M.Arch ‑ Year 6

These notes are for Year 5 students who are beginning the MArch work term. They describe the basic structure and requirements of Year 6.

Academic Advising

If you need academic advice on Architecture courses, instructors, regulations, studio arrangements, accommodation, medical extensions, counselling referrals, etc., check with the graduate coordinator.
University-level advising is also available from the Bissett Student Success Centre.

Year 5 Review / Promotion to Year 6

In the winter term the Architecture office will conduct a Year 5 review by checking your academic record and work term record. The following Year 5 items must be complete:

• two ARCH 50xx: Design core courses
  
• two ARCH 51xx: Humanities core courses
  
• two ARCH 52xx: Technology core courses
  
• two electives
  
• ARCH 5308/5309: Co-op Work Term: registered for both courses; work term agreement submitted; work term information sheet submitted; work placement approved
  

The office will notify you about your initial eligibility for promotion to Year 6. Before beginning the M5 term, you must also complete the MArch work term requirement:

• ARCH 5308/5309: Co-op Work Term: 1000 hours of approved work experience in no less than 24 weeks
  

The final Year 5 requirements are completed during the first two weeks of your M5 term:

• ARCH 5308/5309: Co-op Work Term: submit workbook; submit employer evaluation; do work term presentation
  

MArch Graduation

The courses that are needed to complete the MArch program are listed in the "Program Requirements" section of your record on Dal Online: Graduate Studies Information. They are also listed in the School's MArch worksheet. To monitor your progress through the MArch program, including the number of electives left to complete, you can download an MArch worksheet [PDF] and compare it to your academic record.

Year 6 Terms and Courses

Preliminary Thesis Proposal

Your preliminary thesis proposal is due on the first day of your M5 term. For details, see the ARCH 9014 Brightspace site.

Thesis Reports

Thesis reports by 1,031 MArch thesis students from 1998 to 2024 are available for reference. Some are online; some are in the library. For the topics, see this list of thesis titles and questions.

Electives

For general information on electives, refer to MArch Year 5. Course outlines for electives and core courses will be issued to all MArch students before the term begins. Electives are open equally to everyone; faster students have priority. If places are still available in core courses after the Year 5 students have made their selections, the office will notify Year 6 students.

Professional Practice

ARCH 5311 is a one-week Professional Practice module for all M6 students. It is offered once a year: early in the winter term.

Full-time Status

Nine credit-hours of courses during a term is the university's minimum for full-time student status. There are two exceptions:

• ARCH 5308 and ARCH 5309: these two work term courses are considered full-time (but ARCH 5310 is not)
• students who have completed all MArch course requirements except Thesis and are registered for ARCH 9009 can choose to be classified by the university as full-time students by notifying Architecture's graduate coordinator at least a month before the term begins; full-time incidental fees are approximately $400 higher but full-time status may have advantages, such as the university bus pass and a four-month postponement of repayments on government student loans.

Thesis Responsibilities and Rights

The Faculty of Graduate Studies describes the expectations for thesis students, thesis supervisors, and their academic unit. In the Graduate Studies calendar, see FGS Regulations 9.4.2–9.4.5.

Thesis-only

If you have completed all MArch course requirements except Thesis, the university requires you to register also for a generic course number: REGN 9999 (listed under "Registration Course - Graduate" in the university timetable). This will not appear on your academic record or add to your tuition fees; it merely ensures that you will be categorized and counted correctly as a thesis-only student.

Program Length

The maximum duration of a thesis is five academic terms: ARCH 9014, ARCH 9015, and three terms of ARCH 9009. If you are receiving government student loans for the MArch program, check on the maximum number of terms for which you are eligible for loans. The MArch program is nominally two years long (including all academic terms and work terms), so the maximum loan period may be six or seven terms.