Architecture
Katz Hall Room 109
5005 Rockhill Road
(816) 235-1725
aupd@umkc.edu
Mailing Address
University of Missouri-Kansas City
109 Katz Hall
5005 Rockhill Road
Kansas City, MO 64110-2499
Teaching Professor:
John Eck, M.Arch., R.A.; Christopher Spaw, M.Arch.
Instructor:
Dominic Musso, M.Arch., Assoc. AIA
Adjunct Faculty:
James Amicone; Jacob Henley; Darius Hollwell
Administrator:
Stella Szymanski
Professor Emerita:
Joy D. Swallow, M.Arch., F.A.I.A.
Program Description
Our five-year professional degree program in Architecture awards students with a Bachelor of Architecture. The rigorous curriculum will prepare them for taking the architectural registration exam administrated by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, allowing them to become registered architects in any of the fifty states. The B.Arch offers a considerable tuition cost savings over similar M.Arch programs, as it requires about 25 credit hours less over the course of the five years.
Schools of Architecture are granted accreditation by the National Architecture Accreditation Board. Because accreditation can only be granted after five years of operation, our program will start as a “candidate for accreditation”. Once we have been in operation for five years, our program will be reviewed, and when accreditation is granted, it will apply to all students who have been part of the program since its inception. We are currently in the process of applying for candidacy.
Our curriculum is centered around the Design Studio, which takes place every semester and simulates what life in a professional office will eventually be like. Our other courses are intended to support the Design Studio, teaching students about architectural history, building structure and construction, environmental systems and architectural theory. Additionally, we offer opportunities for internships and study abroad.
We are excited to offer this degree program on the UMKC campus, in the heart of Kansas City, allowing our students to engage with over 200 architecture firms and take advantage of all the lessons a major metropolitan area has to give. Our goal is to use the city as a “learning lab”, creating an engaging experience few other architecture programs can offer.
Financial Aid
Many scholarships and student financial aid opportunities are available. Every year approximately 80 percent of our students have some form of scholarship. For students who qualify, UMKC can be a great resource for scholarship assistance. Contact the UMKC Financial Aid Office, phone: (816) 235-1154, for scholarship information.
Admission
The Bachelor of Architecture program has a competitive admission process. This program only accepts students for the Fall semester. For first time freshmen students, admission decisions are based on a review of high school core GPA. Architecture accepts ACT/SAT scores, but is test optional. Transfer students interested in the Bachelor of Architecture program will be reviewed on an individual, holistic basis with emphasis on college GPA. Students who have previous architecture coursework will be asked to submit a portfolio for review before admission review.
The Priority Deadline for Admission is December 1 and the Final Deadline is February 1.
Accreditation
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 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.
The UMKC Bachelor of Architecture program has passed Stage I: Eligibility following the Eligibility visit in October 2025.
The Program is now in the process of getting ready for the next step: applying for a Candidacy visit (Stage II: Candidacy) for the Bachelor of Architecture (150 credits) program.