M.Arch. Curriculum and Requirements

A View into M.Arch. Studios

From the Ordinary to the Extraordinary, third semester

From the Ordinary to the Extraordinary, a short film by Swedish filmmaker Vincent Skoglund, features the fall 2016 Computational Design Studio led by Jenny Sabin and Martin Miller. Also featured in the film is work by Hannah (Leslie Lok and Sasa Zivkovic with Cornell Robotic Construction Laboratory), Sasa Zivkovic's option studio, Villa Additiva (2016), and thesis work by Christopher Battaglia (M.Arch. '16).

A Different Way of Thinking, fifth semester

A Different Way of Thinking, a short film by Swedish filmmaker Vincent Skoglund, features the fall 2016 expanded practice studio titled Bogotá's los Cerros Orientales: Constructing a Sustainable Relationship Between City and Nature, led by Jeremy Foster and Julian Palacio.

Curriculum Overview

The professional Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) curriculum is designed to support and augment the design studio sequence while allowing each student flexibility to forge an individual path. The design sequence begins with the fundamentals of architectural design as a conceptual discipline, deployed at a range of scales. The second semester focuses on relational and ecological design thinking through the interpretive, analytical, programmatic and generative uses of digital and hybrid media. The Engaged Practices studio (3rd semester) foregrounds socio-cultural issues, and inclusive and resilient design. The Integrative Design studio (4th semester) develops the detailed design of a building.

This is followed by two semesters of Option Studios, where students study in NYC in the fall, with the possibility to elect a continuing NYC-based program (space permitting) or an Ithaca-based program in the spring. In the AAP NYC studios, urban issues are investigated in relation to ecological, technological and cultural practices.  In Ithaca, students select from a robust array of topical territories of investigation, including studios with a focus on ecological issues, social issues, emerging technology, and theory & representation, amongst others. These options allow increased self-determination for the student to hone their own trajectory before entering the final semester, which includes an independent research/design thesis supported by the faculty.

In addition to the design studios, the M.Arch. curriculum comprises a rich offering of required and elective classes in visual representation, architectural theory, history of architecture and urban development, building technology, and professional practice, as well as an array of electives throughout the greater university.

 

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