Accelerated Dual Degree Programs

The Accelerated Dual Degree Programs allow students to customize their education, breaking outmoded disciplinary silos and expanding professional opportunities for our graduates. Layering an additional area of expertise to their primary area of study affords students the credentials and competencies to tackle a broad range of design and industry-related projects and to address pressing environmental and community-based issues.

By submatriculating as a graduate student while completing their baccalaureate degree, a student achieves advanced standing in a graduate program, thereby reducing both time and tuition. The Accelerated Dual Degree Programs enable students to complete two professional degrees in just two to four semesters of additional coursework, depending upon program requirements.

This interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary educational model fosters nimble, flexible problem solving on multiple levels. Working in team and/or studio centered processes, students engage in real world, experiential and collaborative learning. The Accelerated Dual Degree programs prepare students for the complexities of contemporary practice and afford our graduates a competitive edge in today’s market.

To participate in the benefits of the accelerated programs, a student must enroll in coursework by the fall or spring semester immediately following graduation from the baccalaureate program. The graduate program director may grant deferred enrollment in unusual circumstances.

The combined Bachelor of Architecture and the Master of Interior Architecture 5+1.5 Accelerated Degree is an innovative educational model that allows students to achieve two accredited professional degrees. The program’s transdisciplinary nature encourages students to think broadly and envision innovative solutions to design-related problems. The 5+1.5 BArch and MSIA Accelerated Dual Degree creates a pathway for students who wish to pursue a graduate degree in Interior Architecture while completing the undergraduate, professional program in Architecture.

The 5+1.5 Accelerated Degree enables an undergraduate Architecture major to complete three graduate courses required by the Master of Interior Architecture program, for a maximum of ten graduate course credits, while completing the undergraduate Bachelor of Architecture degree. By overlapping the two programs, a student achieves advanced standing in the three year, 69-credit Master of Interior Architecture program while an undergraduate and can complete the MSIA degree with an additional 27 credits. Upon graduation from the BArch program, a student may fulfill requirements for MSIA in three semesters of full-time study, comprising spring, fall and spring semesters.

Contact Lauren Baumbach or David Kratzer for more information.

The Master of Urban Design – Future Cities (MUD) educates the next generation of urban designers, architects and researchers in the development of sustainable, healthy and smart cities and communities. The MUD faculty and students address climate change, public health, pandemics and other challenges by incorporating urban analytics, computational design and smart technologies into urban environments.

The combined Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Urban Design Accelerated Degree option allows an undergraduate Architecture major to complete foundational graduate coursework in Urban Design while completing the baccalaureate degree. By sub-matriculating, a student may complete four graduate courses required by the MUD program, for a maximum of twelve graduate course credits, thereby achieving advanced standing in the 48-credit MUD program and enabling a student to complete the master’s degree with an additional 36 credits, depending upon transcript evaluation. Upon graduation from the Bachelor of Architecture program, a student may fulfill requirements for the MUD program in one and a half years of full-time study. 

Contact Peng Du for more information.

The MS in Real Estate Development is an ideal choice for architects who not only demonstrate entrepreneurial initiative, but also demand design excellence and are cognizant of the economic, social and, significantly, environmental impact of architectural interventions into the built environment. While working toward the Bachelor of Architecture degree, students complete four graduate courses required by the 37-credit MS in Real Estate Development program and can complete the remaining 25 credits in one year of full-time study. The M.S. in Real Estate Development trains architects to take the next step in the complex process of bringing a design project from concept to fruition.

Professional accountability and ethical practices regarding the environmental impact of architecture are values that connect these two programs, making the combination of these two fields an advantageous choice for students. Faculty includes architects who have been successful as developers through innovation and the invention of specific strategies to overcome financial shortcomings and policy roadblocks.

Contact Dave Kratzer or Troy Hannigan for more information.

The Bachelor of Architecture/Master of Science in Real Estate Development (5+1) is a STEM designated program (CIP Code 04.0902). 

The combined BS in Interior Design and the Master of Architecture 4+2 Accelerated Degree Option is intended for students who wish to pursue a graduate degree in Architecture while completing the undergraduate, professional program in Interior Design. The 4+2 Accelerated Degree Option enables an undergraduate Interior Design major to complete four graduate courses required by the Master of Architecture program, for a maximum of twelve graduate course credits, while completing the undergraduate B.S. Interior Design degree. By sub-matriculating, a student achieves advanced standing in the three and a half year, 100-credit Master of Architecture program and can complete the M.Arch degree with 52 credits. Upon graduation from the BS in Interior Design program, a student may fulfill requirements for the M.Arch in two years of full-time study, comprising fall and spring semesters, for a total reduction of a year and half of graduate coursework and tuition.

The BS in Interior Design and M.Arch 4+2 Accelerated Dual Degree supports engaged, collaborative, active learning infused with “real world” issues. The design studios and core courses participate in collaborative projects with students working in other majors across the College as well as throughout the University. There is a strong potential for interdisciplinary research and design opportunities that engage community groups in public interest projects with the participation of industry partners.

Contact Lauren Baumbach or David Kratzer for more information.

The Interior Design and Sustainable Design departments have teamed up to create an accelerated option for obtaining the two degrees in just five years, in lieu of the standard six years. This is a natural partnership between two allied disciplines in the College of Architecture and the Built Environment and an exciting opportunity to build a valuable and unique educational resume and obtain an advanced degree.

With guided course selection at the undergraduate level, students can obtain advanced standing in the graduate program, which allows them to complete the MS in Sustainable Design degree in just one year allowing students to save on tuition.

