Massachusetts Institute of Technology
School of Architecture and Planning
The Department of Architecture offers two undergraduate degree programs. Bachelor of Science in Architecture (BSA), Course 4, (in one of five disciplines: Architecture Design; Building Technology; Computation; History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art; Art, Culture and Technology), and Bachelor of Science in Architecture Studies (SBAS), Course 4-B, an interdisciplinary program. The Department of Architecture offers five graduate degree programs: Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) Master of Science in Architecture Studies (M.S. Arch.S.), (in six research areas: Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture Architecture; Urbanism; Building Technology; Computation; History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art; and Architectural Design); Master of Science in Building Technology (SMBT); Master of Science in Art, Culture and Technology (SMACT); Master of Science Without Specification, and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), (in three research areas: Building Technology Design and Computation History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art).
http://architecture.mit.edu/
Setting
Architecture students have access to the academic resources of the entire Institute. In addition to the professional curriculum, the department provides opportunities for study and research in urbanism, computation and design, visual arts, history, theory, and criticism of art and architecture, and building technology. Our sister department is Urban Studies and Planning. MIT maintains cooperative relationships with other area institutions, including Harvard. Boston, with its concentration of cultural and intellectual activities, is a major resource.
School Philosophy
Our concern is for a humane environment supporting the needs of everyday life and satisfying the depths of human experience. We seek to explore all aspects of architecture and respond to the demands of a complex discipline. Faculty and students examine alternative ways of perceiving and designing and a range of technologies. Educational programs prepare students for practice, research, and further study on the frontiers of professions that determine the form and quality of the physical environment and shape environmental policies and opportunities. Students exercise a high degree of responsibility and initiative in formulating their career plans.
Programs
Undergraduate Program: The department offers two undergraduate courses of study: Course IV leads to the Bachelor of Science in Art and Design; Course IV-B leads to the Bachelor of Science. Course IV offers a flexible program in four areas of concentration: architectural design; building technology (including structures, building process, energy systems, and environmental control); computation, history, theory, and criticism of art and architecture, and visual arts. Within a clear framework, students develop individual courses of study best suited to their needs and interests. Students who plan to continue their studies for the graduate degree, Master of Architecture, must apply for admission to the M.Arch. program. Students who have fulfilled the requirements for the BS in Art and Design normally are able to satisfy the requirements for the professional degree in 2.5 or 2 years, if they include in their undergraduate program a sufficient number of professional subjects. Course IV-B is offered for students who find that their basic intellectual commitments fall within the Department of Architecture, but whose educational objectives cut across departmental boundaries. These students may, with department approval, plan a course of study that meets their individual need and interests, while including the fundamental areas within the department. Graduate Program: The Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) is an accredited program of 2.5 to 3.5 years combining intensive training in architectural design with other subjects providing preparation for certification and practice. Architectural design studios, the largest component of the M.Arch. program, emphasize design processes linked by concerns for site, material factors, and a reciprocal relationship between use and the architectural propositions. Effort is made to coordinate learning in design with subjects in building technology, visual arts, history and theory of architecture, and architecture studies including urban issues and computer technology. A thesis is required. The Master of Science in Architecture Studies (M.S. Arch.S.) is a two-year post-professional program based in research in architecture as a discipline and a practice. Students shape individual programs in accord with their interests, engaging faculty resources of the entire department. Four areas of inquiry are recognized: history, theory and criticism of art and architecture, design and computation, architecture and urbanism, and architecture and technology. A thesis is required. Graduate degree areas are: building technology; city design (MCP joint with Department of Urban Studies and Planning); design and computation; history, theory and criticism of art and architecture (post medieval Western and Islamic); and visual arts.
of Focus
1. Design/Build
2. Digital Design & Visualization
3. History | Theory | Criticism
Opportunities
Study Abroad
Facilities
Laser Cutter
Woodshop
3D Printing
CNC Milling
Fabrication Lab
Policies
Transfer Policies
The transfer application is intended for students who have finished high school and completed at least one year of college. If you are still in high school, you are considered a first-year applicant regardless of how many classes you may have taken at the university level.
Students who will have completed at least two terms of study at an accredited college, university, technical institute, or community college by the time of their prospective enrollment may apply for transfer admission. However, we cannot accept transfer applications from students who at the time of entry to MIT will have finished less than one year or more than two and a half years (i.e., five terms) of college because of our residency requirements. Please note that MIT does not award second bachelor’s degrees.
If you are ineligible for either first-year or transfer admissions, or simply prefer to seek other routes to and through MIT, you may consider exploring some of our options for continuing and professional education.
