The M.S. in Architecture program offers concentrated inquiry, research, study, and pedagogy in the following major areas:

CULTURE, SOCIETY, SPACE: The Culture, Society, Space research cluster examines how built spaces – from the artifact to the urban – affect those who interact with them and, conversely, how cultural, societal, and disciplinary values shape the spaces we create. Projects can address individual buildings, public spaces, communities, or cities, as well as typological, institutional, and wider forms of inquiry. Research methods include formal, theoretical, historic/historiographi-cal, sociological, and systemic analyses. Studies may focus on spaces and ideas as forms of cultural expression, the people who produce and use them, and/or the ideological forces in which they operate, including all aspects of their sustainability.

DESIGN COMPUTING: The Design Computing research cluster offers students critical knowledge and advanced skills in the use of digital technologies in architecture and related design fields, especially in the areas of visualization and fabrication. By critically examining contemporary discourse on digital media and architecture, this cluster examines the impact of emerging digital technologies on creative processes in shaping our built environment, and investigates how they can be productively utilized in sustainable design, interdisci-plinary collaboration, and fabrication. The work of faculty and students in this group ranges from research on immersive environments and critical studies of design technologies, software development, to innovative uses of numerically controlled devices.

MATERIAL MATTERS: The Material Matters research clus-ter explores the inherent and expressive attributes of materials to generate design ideas that inform the conception of form and space in architecture and other creative disciplines. This cluster develops innovative, experimental, and sustainable attitudes and habits toward the use and reuse of materials and resources, and produces artifacts that exemplify the behavior and phenomenal perception of materials. The work of the faculty and students in the MM cluster ranges from interdis-ciplinary research such as collaborative projects with material studies and engineering disciplines, to manual and digital prototyping, to various modes and scales of hands on explora-tions including full-scale execution and fabrication of designed artifacts.

SUSTAINABILITY: The Sustainability research cluster inves-tigates architecture’s potential to improve the quality of life for current and future societies around the globe, addressing issues of natural resource consumption, pollution prevention, and organizational dependencies. Our faculty address aes-thetic, technical, economic, and social issues in projects that cover multiple scales. From design processes, historical and theoretical aspects of sustainability, material reclamation, and reuse, to identifying social structures preventing sustainable practice, this research cluster offers a comprehensive view of sustainability that promotes interdisciplinary integration. Fac-ulty bring both practitioner and academic experience to their investigations, producing generalizable knowledge that can also be applied in the professional practice of architecture.

Penn State is hierarchically organized, with the Graduate School having jurisdiction over all graduate programs at Penn State. The Graduate School thus determines and monitors the minimum standards for all of the graduate programs at Penn State. The Department of Architecture receives applications to its graduate program and recommends applicants to the (University’s) Graduate School. The Graduate School in turn first admits students to the University and then to our gradu-ate program.

The graduate faculty of the Department of Architecture, part of the College of Arts and Architecture, establishes the graduate program and its policies, standards, and regulations. The Graduate Executive Council and the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies of the College of Arts and Ar-chitecture may establish additional regulations for the various graduate programs in the College. Policies established by the Department of Architecture may be more rigorous than those established by the College or the University, but not the other way around.

The graduate program in architecture is directed by the Head of the Department and administered by the Director of Graduate Studies and the staff. A graduate curriculum com-mittee oversees the structure of the program.

Penn State’s post-professional Master of Science in Architec-ture is an academic degree, but is not professionally accred-ited. It is intended for students with professional degrees in architecture who seek to develop a better understanding of the principles and theory that underlie the discipline. The program is inquiry-oriented and emphasizes the application of theory to critical architectural and urban issues. Advanced study is offered in four research clusters (with some overlap): Culture, Society and Space (CSS), Design Computing (DC), Material Matters (MM), and Sustainability (SUS). The program offers the opportunity to pursue individual goals, indepen-dent inquiry and research, and interdisciplinary study. In addition to helping you develop detailed knowledge and skills, a major objective of the program is teaching you to conduct research. Consistent with this approach, the thesis or final project should be your main concern from the moment you enter the program. A thesis must develop new knowledge. Understanding the methodology of researching and writing the thesis is one of the major goals of the M.S. in Architecture program. In clusters with a studio requirement, the studio is viewed as an experience in architectural inquiry related to critical architectural issues. The graduate program is intentionally small and flexible. Its primary resource is the faculty. The program matches individual faculty and students who share common interests within the clusters. The program is neither highly structured nor does it offer an extensive array of courses. To compli-ment the core set of required courses, you are encouraged to select coursework as directed electives within or outside of the department. The program works best for students who have clearly defined interests that are matched by the faculty resources at Penn State. 

