The advent of the Metaverse as the next-generation internet paradigm has fundamentally reshaped digital interactions and virtual ecosystems, redefining the architect's role beyond physical design toward orchestrating complex interactive experiences and managing digital value networks. Nevertheless, a critical misalignment persists between conventional architectural curricula and the evolving competencies demanded by emerging technology sectors. This study aims to develop and preliminarily validate a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and locally-adapted educational framework specifically designed for educating Metaverse Architects, while articulating their strategic function within digital innovation ecosystems. Adopting a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design, this research proceeded through three distinct phases. Phase I entailed a systematic literature review across Scopus and Web of Science (2019–2024) using rigorous inclusion/exclusion criteria. Phase II involved a comparative analysis of curricula from five leading global universities in digital architecture, interactive design, and emergent technologies. Phase III leveraged expert input from five distinguished industry and academic specialists to construct and preliminarily validate a three-tiered pedagogical model. Findings demonstrate that educating a Metaverse Architect requires an integrated, multidimensional framework encompassing three foundational pillars: (1) theoretical and practical grounding in digital spatial design and the phenomenology of virtual environments; (2) advanced technical mastery of Extended Reality (XR) tools, game engines, and decentralized technologies; and (3) comprehensive insight into digital innovation mechanics, tokenomics, and the ethical-legal dimensions of digital property rights. The proposed framework prioritizes competency-based, interdisciplinary, and project-oriented learning, positioning the Metaverse Architect as a strategic leader and ecosystem architect rather than a conventional designer. Preliminary outcomes suggest that embedding this roadmap within postgraduate architectural pedagogy can help narrow the academia-industry skills gap, cultivating skilled talent equipped to drive sustainable innovation and governance in emerging virtual spaces.