Earn your Ivy League degree in just three semesters and unlock high-profile job opportunities, backed by a proven track record of placing graduates at world-renowned firms.
With a curriculum that fosters leadership and a STEM designation offering international students a three-year work visa, this program sets you on the path to making a significant impact in architecture.
Your journey to leadership begins here!
Dive into a transformative learning experience with hands-on work in generative AI, robotics, and large-scale fabrication.
Master industry-specific software to enhance your marketability and integrate advanced digital modeling into your design process, directly impacting material production and construction.
This is your chance to innovate and shape the future of architecture!
Explore an emphasis on design research, fabrication, and material significance that elevates your architectural education.
Engage with contemporary and aesthetic theory courses that push beyond typical bachelor-level content, deepening your understanding of design.
The capstone project provides a hands-on opportunity to apply your skills and develop large-scale fabrications, allowing you to bring your innovative ideas to life!
Join a vibrant, diverse community of international students and faculty that enriches your educational experience.
Engage in travel studios to both Western and non-Western destinations, broadening your cultural understanding.
With access to Penn's extensive, world-class alumni network, you’ll build a powerful, career-long professional network that will support you in your architectural journey!
Take advantage of the option to enroll in electives across Penn, including the prestigious Wharton School, to broaden your academic experience.
Engage with diverse backgrounds that foster cross-disciplinary innovation and critically examine technology within contemporary architectural discourse.
This exposure will help you develop a unique creative voice, enriched by varied perspectives and methodologies that inspire your design process!
Ivy League degree completed in 3 semesters (1 calendar year).
Proven track record of placing graduates in high-profile positions at world-renowned firms.
Curriculum designed to enhance students' capacity to become leaders in the field.
STEM designation offering international students a 3-year work visa opportunity post-graduation.
Hands-on experience with generative AI tools, robotics applications, and large-scale fabrication techniques.
Mastery of industry-specific software that enhances marketability.
Integration of advanced digital modeling in design methodology, directly impacting material production and construction. processes.
Exposure to diverse academic backgrounds, fostering cross-disciplinary innovation.
Contemporary and aesthetic theory courses, going beyond typical bachelor program content.
Capstone project allowing practical application of learned skills and development of assemblies and large scale fabrications.
Emphasis on design research, fabrication, generative AI, robotics and material significance.
Critical engagement with technology in conversation with contemporary architectural discourse and theory.
Earn your Ivy League degree in just three semesters and unlock high-profile job opportunities, backed by a proven track record of placing graduates at world-renowned firms. With a curriculum that fosters leadership and a STEM designation offering international students a three-year work visa, this program sets you on the path to making a significant impact in architecture. Your journey to leadership begins here!
Ivy League degree completed in just 3 semesters (1 calendar year).
Proven track record of placing graduates in high-profile positions at world-renowned firms.
Curriculum designed to enhance students' capacity to become leaders in the field.
STEM designation offering international students a 3-year work visa opportunity post-graduation.
This course rigorously examines design in New York City's urban context, blending historical insights with analysis of financial and construction dynamics. Students will develop innovative project proposals informed by the city’s architectural heritage. A week-long field study, coupled with generative AI tools, enhances their understanding and creative engagement with urban challenges.
Learn moreThis course explores contemporary architecture from 1993 to today, examining its connections to modernism. Key themes include digital technologies, urban interiority, and narrative building. Students will create photorealistic renderings, analyze architectural contexts, and engage critically with readings. The course culminates in a mid-term and final paper, essential for the MSD-AAD curriculum.
Learn moreThis course examines innovation in architecture as a cultural engagement rather than mere change. It emphasizes that sustainable innovation relies on effective design techniques that evolve with technology. Students will use Generative AI to create a façade with new materials and manufacturing methods, fostering critical discourse on innovation, aesthetics, and cultural relevance.
Learn moreStudents will select a 700 elective from the Architecture department's fall elective offerings.
Learn moreThis course rigorously examines architectural detail and its conceptual implications in building design, allowing students to select projects aligned with their academic goals. With international exposure to diverse cultural contexts, students will develop detailed models, culminating in photorealistic renderings. The course incorporates advanced software tools, fostering effective design communication.