Our award-winning undergraduate Interior Design Program has been teaching the principals of sustainable design for over 15 years and our graduate Sustainable Design Program was one of the first of its kind in the U.S. Students who complete these two programs are uniquely qualified to serve as leaders in the design industry and the rapidly evolving global economy, which needs designers with expertise in the design of sustainable interior environments.

Contact Lauren Baumbach or Rob Fleming for more information.

The 4+1 Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and MS in Urban Analytics and Geodesign is intended for landscape architecture students interested in leveraging advanced geospatial technologies and sustainable design practices in the pursuit of innovative solutions to urban design and urban planning problems. In a hands-on, team-based, learning environment, students gain skills necessary to address complex “real-world” design problems with geospatial visualization and analysis tools. Students pursuing the combined Bachelor of Architecture and MS in Urban Analytics and Geodesign reduce the total graduate credits from 36 to 27 credits in an additional year of full-time study.

Contact Kimberlee Douglas or Peng Du for more information.

This is a unique full-time, accelerated option for students with a passion for both sustainable design and construction practices. Rather than completing both graduate curricula separately and obtaining the degrees independently, this option allows students to better capitalize on the synergies between the two disciplines and increase their competitive edge while reducing tuition cost and time. This 1+1 degree option provides a means for students to fully explore both disciplines in as little as two years resulting in the award of both degrees. The total number of credits required to earn both degrees is reduced from 70 to 61.

Contact Rob Fryer or Gulbin Ozcan-Deniz for more information.

The Master of Science in Sustainable Design/Master of Science in Construction Management is a STEM designated program (CIP Code 04.0902). 

This accelerated dual degree option is intended for students who wish to pursue a distinct graduate degree in both the STEM-designated Construction Management program and the Real Estate Development program by capitalizing upon coursework shared by both programs and upon the flexibility of elective courses. Students may complete both programs in 61 credits, instead of the 73 credits required if the programs were pursued separately. Both degrees can be accomplished in two-years of full-time study, comprising a total reduction of twelve credits or one semester of graduate coursework and tuition.

Contact Howard Ways or Gulbin Ozcan-Deniz for more information.

The “Preservation Design” track, one of two options in the MS in Historic Preservation program, allows  Architecture majors to explore the intersections among preservation, sustainable design, urbanism, and cutting-edge technologies in order to confront pressing social and environmental issues. Foremost are studios on the adaptive reuse of historic structures, preservation strategies applied to the revitalization of our cities, and the preservation of modern buildings and sites, the next preservation frontier.

The combined Bachelor of Architecture and MS in Historic Preservation 5+1.5 Accelerated Dual Degree allows an Architecture major to complete foundational graduate coursework in Historic Preservation while completing the baccalaureate degree. By sub-matriculating, a student may complete four graduate courses required by the MS in Historic Preservation program, for a maximum of twelve graduate course credits, thereby enabling a student to complete the 49- credit master’s degree with a maximum of 37 credits. Total number of credits applied to fulfill the graduate program requirements may be higher; advanced standing is dependent upon transcript evaluation. Upon graduation from the Bachelor of Architecture program, a student may fulfill requirements for the MS in Historic Preservation in three or four additional semesters of 9-credit enrollment per semester.

Contact MS in Historic Preservation program director Suzanne Singletary for more information.

The MS in Real Estate Development focuses on the “quadruple bottom line”— people, planet, profit and placemaking. Today developers must combine financial feasibility with environmental sustainability, social consciousness, design excellence and community engagement. Using Philadelphia and its surroundings, students address real estate development projects ranging from single buildings to entire districts. Students enrolled in the pre-professional BS in Architectural Studies program may achieve professional credentials by enrolling in this 4+1 Accelerated Dual Degree option. Undergraduate Architectural Studies students may elect to pursue a 24-credit concentration in Real Estate Development, consisting of four graduate Real Estate Development courses and four undergraduate Business courses. By sub-matriculating in the master’s program, Architectural Studies majors may complete foundational coursework, completing a maximum of 12 credits towards the MS Real Estate Development degree, thereby achieving advanced standing in the master’s program while completing the baccalaureate degree. Upon graduation from the BS Architectural Studies, a student may fulfill remaining requirements for the MS Real Estate Development in one year of full-time study. 

Contact Suzanne Singletary for more information.

The MS in Historic Preservation foregrounds preservation methodologies applied to projects at multiple scales, ranging from the micro level of individual structures to the macro level of preservation planning. Graduates are equipped with the skills, knowledge and experience to address pressing environmental and community-based challenges. Students enrolled in the pre-professional BS in Architectural Studies program may achieve professional credentials by enrolling in this 4+1 Accelerated Dual Degree option. Undergraduate Architectural Studies students may elect to pursue a 24-credit concentration in Historic Preservation, consisting of four graduate and four undergraduate courses in the discipline. By sub-matriculating in the master’s program, Architectural Studies majors may complete foundational coursework required in the “Documentation and Research” track, completing a maximum of 24 credits towards the M.S. Historic Preservation degree, thereby achieving advanced standing in the master’s program while completing the baccalaureate degree. Upon graduation from the B.S. Architectural Studies, a student may fulfill remaining requirements for the M.S. Historic Preservation in one year of full-time study. 

Contact Suzanne Singletary for more information.

Length of time listed for completion of the graduate degree is approximate and based upon an ideal number of credits per semester, as determined by the specific graduate program. Students may take longer to fulfill graduate requirements. The maximum time for completion of the degree program is seven years from the date of first enrollment in the graduate program. Students who have not earned the graduate degree during this period will have their academic records reviewed and may be asked to meet additional requirements in order to graduate.

Current students in the College of Architecture & the Built Environments looking to transfer into a dual degree program can find more information on the internal process in the Guide to Accelerated Dual Degrees (PDF) and download the application here.