MS in Architecture Program Options

The Master of Science (MS) in Architecture degree program requires the completion of 30 credits, typically completed over the course of three semesters.

The degree is structured around a highly focused core of studios, research seminars, and a capstone project that collectively expand upon students’ architectural knowledge. These courses teach students how to put advanced design and research methods at the service of critical, productive thinking for energy-efficient design for our global future.

The program requires the completion of 30 credit hours, typically over the course of three semesters. Coursework consists of one required studio paired with a prototype-thinking research seminar, a series of electives meant to complement the research + design focus, and a capstone project. Applicants holding a professional degree in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design or urban planning are encouraged to apply, though applicants in related disciplines such as management, engineering, geography, environmental, graphic or product design may also be admitted at the discretion of the admissions committee in consultation with program administrators.

In a student’s first semester, there is a required design studio and research seminar to build upon design interests and research methodologies as they pertain to sustainable and energy-conscious solutions. In the second semester, we work with each individual student to craft a suite of electives, drawn from both the school of architecture and across the university, to support a student’s specific interests in preparation for their final thesis/directed research experience. Students are encouraged to take part in the 6-credit Directed Research (DR) courses taught each spring by professors whose design research aligns best with a student’s area of research interests. The DR courses, along with the second research seminar, prepare students for the final capstone project.

The final semester is a capstone experience that embraces the complex multi-disciplinary nature of architectural projects in the 21st century by providing a framework for students to explore individual research + design interests around a series of topics supported by faculty expertise from across the university. Led by School of Architecture faculty, students can work together or individually among shared topics and interests and are given the opportunity to advance their work in the kinds of multi-disciplinary contexts and conversations that drive innovative practice today. Through this degree-culminating experience, we prepare students to seek, initiate, and lead these conversations upon graduation.

Schedule

Fall Semester - 9 credits

  • Design Research Studio (6 credits)
  • Research 1 Seminar (3 credits)

Spring Semester - 12 credits

  • Design Research Course, pertaining to research track (6 credits)
  • Research 2 Seminar (3 credits)
  • Professional Elective, pertaining to research track (3 credits)

Summer Semester (Optional - 3 credits)

  • Independent Research Professional Elective (3 credits)

Fall Semester - 6 or 9 credits

  • Design Capstone Studio (6 credits)
  • Professional Elective, pertaining to research track (3 credits)

 

Students have the option of applying to the interdisciplinary Certificate
of Advanced Study in Sustainable Enterprise (CASSE) offered with the interdisciplinary Syracuse University Sustainable Enterprise Partnership. Students who complete the certificate will be fluent in the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of sustainability and their interdependence; systems science and its relationship to sustainability; and the natural, financial, technical, legal, and social drivers of sustainability strategy in businesses and other organizations. The joint MS in Architecture and CASSE requires 36 credits.

Our MS is a STEM Designated Degree by the US Student and Exchange Visitor Program.

Please note: As a research-focused master of science, this program alone does not qualify as a professional degree leading to eligibility for the Architectural Registration Exam or licensure in the USA. More information: www.ncarb.org/get-licensed.