The success and efficacy of your graduate work will depend largely on your ability to identify the bodies of knowledge and methods you need to achieve your goals. For this reason, it is important for you to get to know the members of the faculty and their research interests. The Director of Graduate Studies and the Head of the Department can provide additional in-formation. A direct talk with faculty members in the research cluster you are interested in can be arranged by making an ap-pointment or by stopping in during their office hours. Taking the initiative to arrange your own meetings with faculty mem-bers is probably the fastest way to identify the advisers you would like to work with. If you are an international student, you will probably find the Penn State architecture professors (even if they were not born in the United States) much less formal than those in your home country. So, don’t hesitate to strike up a conversation if you have a question or need advice.

The role of the academic adviser is to assist you in defining your area of interest, formulating your program of study, and identifying appropriate courses. The Director of Graduate Studies will serve as your academic adviser until you identify a thesis adviser.

The post-professional Master of Science in Architecture culmi-nates in a degree for students interested in advanced studies in the field. Most students complete their studies within two calendar years. The Department of Architecture also offers a limited number of students enrolled in the fourth year of the Penn State Bachelor of Architecture degree program the op-portunity to enroll in an integrated program leading to both the B.Arch. and the M.S. in Architecture degrees. This pro-gram permits the student to integrate the fifth year of study for the professional B.Arch. degree with the program of study for the M.S. in Architecture degree into a continuous program of study culminating in the award of both degrees. 

The ability to coordinate as well as concurrently pursue the two degree programs enables the student to achieve greater depth and comprehensiveness than if the degrees are pursued sequentially. The student may also earn the two degrees in a shorter period of time. Students who at any time during the Integrated Program decide not to com-plete the M.S. in Architecture can graduate with the B.Arch. assuming they have completed all requirements for the
B.Arch degree.

ARCH 511 | Theoretical Perspectives in Architecture
The course analyzes selected writings of architects and theorists from the recent past to the present. Architectural theory is examined as a recurring set of critical questions or issues that have consistently shaped architectural thought and experimentation.

ARCH 550 | Ethics in Design
This interdisciplinary course examines the effects of the environmental initiative on the design professions since the 1960s while providing an overview of research methods used to generate this knowledge. Featuring a wide spectrum of prominent voices in science, art, history, literature, ecology, psychology, philosophy, linguistics, sociology, economics, agriculture, and politics, students will access the integrative thinking behind major scholarly and design achievements through research that will culminate in a written or design project.

ARCH 597/497 | Graduate Elective
Course to be chosen in consultation and with the approval of student’s thesis adviser or the Department’s Director of Graduate Studies.

ARCH 536 | Socio-Cultural Research Applications
in Architecture
In this project-oriented course, students will analyze a facet of architecture’s sociological, historical, and theoretical dimensions, then communicate the results through an exhibition, publication, symposium, or other public product. It will emphasize incorporating socio-cultural research with ideas of architectural production and meaning, and strategies for successful communication of the outcome with an audience.

ARCH 520 | Methods of Inquiry in Architecture
In this course, students will gain on overview of effective research methods and research design in architecture and related fields. Topics covered include formulating an area
of inquiry and a research question, conducting a literature review, ethics in research, primary and secondary source research, qualitative and quantitative research, historical research, analytical argumentation, and research through design. This course will serve as a peer-review platform as students develop their own thesis proposals, and introduces students to scholarly discussion of their work through a culminating public presentation of their proposals.

