The Program

The Graduate Program was established in 1995; its first students entered in the fall of 1996, and its first graduate walked in the summer of 1998. The Master of Science in Architecture with areas of study and research in design, planning, computing, sustainability, and construction/manufacturing processes is designed to train individuals to be leaders in the application of design to their chosen discipline or profession. The program seeks candidates with a high level of interest in the application of design to a particular subject, discipline, or area of study identified through previous academic or professional work. This is a Post-Professional degree and does not lead to licensing in Architecture.

The environment for this study is a unique interdisciplinary setting where students with backgrounds in architecture and design work together with students from disciplines such as archaeology, anthropology, business, education, engineering, the sciences, etc. Partners in these efforts include academic and research institutions from around the country. This results in a creative atmosphere that is not matched in other programs offering visualization technology with multiple emphasis areas.

The College

The School of Architecture was established in 1973 and has fourteen full-time faculty members. Some 250 first-through-fourth-year students and twenty graduate students study at the Starkville campus. Two full-time and many adjunct faculty and about 35 fifth-year students are located in Jackson at a downtown site operated by the School. In 1991 the undergraduate program received national recognition for being the first School of Architecture in the nation to require that all students purchase a notebook computer for use in their design studios.

In 2005, the Department of Art and the Interior Design program joined with the School of Architecture joined together to become what is now the College of Architecture, Art, and Design (CAAD).

Design + Technology

The current program offers an Emphasis Area in Design + Technology. The Design + Technology curriculum is designed to provide a strong conceptual overview of 1) computational media -- their breadth and potential application, 2) the relationship between representation and communication -- how the design of representations affects the information conveyed by those representations, 3) strategies for the modeling and simulation of form and behavior as well as strategies for testing and evaluation, 4) product design and innovation with a special focus on furniture design, and 5) research and problem-design methods.

Successful candidates will be able to explore the application of the conceptual understanding developed in core courses to their specific discipline or area of interest by working with associated faculty in relevant departments or at partner institutions. These candidates will develop a thesis which reflects an understanding of their discipline and the application of visualization media or strategies to that discipline. Successful graduates will be able to assume leadership roles, in managerial or directorial positions in a professional setting or will be able to enter advanced degree programs in their disciplines.

The Design + Technology emphasis area is appropriate for:

1) students from various design fields who can demonstrate a high level of design accomplishment, who want to study digital design methodologies and explore other digital design arenas like visualization, illumination and rendering techniques, interaction design; or

2) students or working professionals with a experience in a design field; who want to enhance their skillsets through the use of computers and computer aided design and explore the use of digital techniques for design, representation or presentation; or

3) students or working professionals who want to study professional practice strategies, understand the concepts of project management and the seamless integration of technology into modern day architectural practise; or

4) students from various design fields who can demonstrate a high level of design accomplishment, who want to study product design and methodologies of production and marketing of products (with a special emphasis on furniture design); or

5) students with specialized backgrounds in such fields as archaeology, anthropology, product design, interior design, business, computer science or landscape architecture who wish to use design visualization as a means of scientific inquiry.