Critical Thinking and Expression

Graduates from the MArch program will be able to analyze and understand the role of architecture and urbanism within multiple theoretical, historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and environmental contexts. Graduates will be able to investigate and express architectural ideas through diverse modes of communication, including writing, speaking, drawing, and modeling.

Graduates from the program will be able to:

• Understand the architectural discipline’s body of knowledge.
• Comprehend the histories and theories of architecture and urbanism, and their relationships to diverse social, cultural, economic and political forces, nationally and globally.
• Draw on a broad and deep education.
• Adopt an experimental approach to architectural research and design.
• Value lifelong inquisitiveness and learning that spans academic and practice settings.
• Critically assess evidence and draw reasoned conclusions from analysis of the evidence.

Design Process and Representation

Graduates from the MArch program will approach design as a process entailing inquiry, research, thinking, knowledge creation, innovation, synthesis, and representation.

Graduates from the program will be able to:

• Engage in research as part of the design process.
• Understand the role of the design process in shaping the built environment
• Execute design processes that integrate multiple factors, in different settings and scales of development, from buildings to cities.
• Contribute to advancing disciplinary knowledge in relation to ever-changing environmental and social conditions.
• Understand architecture as a practice of continual knowledge generation, innovation, and improvement of the discipline.
• Understand how the built environment can advance inclusion and justice for people of different backgrounds, resources, and abilities.
• Communicate and disseminate design ideas fluently in a range of media.

Building Practices, Technical Knowledge, and Environmental Stewardship

Graduates from the MArch program will strive to design better, safer, more equitable, resilient, and sustainable built environments. They will understand how their designs impact the natural and human worlds, and take responsibility for those environmental and social impacts. Graduates will be able to comprehend the technical and regulatory aspects of design, systems, and materials and be able to apply that comprehension to create integrated architectural solutions.

Graduates from the program will be able to:

• Understand established and emerging systems, technologies, and assemblies of building construction
• Apply the principles of environmental stewardship.
• Understand the dynamic between built and natural environments in a holistic way
• Understand the multiple ways that architects can mitigate climate change, through technological measures that improve building performance, adaptation, and resilience, as well as through policy advocacy.
• Engage in architectural research to test and evaluate innovations in the field.

Integrated Architectural Solutions

Graduates from the MArch program will be able to synthesize a wide range of variables into an integrated design solution.

Graduates from the program will be able to:

• Evaluate options and reconcile the implications of design decisions across systems and scales.
• Synthesize diverse and complex systems—including building envelope systems and assemblies, structural systems, environmental control systems, life safety systems, and the measurable outcomes of building performance—into an integrated architectural solution.
• Synthesize factors such as user requirements, regulatory requirements, site conditions, and accessible design into their design decisions.
• Incorporate knowledge about environmental strategies and measurable impacts into an integrated design solution.

Professional Practice and Ethics

Graduates from the MArch program will understand how to apply legal, ethical, and business principles into the practice of architecture. They will be able to engage in leadership and work in collaborative multidisciplinary teams. Graduates will comprehend the multiple ways architects exercise agency in the world, whether as designers, professionals, advocates, or activists. They will be committed to architecture as a multifaceted and expansive practice that serves the good of the client, society, and the public.

Graduates from the program will be able to:

• Understand the forces influencing change in the conditions of professional practice.
• Work in multidisciplinary teams; with diverse stakeholders, clients and communities; and in a range of physical and social contexts.
• Work collaboratively to solve complex problems.
• Understand architects’ professional ethics, legal and professional responsibilities, and the regulatory requirements governing architectural practice.
• Understand how architecture, from the scale of the building to the city, impacts human health, safety, and welfare, as well as the natural world.
• Understand the paths to becoming licensed as an architect in the United States, as well as the wider range of available career opportunities that utilize the discipline’s skills and knowledge.
• Comprehend the business processes relevant to architecture and construction in the United States.
• Approach design as a collaborative, inclusive, creative, and empathetic practice.
• Engage communities and clients as bearers—not just recipients—of knowledge and as collaborators.