ARCH 497 | Inquiry into Design Computing
This course introduces computational design as a field of creative and scholarly inquiry. Topics include theories and practices of computation as they relate to design, fabrication, wearables, systems theory, and experience. Weekly assignments and discussions familiarize students with the key technical paradigms, literature, and methods of computational design. The course also serves as an introduction to the design computing faculty members, who participate as guests, giving an overview of the cluster’s different approaches to computation in design.

ARCH 511 | Theoretical Perspectives in Architecture
The course analyzes selected writings of architects and theorists from the recent past to the present. Architectural theory is examined as a recurring set of critical questions or issues that have consistently shaped architectural thought and experimentation.

ARCH 536 | Design Computing Pre-Thesis Studio The Design Computing Independent Studio offers students
the opportunity to craft with their advisers a personalized program of research and learning based on their research interests, taking advantage of Penn State’s wealth of courses and research opportunities. Students will be guided through cluster-recommended options in fields such as computer science, material science, and philosophy, based on their relevance to each student’s research question. In bi-weekly “thesis-preparation” meetings, students discuss their progress, getting feedback from both the cluster faculty and their peers.

ARCH 520 | Methods Of Inquiry In Architecture
In this course, students will gain on overview of effective research methods and research design in architecture and related fields. Topics covered include formulating an area of inquiry and a research question, conducting a literature review, ethics in research, primary and secondary source research, qualitative and quantitative research, historical research, analytical argumentation, and research through design. This course will serve as a peer-review platform as students develop their own thesis proposals, and introduces students to scholarly discussion of their work through a culminating public presentation of their proposals.

ARCH 597/497 | Graduate Elective
Course to be chosen in consultation and with the approval of student’s thesis adviser or the Department’s Director of Graduate Studies.

ARCH 491/536 | Material Matters Studio
The primary goal of the studio is to generate knowledge through hands-on critical making. This studio will function as a research environment open to any/all variety of processes and materials with architectural potential. Students in this studio will be invited to research a process/tooling and its associated materials, fabricate tectonic tools/machines, develop and fabricate architectural elements (blocks, panels, framing units, etc.), and build full-scale components. This course will include occasional lectures, assigned readings, and tool-related workshops.

ARCH 511 | Theoretical Perspectives in Architecture
The course analyzes selected writings of architects and theorists from the recent past to the present. Architectural theory is examined as a recurring set of critical questions or issues that have consistently shaped architectural thought and experimentation.

ARCH 520 | Methods of Inquiry in Architecture
In this course, students will gain an overview of effective research methods and research design in architecture and related fields. Topics covered include formulating an area of inquiry and a research question, conducting a literature review, ethics in research, primary and secondary source research, qualitative and quantitative research, historical research, analytical argumentation, and research through design. This course will serve as a peer-review platform as students develop their own thesis proposals, and introduces students to scholarly discussion of their work through a culminating public presentation of their proposals.

ARCH 511 | Theoretical Perspectives in Architecture
The course analyzes selected writings of architects and theorists from the recent past to the present. Architectural theory is examined as a recurring set of critical questions or issues that have consistently shaped architectural thought and experimentation.

ARCH 412 | Integrative Energy and Environmental Design This course will introduce environmentally conscious design and using the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) as a point of departure for students’ critical inquiry into approaches to sustainable design and the built environment. The goal of this course is to help students to develop the vocabulary and skills to become productive contributors to sustainable building project teams.

ARCH 536 | Inquiry Studio in Sustainability
This studio will challenge students to develop their design and representation skills while applying research, theory, and concepts of sustainability to design problems. Emphasis will be placed on design integration, materials, and methods of construction, and social responsibility at varying scales from urban design and site planning to project detailing.

ARCH 520 | Methods Of Inquiry In Architecture
In this course, students will gain on overview of effective research methods and research design in architecture and related fields. Topics covered include formulating an area of inquiry and a research question, conducting a literature review, ethics in research, primary and secondary source research, qualitative and quantitative research, historical research, analytical argumentation, and research through design. This course will serve as a peer-review platform as students develop their own thesis proposals, and introduces students to scholarly discussion of their work through a culminating public presentation of their proposals.

