Carnegie Mellon Architecture educates students in the discipline of architecture, emphasizing the role of creativity in architectural design; understanding architecture’s historical, social, and environmental contexts; critically engaging technology in architectural innovation; and working ethically to achieve social progress and justice in the built environment. We aim to produce discipline-defining designers and thinkers in diverse global contexts.

This world-class architecture education is enhanced by our position within one of the world’s leading research and entrepreneurship institutions, and by the fundamental premise that architectural excellence demands both rigorous training in fundamentals and the development of unique specializations.

Students may extend their core knowledge either through concentration in architecture subdisciplines like urban design, sustainable design, or computational design, or through interdisciplinary interaction with CMU’s other renowned programs in the sciences, humanities, business, and engineering. Though every student graduates with intensive architecture knowledge, no two graduates leave with the same education.

In the twenty-first century, few architecture problems are straightforward. Our graduates excel in the roles architects have performed for centuries—and in new roles catalyzed by the depth and breadth of their education—to create and execute innovative solutions to a wide range of emerging global challenges.

To prepare our students to address the three challenges of climate change, artificial intelligence, and social justice, the school is developing three separate but interrelated pedagogies in Design Fundamentals, Design Research, and Design Ethics. Our goal is to continue to develop these pedagogies informed by the global context and to foster an ongoing dialogue within the school across our public programs, coursework, and collective thinking.

Learn more on our Pedagogies webpage.

Carnegie Mellon University is committed to having a diverse, equitable, and inclusive teaching and learning culture. The School of Architecture promotes the study of architecture and the built environment that addresses the needs of all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, and economic status. We aim to be inclusive of all, with intentional mindfulness of recognizing the voices and work of our Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and Underrepresented Minoritized (URM) students, faculty, and staff.

We encourage our students and faculty to participate in active dialogue on race and inclusion through local, regional, and national organizations that aim to expand diversity in the architectural profession. We aim to build upon our school’s legacy in the area of social interest design across all three of our educational programs: computational design, sustainable design, and community-engaged design. 

The school is developing pathways through our undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate programs for students of all identities, including recruitment, mentoring, and placement in industry and academia. We are committed to a design pedagogy that embraces civil rights, non-discrimination, anti-racism, and intersectionality to expand our curriculum and include non-western traditions and issues of social and environmental justice. 

More information is available on our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion webpage.

Statement on NAAB-Accredited Degrees

In the United States, most registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture, and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an eight-year term, an eight-year term with conditions, or a two-year term of continuing accreditation, or a three-year term of initial accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established education standards.

Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may require a non-accredited undergraduate degree in architecture for admission. However, the non-accredited degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

Carnegie Mellon Architecture offers the following NAAB-accredited programs:

• Bachelor of Architecture (450 units)

• Master of Architecture (Pre-professional degree or equivalent + 180 units)

The next NAAB accreditation visit for the Bachelor of Architecture is scheduled for 2027. The next NAAB accreditation visit for the Master of Architecture is scheduled for 2030.

Accreditation Reports and Related Documents

Current NAAB Conditions & Procedures

B.Arch NAAB Architecture Program Report (APR) (2018)

B.Arch NAAB Visiting Team Report (VTR) (2018)

M.Arch NAAB Architecture Program Report (APR) (2023)

M.Arch NAAB Visiting Team Report (VTR) (2023)

Career Development Information

ARE pass rates are available at the website of the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards (NCARB). To view the school’s most recent ARE pass rates, visit the ARE 5.0 Pass Rates by School section of the NCARB website. From the drop-down menu under state select "Pennsylvania" and under university name select "Carnegie Mellon University.”

Carnegie Mellon Architecture career development information available here.

Statement of Assurance: Policy Statement

Carnegie Mellon University does not discriminate in admission, employment or administration of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, handicap or disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, ancestry, belief, veteran status or genetic information. Furthermore, Carnegie Mellon University does not discriminate and is required not to discriminate in violation of federal, state or local laws or executive orders.

Inquiries concerning the application of and compliance with this statement should be directed to the Office for Institutional Equity and Title IX, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, telephone 412-268-7125.

Obtain general information about Carnegie Mellon University by calling 412-268-2000.

The Carnegie Mellon University Statement of Assurance is available on the CMU website. 

Additional University Policies

• Academic Integrity

• Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action

• Human Resources Policies

• Office of Research Integrity and Compliance (ORIC)

More information is available on the CMU website’s University Policies page.