Learn moreThis course explores the relationship between aesthetics and architecture within contemporary social and cultural contexts. It examines aesthetics beyond surface and style, focusing on its ties to material and political histories. Students analyze aesthetics through critical approaches, addressing issues like digital representation, AI, and post-colonial narratives, culminating in two papers.
Learn moreThis course aims to help students develop a strong research proposal for their final design studio, focusing on digital fabrication and robotics with new materials like carbon fiber. Through critical discussions and collaborative debate, students will explore contemporary design practices and refine their research interests in material fabrication and architectural making.
Learn moreStudents will select a 700 elective from the Architecture department's Spring elective offerings.
Learn moreThis capstone studio integrates students; diverse knowledge through the design and fabrication of a full-scale building façade mock-up using advanced technologies like CNC milling, laser cutting, and robotics. Collaborating with instructors, students explore various construction methods, fostering a deep engagement with fabrication and preparing them for contemporary design challenges.
Learn moreThis course explores the digital shift's impact on architectural design and visualization, emphasizing diverse mediums like drawings, models, and simulations. Students will learn to translate ideas across forms and examine contemporary visualization topics. Three projects, complemented by lectures and critiques, culminate in a mid-term and final presentation, essential for the MSD-AAD curriculum.
Learn moreThis course explores architectural geometry in relation to robotic and digital fabrication, focusing on materials, machines, and generative design. Emphasizing hands-on experience, students will develop skills in design for fabrication and robotic operations. Through presentations and experimentation, they will refine their practices, enhancing creativity while addressing spatial and material challenges.
Learn moreDive into a transformative learning experience with hands-on work in generative AI, robotics, and large-scale fabrication. Master industry-specific software to enhance your marketability and integrate advanced digital modeling into your design process, directly impacting material production and construction. This is your chance to innovate and shape the future of architecture!
Hands-on experience with generative AI tools, robotics applications, and large-scale fabrication techniques.
Mastery of industry-specific software that enhances marketability.
Integration of advanced digital modeling in design methodology, directly impacting material production and construction processes.
Explore an emphasis on design research, fabrication, and material significance that elevates your architectural education. Engage with contemporary and aesthetic theory courses that push beyond typical bachelor-level content, deepening your understanding of design. The capstone project provides a hands-on opportunity to apply your skills and develop large-scale fabrications, allowing you to bring your innovative ideas to life!
Hands-on experience with generative AI tools, robotics applications, and large-scale fabrication techniques.
Mastery of industry-specific software that enhances marketability.
Integration of advanced digital modeling in design methodology, directly impacting material production and construction processes.
Join a vibrant, diverse community of international students and faculty that enriches your educational experience. Engage in travel studios to both Western and non-Western destinations, broadening your cultural understanding. With access to Penn's extensive, world-class alumni network, you will build a powerful, career-long professional network that will support you in your architectural journey!
Contemporary and aesthetic theory courses, going beyond typical bachelor program content.
Capstone project allowing practical application of learned skills and development of assemblies and large scale fabrications.
Emphasis on design research, fabrication, and material significance.
Take advantage of the option to enroll in electives across Penn, including the prestigious Wharton School, to broaden your academic experience. Engage with diverse backgrounds that foster cross-disciplinary innovation and critically examine technology within contemporary architectural discourse. This exposure will help you develop a unique creative voice, enriched by varied perspectives and methodologies that inspire your design process!
Diverse, international student community and faculty.
Travel studios to both western and non-western destinations, broadening cultural understanding.
Access to Penn's extensive, world-class alumni network in architecture and related fields.
Opportunities to build a powerful, career-long professional network.
Foreign nationals holding a Bachelor of Architecture from their home country cannot be considered for our accredited Master of Architecture program but can pursue licensure in the U.S. through the National Architecture Accrediting Board (NAAB). Licensing requires meeting education, experience, and examination criteria, including credential evaluation via NAAB's Education Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA) program. After evaluation, you must complete the necessary training and examinations. For more details on the accreditation process, visit
Option to take electives across other Penn schools, including the prestigious Wharton School.
Exposure to diverse academic backgrounds, fostering cross-disciplinary innovation.
Critical engagement with technology in conversation with contemporary architectural discourse and theory.
Development of a unique creative voice through exposure to varied perspectives and methodologies.