop an individual research topic leading to a thesis or terminal project in one or more of the following areas of faculty research and design excellence:
- Architectural History and Theory: Preservation, Adaptive Reuse, Architectural Theory and Criticism
- Sustainable Urbanism and Housing: Urban Architecture and Urban Design, Housing Design, Community Design, Livable Communities, New Mobility, and Climate Action
- Research Inquiry Coursework
- Electives
- 30 credits must be in Architecture
- 9 credits must be at the 600 level
- Minimum three terms in residence
Research Inquiry Coursework [Minimum 45 Credits]
9 credits required in:
- ARCH 503 Thesis
- For more information about the thesis, see the UO Catalog
- ARCH 619Terminal Project
- Advisor‑approved coursework aligned with the student’s research and thesis or terminal project goals
MS students are strongly recommended to take:
- ARCH 620 Research Methods in Sustainable Design
- ARCH 633 Fundamentals of Sustainable Design
Electives
The advanced seminar courses listed below are designed to enrich and inform students’ thesis work. Graduate level participation offers deeper engagement through expanded readings, intensive research and analysis, scholarly writing, presentations, and enhanced faculty mentorship.
- ARCH 510 Advanced Mass Timber Design
- ARCH 510 Building Health
- ARCH 510 High-Performance Buildings
- ARCH 510 Passive House Design
- ARCH 510 Visualization and Simulation
- ARCH 510 Virtual Lighting
- ARCH 510 Dynamic Facades
- ARCH 535 Principles of Urban Design
- ARCH 537 Theory of Urban Design II
- IARCH 592 Electric Lighting
- ARCH 595 Daylighting
- ARCH 594 Passive Heating
- ARCH 5XX Passive Cooling
- ARCH 606 TallWood Design Institute Seminar
- ARCH 606 Special Problems
- ARCH 608 Colloquium
- ARCH 633 History and Theory of Sustainable Design
- ARCH 678 Advanced Research Methods in Sustainable Design
Graduate Specializations
The Department of Architecture offers graduate specializations in specific academic and professional subjects with a strong graduate-level curriculum.
Students who select this area of focus join an interdisciplinary community of faculty and researchers engaged in cutting‑edge mass timber design research and practice. The program leverages Oregon’s role as a national leader in mass timber manufacturing and application, along with the resources of the TallWood Design Institute—a collaborative partnership between the University of Oregon’s College of Design and Oregon State University’s Colleges of Forestry and Engineering. Students may choose from a wide range of courses offered at both UO and OSU, exploring mass timber from multiple perspectives, including forestry and wood science, structural and construction systems, and digital design. Independent research projects allow students to pursue specialized topics in collaboration with faculty experts, complemented by opportunities for site visits to mass timber buildings and manufacturing facilities in the United States and abroad.
- UO ARCH 510 Advanced Mass Timber Design [4 Credits]
- UO ARCH 584 Timber Tectonics in the Digital Age [6 Credits]
- UO ARCH 606 TallWood Design Institute Seminar (Special Topics) [4 Credits]
- UO ARCH 619 Terminal Project: Integrated Timber Design Studio [8 Credits]
- OSU WSE 520 The Global Context of the Forest Sector [3 Credits]
- OSU WSE 506 Wood Science [1 Credit]
The following topics are examples of both seminar content and student-directed research areas from UO ARCH 606 TallWood Design Institute Seminar (Special Topics):
- Composite Floor Systems
- Proprietary Connections
- Mass Timber Structural Lateral Systems
- Structural Modeling with wood components and connections.
- Manufacturing processes
- Digital Fabrication – CNC
- Adhesives
- Fire Resistance
- Durability
- Life Cycle Analysis
- Net-Zero Design/Carbon Negative Design
- Acoustics
- Constructability and Economics
- Construction Methods/Design-Build
- Modular and Off-Site Construction
- Case Studies of Contemporary Mass Timber Buildings