Architecture/Business Administration (M.A.S./M.B.A.)
Bring leadership to design through our dual-degree architecture and M.B.A. program that will help you wherever your career takes you.
Find Your Dream Career Where Architecture Meets Business with Illinois Tech’s M.Arch/M.B.A. Dual Degree
Are you fascinated by the intersection of architecture and design with business and the development of urban environments? Illinois Tech’s Master of Architecture (M.Arch)/Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) dual-degree program is designed to prepare you to follow your passions.
Study with award-winning architects to build a solid foundation of skills and knowledge in architectural design. Develop high-level expertise in strategic management so that you can bring innovative leadership to organizations, projects, and initiatives. Plus, take advantage of Illinois Tech’s connections throughout Chicago, a global center for architecture and business that offers remarkable resources for experiential learning, expanding your professional network, and pursuing career opportunities.
Program Overview
Expand your career horizons in the Master of Architecture/M.B.A. dual-degree program at Illinois Tech. By gaining knowledge and skills in architecture and business, along with developing a mindset centered on creativity and innovation, you’ll have what it takes to apply strategic analysis to business challenges, envision solutions, and manage projects through planning and successful implementation.
Your potential career paths are wide-ranging, including management and executive roles within architecture and design or in allied professions such as real estate finance, development, construction, facilities planning and management, or consulting.
Career Opportunities
With a deep understanding of architecture and the leadership skills of an M.B.A., graduates are well prepared for job opportunities such as:
- Project manager
- Sustainability manager
- Real estate development manager
Check out some of the courses you will take:
ARCH 501 Contemporary Architecture
Investigate the state of contemporary architecture and the complex social, political, intellectual, and technological forces affecting design. Themes covered in the course include globalization, the role of digital design media, the ethics and aesthetics of sustainability, contemporary urbanism, new approaches to materials and structure, and recent interests in ornament and pattern-making.
ARCH 520 Introduction to Urbanism
What is the role of design in shaping the urban environment? Focusing on Chicago, this course includes readings, lectures, case studies, film screenings, field trips, and discussions that will provide an understanding of the needs and influences surrounding urban growth, development, and culture.
MBA 505 Microeconomics and Game Theory
Study economics as a way of thinking about problems, issues, and decisions that managers face in each of the functional areas of their organization. This course stresses the importance of incentives in human decision making and the consideration of costs and benefits. You’ll learn about a wide range of concepts—such as supply and demand models, competition, and pricing—that shape the business environments in which organizations operate.
Degree Requirements
Typically, enrolling in the M.Arch/M.B.A. dual-degree program reduces the total number of credit hours required for the two degrees, compared with enrolling separately in the individual degree programs.
Credit hours required
- Full M.Arch program/M.B.A.: 111 credit hours are required for the dual-degree program, which is typically completed in four years of full-time study.
- Advanced Standing M.Arch program/M.B.A.: Students with requisite background in architecture may receive Advanced Standing for the M.Arch degree, in which case 81 credit hours are required for the dual-degree program, which is typically completed in three years.
Download the sample curriculum for details:
Students must apply and be accepted to both programs. Students begin their studies with the Master of Architecture curriculum and can decide in their third semester of study (for Advanced Standing students) or their fifth semester (for full program students) to pursue the dual-degree program. Students have the opportunity to take at least one M.B.A. course before the deadline for choosing whether to enroll in the dual-degree program.
Tuition and Fees
To learn more about Illinois Tech’s general tuition and fees, visit the Student Accounting website.
Connect with Us
Master of Architecture
For questions about the M.Arch program or the College of Architecture, contact Associate Teaching Professor Thomas Brock at brock@illinoistech.edu.
Master of Business Administration
For questions about the M.B.A program, Stuart School of Business, or the M.B.A. application and enrollment process, contact Stuart’s Director of Student Recruitment Claire Johnson.
Featured Faculty
Learn more about faculty who teach courses in the Master of Architecture and M.B.A. programs.
Thomas E. Brock
Leslie Johnson
