Marc Thorpe earned a Bachelors Degree in Industrial Design from the University of Maryland, followed in by a Masters Degree in Architecture, with Honors, from Parsons School of Design in New York. Thorpe was awarded the Scholastic Award for Scholarly Pursuit by the American Institute of Architects and the American Architectural Foundation and received the Alpha Rho Chi medal for architectural leadership and professional excellence. He was awarded the Good Design Award and the American Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and Metropolitan Arts.