The department research clusters have slightly different demands for the thesis project, but in all cases the thesis
is the culminating project of the post-professional M.S. in Architecture degree. The thesis course (ARCH 600) is taken for 6 credits, although a great deal of preliminary work is done in other courses or on your own. It is critical that you be able to realize the project within the time allotted and with the resources you have at hand. Defining the question and building the body of knowledge required to examine it should be at the center of your attention from the day you enter the program. The Graduate School specifies that the thesis must be an independent effort on the part of the graduate student and must produce new knowledge. “Independent effort” does not mean that you must do everything alone. Rather you will be guided by your com-mittee (see below) and may even have the help of an editor, data gatherer, or methodologist. The conceptual analysis and development, however, must be your own. The Graduate School defines “new knowledge” systemati-cally, though with room for flexibility. First, the knowledge must be new to society including academia; it is insufficient if it is only new to you. Second, to be knowledge, it must have been shared, tested, and acknowledged as valuable and usable by society, in this case by academia. In practice, the adequacy of your thesis will be defined by your committee, many of whom will hold that the most important criteria is the adequacy of the learning experience, i.e., your having learned how to conduct research.

A design project may be a part of the thesis; but in this case too, new theoretical knowledge or insight must be generated. The latter is usually described in a written document or monograph of which the design project becomes a part. The applicability of the new knowledge to the discipline and/or the profession of architecture is an important criterion for acceptability. The Department of Architecture sets requirements beyond those set by the Graduate School. The department specifies that the thesis must be related and make a contribution to the profession and/or discipline of architecture. Beyond that, the substance, scope, and methodology is determined by you and your thesis committee.

THESIS TYPE 1

Thesis Type 1 first conducts a thorough study and assimilation of existing scholarship and data (which may include analyses of existing architectural designs). Then, a hypothesis is tested through appropriate methods including qualitative or quantitative studies such as surveys, historical analysis, simulation studies, or other modeling techniques. Graduate School formatting requirements are followed so that the thesis may be submitted to the Graduate School database as well as the Department of Architecture.

THESIS TYPE 2

Thesis Type 2 also requires a thorough study and assimilation of existing theory, scholarship and data, which must be presented as a monograph or similar. A hypothesis is then derived and examined through an architectural design inquiry. Formatting requirements are more flexible in this type of thesis, which is submitted to the Department of Architecture.

Following is a brief description of the formal steps in the M.S. in Architecture thesis process. Certain dates are set by departmental policy, for example thesis proposal presentation dates and thesis defense dates.

The thesis committee must be composed of a minimum of three Graduate Faculty members, not less than two of whom shall be members of the Graduate Faculty in Architecture. One of these two Graduate Faculty members shall serve as the chair of the committee and as your thesis adviser. One or more members of your committee may be from another department. The Director of Graduate Studies or Department Head must also attend your thesis defense and sign off on the thesis; if the Director of Graduate Studies is your adviser or a committee member then the Department Head must play this role and vice versa. You may have more than three members on your committee, but keep in mind that this may make it more difficult to schedule meetings.

The committee’s role is similar to that of design studio critics: to guide you, advise you, critique the thesis, and finally, to judge your effort. One of the committee members is your primary guide or mentor and is referred to as the adviser. Usually, the adviser takes a more active and dominant role in substantive issues and is responsible for administrative matters. The other members usually play a secondary role, primarily helping you with substantive questions. External members (from another department) provide guidance and expertise when your thesis crosses disciplinary lines.

The Graduate School permits faculty from other universities to be on a committee when no one at Penn State repre-sents the expertise desired. The addition of a non-Penn State faculty member requires the Graduate School’s approval.

Should the need arise, committee membership can be changed, including the adviser. Because this may result in a delay in graduation, you should consult as soon as pos-sible with your adviser in the case of a committee mem-ber change, or with the Director of Graduate Studies or Department Head in case of a change of advisers.

