Master of Architecture
This NAAB accredited and STEM designated professional degree program is designed to prepare students for architectural practice. The program provides an interdisciplinary academic experience that positions architecture at the dynamic center of our shared social, technological and physical environment. A commitment to design excellence, social equity and sustainability is evident throughout the curriculum, equipping graduates with the creativity, competence, compassion and conviction to be positive agents of change. The Master of Architecture program offers multiple starting tracks for career changers, and students who already have an undergraduate degree in a related field.
MS in Architecture & Design Research
The STEM designated MS in Architecture & Design Research is a post-professional research-based degree designed to provide students who have already earned an accredited undergraduate degree in architecture or related discipline with an opportunity to specialize in an area of study that is critical to the profession today. This program prepares students for specialist and consulting positions in the broad field of the built environment, including architecture, engineering and construction. Students can customize their study by selecting one of four research tracks: material and design computation, health and design, history, theory and architectural pedagogy, or selecting a self-directed research area. For students interested in doctoral education, the program also serves as a pathway program into the Jefferson PhD in Architecture and Design Research program. After completion of the MS degree, students can receive up to one year of advanced placement in the PhD program.
MS in Construction Management
The MS in Construction Management program — offered on campus at East Falls, online and hybrid — is a hands-on post professional degree with a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to construction education and an unparalleled focus on sustainability. The STEM designated program is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills to plan and manage each phase of the construction process as applied to complex commercial, infrastructure and residential building projects.
MS in Urban Analytics & Geodesign
Jefferson’s MS in Urban Analytics & Geodesign leverages GIS and advanced geospatial technologies in identifying and finding innovative solutions to urban design and urban planning problems. Emphasizing GIS-based tools, 3D parametric design and modeling, sustainable design approaches, collaboration and innovation within an integrated process, this STEM-designated program is intended to empower students to find resilient solutions to 21st century urban challenges resulting from population growth, decreasing resources, natural disasters and climate change. Graduates possess highly sought-after GIS skills and are well prepared for dynamic careers in interdisciplinary firms, state and federal agencies, NGOs, academia and more.
MS in Historic Preservation
The MS in Historic Preservation program not only prepares graduates to preserve historic buildings and sites, but also to re-envision and re-purpose the past to serve present and future needs. In studio-based courses — using real clients and real sites — students gain hands-on experience and develop the skills needed to lead in the revitalization of buildings as potent historical documents and invaluable design opportunities for future use. In this STEM designated program students learn to apply the new digital technologies that are part of the 21st century historic preservation toolkit and used today for managing, documenting, conserving and interpreting culturally significant structures and places. At Jefferson’s Center for the Preservation of Modernism, students have the opportunity to develop preservation protocols tailored to the unique character of early and mid-century modern architecture.
MS in Interior Architecture
The award-winning MS in Interior Architecture is a top rated professional-level graduate program in interior design and interior architecture. The program offers multiple tracks for students who have related and unrelated undergraduate degrees. The curriculum integrates research, history, theory, design, craft, construction and digital technologies that inform the design process and creative innovation. Students develop the knowledge and skills for practical application and leadership in the profession. Students consider the implications of their design decisions in relation to human experience, well-being and environmental sustainability. Students experience collaborative practice and multidisciplinary approaches as they think and work critically to discover innovative solutions. The program offers a summer study away component with partner programs in Copenhagen/Denmark, Rome/Italy, Nantucket/Massachusetts and elsewhere.
MS in Real Estate Development
The STEM designated MS in Real Estate Development is designed to be flexible for working professionals and is offered on campus or online. All students come together once a semester for a 2-4 day residency to network and tour real project sites. By focusing on the quadruple bottom line of real estate development and combining environmental sustainability, social consciousness, design excellence, financial feasibility and economic viability, students gain first-hand experience how real estate development invigorates communities and shapes healthy places to live and work.
MS in Sustainable Design
The award-winning MS in Sustainable Design Program offers a transdisciplinary and collaborative learning experience. Students build problem-solving skills to develop market-driven solutions, to become leaders in sustainable design to better serve society. Based on an integrated design education model, the program offers a unique advantage by introducing students early in the design process to experts, design options and real-world constraints. This program offers a two-year, full-time program, a two-year online program, and a hybrid/flex program. Jefferson also offers Graduate Certificates in Sustainability Leadership, Design of Living Buildings, Resilient Communities and Green Building Operations.
Master in Urban Design – Future Cities
The STEM designated Master of Urban Design – Future Cities program educates the next generation of urban designers, architects and researchers in the development of sustainable, healthy and smart cities and communities. Focused on envisioning the future, the program spotlights pressing contemporary issues with far-reaching consequences, such as the need to develop urban resiliency and carbon neutral communities, and to harness the potential of smart technologies to achieve environmental wellness on multiple scales in response to rapid urbanization and climate change. Students have opportunities to acquire new and valuable skills and benefit from state-of-the-art research at national and international levels, thereby fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity through knowledge exchange and multidisciplinary learning. Collaboration with the Jefferson Institute for Smart and Healthy Cities offers students unparalleled opportunities for research and industry experience.
PhD in Architecture & Design
The PhD in Architecture and Design Research is focused on anticipating and shaping the future of practice. In this program students choose their focus area from a wide array of topics supported by the diverse expertise and research agenda of faculty who study areas including sustainable architecture, high performance buildings, urban design, smart cities, geospatial technologies, historic preservation, public interest design and design for health, sustainable development, real estate development and innovative construction. In this STEM-designated program, students benefit from the large network of experts and scholars within and outside Jefferson and have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty in one of the six research centers such as the Institute for Smart and Healthy Cities, Synesthetic Research and Design Lab or SMARTLab@Jefferson.
Graduate Certificates
The College of Architecture and the Built Environment offers a variety of 12 credit graduate certificates for those students who are looking to advance their careers and connect with other working professionals in their fields. These certificates are offered on campus and online, with flexibility around individual schedules.
