美国建筑学硕士一般会有两个方向：PROFESSIONAL DEGREE(MAR.1)和POST-PROFESSIONAL DEGREE(MAR.2)。
这两个方向对申请者本科所获得的学位有相应不同的要求，对于中国的申请者而言，只有拿到的学士学位是由通过建筑学学位认证的大学所颁发的人，才有资格申请M.Arch 2。也就是说本科所学非建筑学的申请者只能申请M.Arch 1;本科学建筑学专业，但是所在大学是没有通过建筑学学位认证的申请者，在申请的时候也只能申请M.Arch 1;只有本科专业是建筑学，同时所获得学位的授予学校已经通过建筑学学位认证，这样的申请者才可以申请M.Arch 2。
M. Arch 1一般是3年，M.Arch 2一般是2年。 比如密歇根大学安娜堡分校针对本科是建筑专业的学生开设有The 2-year M.Arch.学位，针对本科是非建筑专业的学生开设有The 3-year M.Arch.学位。
比如加州大学伯克利分校开设有3种不同的建筑学硕士学位： Applicants to the Studio One (one-year) Master of Architecture program must hold a Bachelor of Architecture (five-year professional) degree; The opportunity to complete the Master of Architecture program in two years (Option 2) is granted to students with an exceptional undergraduate record in a focused pre-professional degree, including the B.A. or B.S. with a major in architecture; The three-year Master of Architecture program (Option3) is open to applicants with a B.A. or B.S. degree in any field.
而在康奈尔大学，professional Master ofArchitecture (M.Arch.) program is a three-and-one-half-year course of study dedicated to preparing graduate students from diverse disciplines and backgrounds for careers in architecture; post-professional master of architecture (M.Arch.II) is an intensive, three-semester, advanced design research (ADR) program.