In principle, only the work related to executing thesis is done under ARCH 600 (Thesis). This is a capstone course, and is taken in the last semester of your studies. Deciding on a topic, preparing to study the topic, and writing the thesis proposal are all done in other courses or “on your own.” The initial ideas for the thesis are identified in the first year of study. As you begin to think about your topic, you will spend much time reading in various areas trying to define a focus and to learn enough about the subject matter to think of it as a thesis. While you are preparing yourself for the thesis, you should register for appropriate supporting courses. If an appropriate elective course on a desired topic is not offered, you may register for ARCH 596 (Independent Studies). In preparing your thesis project, you may also register for ARCH 591 (Architectural Research), usually under the supervision of your adviser. Only when you are working directly on the thesis, i.e., gathering or analyzing the information, should you be registered for ARCH 600. ARCH 600 is a controlled course and you must successfully defend your thesis proposal in order to register through the departmental office.

No more than 6 credits of ARCH 600 may count toward fulfilling the degree requirements. If you need to be enrolled for additional thesis work beyond the 6-credit minimum, you may register for additional credits in ARCH 600. In this case, you will receive permanent R grades for ARCH 600 because the Graduate School limits ARCH 600 for master’s theses to a maximum of 6 credits of “quality grades.” A master’s candidate who has completed all of the requirements for the M.S. degree prior to their semester of graduation does not need to register for any credits in their final semester in order to graduate.

Students may choose to enroll in electives beyond the number of credits required. Keep in mind, however, that elective courses do effect your grade point average (GPA) and that you must get a C or better for them to count toward meeting the degree requirements.

Each spring semester the Graduate School organizes a University-wide Graduate Exhibition. This is an excellent opportunity to present your thesis work, to become engaged in the University at large, and to network beyond our own discipline. You will find the schedule and guidelines on the Graduate School’s website.

In recent years, the Department of Architecture has been very successful in the University’s Graduate Exhibition with the following M.S. students receiving recognitions:

2018 Manal Anis, 3rd Place

2017 Angelica Rocio Rodriguez Ramirez, 1st Place

2016 Cansu Tari, 1st Place; Dhaval Chheda, 2nd Place; Shivaram Punathambekar, 3rd Place

2015 Farah Abdel Galil, 2nd Place

Main Tasks for On-time Completion

Coursework

Schedule of Deliverables

Main Tasks for On-time Completion

Coursework

Main Tasks for On-time Completion

Coursework

All Clusters: ARCH 600 and/or Electives

Notes

Only after your thesis proposal is approved, can you enroll in ARCH 600: Thesis Research. The 6 credits needed for ARCH 600 may be taken in one semester or in any increments desired by the student and approved by the thesis adviser.

Schedule of Deliverables

Week 8: No later than 8th week, you should schedule a committee meeting for in-progress feedback.

Main Tasks for On-time Completion

Recommended Coursework

Notes

Schedule of Deliverables

To qualify for the TREES dual-title intercollege degree, students must satisfy the requirements of the M.S. in Architecture degree program. In addition, TREES students must satisfy the minimum requirements of the TREES dual-title intercollege degree program described here.

Further requirements are listed here:
• University Policy on Dual-Title Graduate Degree Programs GCAC-208
• Information about TREES can be found in the University Bulletin.
• Information related to the dual-title M.S. in Architecture + TREES is also available in the Graduate Degree Bulletin.

A student in TREES must complete 15 credits of TREES course work beyond the bachelor's degree in addition to curricular requirements for the master's degree in the student's primary program. Final course selection, including which courses will satisfy both the graduate major program and dual-title program requirements, is determined by the students with approval by their dual-title program advisor(s) and their major program advisor(s) and/or committee.

Courses required from the TREES side are listed on the TREES Course Requirements website.

A thesis committee for the dual-title M.S. degree will consist of two Graduate Faculty members from Architecture and one Graduate Faculty member from TREES. The M.S. thesis advisor shall be a member of the student's major program and a member of the dual-title program. All members of the committee must hold Graduate Faculty status.

The M.S. thesis topic itself will be an integration of both architecture and TREES.

Candidates for the dual-title M.S. degree in Architecture and TREES will also be required to pass a final defense covering the general field of architecture and TREES, with emphasis on the student’s area of specialization. The defense is to be administered by the student’s thesis committee. The thesis may only pass with a unanimous affirmative decision of the thesis committee.