The University of California, Los Angeles Department of Architecture and Urban Design offers four graduate degrees, two that are academic and two that are professional. The academic degrees are a two-year Master of Arts degree, which prepares students for research and teaching in the architecture and urban design fields. There's also a Ph.D. program in advanced research, which takes an average of six years to complete.
The two professional degrees are a three-year Master of Architecture program that provides a comprehensive education in the architecture field; and a one-year, advanced professional Master of Architecture program that combines theoretical studies and practical applications in specialized areas.
The University of California, Berkeley's Department of Architecture offers five degree programs. The Bachelor of Arts undergrad program teaches basic competency for entry-level employment in the architectural field. The Master of Architecture program is designed for students to conduct advanced research in the subfield of digital architectural design while the Master of Science in Architecture focuses on building science and the Master of Arts in Design is geared toward visual studies. The Ph.D program is for students seeking seeking careers in teaching or related fields that require experience in research.
California College of the Arts, which has campuses in San Francisco and Oakland, offers a five-year undergraduate architecture program that experiments with alternative models of architecture design and building. The college also has a three-year master's degree program that's geared toward students who've earned a bachelor's degree in another field. Undergrad students working in the program are required to complete an internship at an architectural firm in the U.S. or abroad.
The Southern California Institute of Architecture is located near downtown Los Angeles. The college offers both undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate programs, with the undergrad portion developing students' conceptual and practical skills, and typically taking five years to complete. The graduate program offers four study options: two Master of Architecture degrees and two post-professional Master of Design Research degrees. The post-graduate program offers degrees in Masters of Design Research, with a specialization in one of three fields: media art and architecture, city design, or emerging systems and technology.
The NewSchool of Architecture and Design, located in San Diego's East Village area, has four programs: undergraduate, graduate, master's and summer exploratory. In the undergrad program, students can earn a bachelor's degree in architecture, digital media arts, or construction management. The graduate program offers master's degrees in architecture, science in architecture, and landscape architecture. The executive master's program gives licensed, mid-career architects the opportunity to advance their professional knowledge and careers. And the summer exploratory program is a chance for students of high school age and up to gain an in-depth understanding of design studies.