Program Overview

Master of Advanced Studies in Architecture (MASA)

The Master of Advanced Studies in Architecture (MASA) is a post-professional research degree offered in a two-year curriculum. Students work in independent design or research-based studies in collaboration with faculty members engaged in certain research themes. This immersive program is for those who wish to synthesize existing knowledge in architecture and progress contemporary concepts in the field. Within the wider University community, students engage themselves in a focused research environment enriched by resources and support from related disciplines such as community and regional planning, civil engineering, geography, and art history, visual and theory.

Program Structure

Students must complete a minimum of 30 credits including the following: a 3-credit course in research methodology in architecture, 15 credits of approved coursework, and a 12-credit thesis. The degree can be completed in 16 months with two terms of full-time residency required.

Quick Facts

• Faculty: Faculty of Applied Science
• Academic Unit: School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture
• Specialization: Architecture
• Mode of delivery: In person at UBC Vancouver
• Program Components: Coursework + Thesis required
• Tuition (First Year):
  • Domestic: $5,626.02
  • International: $9,883.98
• Median Funding: 50% of students receive $7,829 or more funding per year in the first 2 years, before tuition and fees

Admission Information & Requirements

Minimum Academic Requirements

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:

• Canada or the United States
• International countries other than the United States Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.

English Language Test

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application. Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:

• TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based
  • Overall score requirement: 100
  • Reading: 22
  • Writing: 21
  • Speaking: 21
  • Listening: 22
• IELTS: International English Language Testing System
  • Overall score requirement: 7.0
  • Reading: 6.5
  • Writing: 6.5
  • Speaking: 6.5
  • Listening: 6.5

Other Test Scores

Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:

• The GRE is optional.

Prior Degree, Course and Other Requirements

Prior Degree Requirements

The MASA program is intended for qualified applicants with a previous professional degree and a capacity for independent research.

Deadlines

• Program Name: Master of Advanced Studies in Architecture (MASA)
• Intake: September 2026
• Canadian Applicant Deadline: 15 January 2026
• International Applicant Deadline: 15 January 2026

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

Fees | Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat | International ---|---|--- Application Fee | $118.50 | $168.25 Tuition * Installments per year | 3 | 3 Tuition per installment | $1,875.34 | $3,294.66 Tuition per year (plus annual increase, usually 2%-5%) | $5,626.02 | $9,883.98 Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible) | | $3,200.00 (-) Other Fees and Costs Supplementary fees (yearly) | $350.00 Student Society Fees Student Fees (yearly) | $1,144.10 (approx.) Costs of living | Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool in order to start developing a financial plan for your graduate studies.

Financial Support

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.

Funding Statistics

Based on the criteria outlined below, 4 students within this program were included in this study because they received funding through UBC in the form of teaching, research, academic assistantships or internal or external awards with a mean of $10,101 and a median of $7,829. This results in a net balance (any funding provided to the student minus tuition and fees) mean of -$298 and median of -$2,523.

• 1 student received Teaching Assistantships valued at $15,419.
• 2 students received Academic Assistantships. Median AA funding based on 2 students was $6,000.
• 2 students received internal awards. Median internal award funding based on 2 students was $1,825.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

These statistics show data for the Master of Advanced Studies in Architecture (MASA). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

ENROLMENT DATA

Completion Rates & Times

Based on 12 graduations between 2020 - 2023 the minimum time to completion is 1.24 years and the maximum time is 6.83 years with an average of 2.26 years of study. All calculations exclude leave times.

Research Supervisors

Supervision

Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. The following faculty members have full supervisory privileges and are affiliated with this program:

• Abughannam, Rana (socio-political conditions that govern architecture and urbanity; socio-political conditions that govern architecture and urbanity)
• Bass, John (Contested landscapes Globalization and Contested Territory, Infrastructure, Social Equity, Visualization and Community Engagement)
• Dahmen, Joseph (technical methods and cultural effects of resource use at the scales of architecture and territory.)
• Echeverri, Natalia (density, settlement, climate dynamics)
• Fujita, Mari (Globalization and contested territory, urbanism, contemporary theory, spatial and cultural effects of globalism, material studies, wearables, gallery installations, interiors, building designs, urban proposals)
• Gutierrez Monroy, Tania (Identity intersection; Identity intersection)
• Liu, Xun (computational design with a focus on generative AI; representation and digital media; data-driven methods; Environmental Sensing; computational design with a focus on generative AI, representation and digital media, data-driven methods, environmental sensing)
• Meyboom, Annalisa (Transportation Infrastructure and Public Space; use of structural behaviour algorithms in the generation of architectural form)
• Neumann, Oliver (Digital Fabrication, Concepts of Context, Wood Construction, Contemporary Architecture Discourse, Digital technology in the building process, contemporary fabrication technologies)
• Roecker, Inge (Social Equity, sustainable forms of urban habitation, social and cultural entities, urban living and communities, contemporary programming, cultural context, sustainable building)
• Rysanek, Adam (Environmental Systems)
• Satterfield, Blair (use of second stream materials in construction, providing designers and the community with greater access to digital design and fabrication processes, and the design and application of energy and material efficient methods for construction)
• Soules, Matthew (relationship between contemporary capitalism and the built environment; three interrelated topics that collectively constitute a significant constellation within capitalism)
• Stevens, Sara (history and theory of architecture and urban design, urban history, economic theory, and the history of infrastructure)
• Tak, Thena
• Van Duzer, Leslie (Body and Space, Contemporary Theory, Design Thinking)
• Vujosevic, Tijana (History and theory of architecture; Modern period, with special expertise in art and architecture of socialism; History and theory of architecture, Modern period, with special expertise in art and architecture of socialism)

Sample Thesis Submissions

• Redefining urban life : a comparative analysis of livability between mid-rise courtyard housing and high-rise residential towers
• Commoning architectural knowledge
• Potential identifier for community evolution (PICE) : a systemic framework for identifying and leveraging regenerative potential in Latin-American coastal towns undergoing rapid, underregulated growth
• Pavilion design based on biogenic mycelium architectural feedstock

Related Programs

Same Specialization

• Master of Architecture (MARCH)
• Master of Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture (MARCLA)

Same Academic Unit

• Doctor of Philosophy in Design, Technology and Society (PhD)
• Master of Advanced Studies in Landscape Architecture (MASLA)
• Master of Architecture (MARCH)
• Master of Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture (MARCLA)
• Master of Engineering Leadership in High Performance Buildings (MEL)
• Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA)
• Master of Urban Design (MUD)

Related Disciplines

• Master of Architecture (MARCH)
• Master of Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture (MARCLA)

Further Information

Specialization

Architecture Architecture examines built environments relative to artistic, technical, social, cultural, and political circumstances. Our students design locally and globally, and approach architectural practice and research with critical inquiry.

Faculty

Faculty of Applied Science

Academic Unit

School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture

Program Identifier

VGMMAV

Classification

Humanities and the arts » Arts (arts, history of arts, performing arts, music), architecture and design » Architecture