Starting this spring, the School of Architecture will offer a new concentration in research practices within their master of science in architecture degree (MS-RP) for students starting the fall of 2013. The program aims at halving the amount of time from high school to licensure for architects--from an average of 14.5 years to 7.

By offering this model, the School of Architecture nudges the profession toward true culture change, one that expects all students to be licensed upon graduation, regardless of their final career choices. It also takes advantage of recent changes to the National Council of Architectural Registration Board's Intern Development Program and Architect Registration Examination, and leverages the historically strong connection between practice and academy in the Minneapolis/St Paul community.

Architect Magazine is out this January with a piece featuring the MS-RP degree.  The article details the work Professor Renee Cheng and her colleagues have undertaken to make the degree come to fruition. Read the entire article here.

More on the MS-RP degree can be found at z.umn.edu/msrp.  Consortium for Research Practices information can be found by visiting rp.design.umn.edu.