ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell University is launching a new professional program in architecture at the master's degree level for students without prior training in architecture.

The new degree program, M.Arch.-I, takes three and one-half years to complete and is designed for applicants who hold a four-year bachelor's degree in any area and are interested in a career in architectural practice, teaching or scholarship. It will be housed in Cornell's Department of Architecture in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning, considered one of the best architecture programs in the United States.

Applications are being accepted for the new program, which will enroll its first class in fall 2004. For information, call Cornell's graduate field office at (607) 255-6701 or see this Web site: http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/academics_research/fields/archi .

The design studio will be the core curriculum of the new M.Arch.-I program. "This establishes a symbiotic relationship between the design studio and all other disciplines, thereby allowing the architectural project to be experienced as a negotiating platform," says Nasrine Seraji, chair of the Department of Architecture.

The study of architecture began at Cornell in 1871. The program has since grown to become one of the most well-respected in the world. Its graduates include such prominent architects as Richard Meier, Peter Eisenman and Arthur Gensler, and it was ranked the top U.S. architecture program in recent polls conducted by the Almanac of Architecture and Design.

The new M.Arch.-I degree program consists of six semesters of design studios followed by a one-semester design thesis, with supporting courses in visual studies, history and theory of architecture, technology, professional practice and elective courses. At least 120 credits are needed to graduate. Applicants may apply for advanced standing, to be determined prior to admission.

In addition to the new M.Arch.-I program, the college offers a five-year B.Arch. degree for undergraduates; an M.Arch.-II for advanced architectural and urban design students who already have a B.Arch. from an accredited institution and experience in architecture; an M.S. in computer graphics; and M.A. and Ph.D. programs in the history of architecture and urban development.