The Master of Science in Architecture degree programs is structured across a 36-credit system of advanced study, typically beyond a first professional degree in architecture, engineering or closely allied profession. It is flexible to enable a student to take a core group of courses within a specialized track, as well as electives. The program may be initiated during the final semesters of the first professional degree in architecture and engineering. After foundational core coursework and electives, each student develops an individually focused thesis or a capstone project on a topic of their interest, with a faculty adviser. The Master of Science in Architecture degree program is designed to provide a skills and knowledge base for professional application as well as future advanced doctoral study.

The program includes an option of a semester in Rome as well as a summer option. The program explores the Western Classical Architecture tradition, its sources in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, and development through Medieval, Renaissance and Enlightenment periods, as well as the Elements and Principles of Classical Architecture, History of Rome, Urban Elements and Principles, Architectural Treatises, Italian Classicism, and Architectural History of Rome.

The program also builds upon the classic tenets of professional knowledge in preservation while fostering a critical assessment of that body of thought to address the challenges that face natural and cultural conservation. The program draws upon the expertise of University faculty to foster cross-disciplinary dialogs in the service of stewardship.