Master of Advanced Studies in Architecture

The Master of Advanced Studies in Architecture Program (MASA) supports students in advanced independent research-based studies characterized by close collaborative links with a faculty member working within one of a select set of research themes. The successful applicant will work within one of these research themes. The areas of research interest supported in the MASA program are directly related to the diverse range of investigations currently pursued by faculty members. For a variety of reasons, not all faculty members supervise MASA students each year.

The degree provides an opportunity for those who wish to redefine their professional or academic aims to immerse themselves in a focused research environment. Working closely with a mentor, students are encouraged to utilize the resources of the wider University community while engaging in individual research. This intense research program is situated within the dynamic interdisciplinary context of the Architecture and Landscape Architecture programs and is able to draw upon related disciplines such as Community and Regional Planning, Civil Engineering, Geography, and Art History, Visual Art and Theory.  The program is also enriched by an intimate milieu that encourages the exchange of ideas and research among students of an internationally diverse background.

The MASA program is intended for qualified applicants with a graduate or undergraduate degree in architecture or a related discipline that exhibit a capacity for independent research. As such, the main criterion for admission to the program is a well-defined proposal for independent research that is supportable by faculty expertise. Students of the MASA program will develop their thesis via direct critical engagement with a primary faculty mentor who will in due course serve as their Thesis Committee Chair.

Applicants interested in the MASA program are encouraged to contact individual faculty members to discuss their goals and proposed research topic area in advance of the application deadline. An interview is not required but is strongly recommended. The Thesis Committee Chair will establish a supervisory committee in consultation with the student.

Curriculum

To obtain the MASA degree, a student must successfully complete thirty credits of study including a twelve-credit thesis and a three-credit core course, ARCH 568: Research Methods in Architecture. The fifteen credits of elective coursework are structured on an individual basis and elaborated through discussion between students and their faculty mentors. In addition to agreed interdisciplinary coursework in academic units throughout the University, MASA students engage with other students from the program and upper-level MArch students through seminars and coursework.

Elective Coursework

Students are to prepare individual curriculum in consultation with their faculty mentor. The interdisciplinary nature of architectural research encourages coursework from outside the School.  It is not unusual to undertake directed studies in which specialist research, often in anticipation of the thesis work, are closely supervised by School faculty. In addition, advanced level seminars delivered with the MArch program constitute an important source of coursework.

Degree Requirements

If the applicant declares their interest in pursuing a design or academic research project their program can be tailored more specifically to their needs, with a most efficient and effective preparation for their research project. In addition, expectations for the research could be clearly delineated. In that both assign 12 credits to the thesis project parity between design and academic research projects needs to be determined.

Term 1 - Design Thesis Stream

Studio (related to the research and with the supervisor) (6 credits)
Directed study dedicated to the research proposal (3 credits)
Presentation of research proposal

Term 1 - Written Thesis Stream

Methodology (3 credits)
Course (3 credits)
Course (3 credits)
Presentation of research proposal

Term 2

Course (3 credits)
Course (3 credits)
Course (3 credits) 

Term 3

Thesis
Review of Thesis

Term 4

Thesis (12 credits) 

Other Requirements

Progress reports at the end of every term.

In addition to the internal protocols of thesis topic presentation and defense, students are encouraged to present their work in peer reviewed conferences and publications. The program can be completed in sixteen months, including two terms of required full-time residency.