Post-Professional Master of Science, Advanced Architectural Design

2 Year On Campus Masters Program

Cornell University

Program Overview

Cornell University’s Post-Professional Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design (M.S. AAD) is an intensive advanced design-research program for architects who already hold a professional B.Arch., M.Arch., or international equivalent, focusing on contemporary design concerns, practices, technologies, and architecture-urbanism relationships. Study format: The basic program is a three-semester course of study, with a four-semester option available, and begins with an intensive summer semester at Cornell AAP’s Gensler Family AAP Center in New York City.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: Students begin with an intensive summer semester in New York City that introduces the program’s four territories of investigation through advanced studios and seminars: Architecture and Discourse, Architecture and Ecology, Architecture and Representation, and Architecture and Urbanism. Courses such as ARCH 7111 Design A, ARCH 6110 Computational Thinking as Design Process, and ARCH 6301 Territories of Investigation develop students’ abilities in design research, computational methods, emerging technologies, ecological thinking, representation, and contemporary architectural inquiry.

Year 2: In the remaining fall and spring semesters, students deepen their chosen territory through option studios and electives, developing specialized research interests while connecting architecture with ecology, technology, urbanism, discourse, and representation. Students in the four-semester option undertake additional territory-related and open electives alongside a two-semester thesis, allowing them to develop a sustained independent architectural research and design project.

Focus areas: Architecture and Discourse, Architecture and Ecology, Architecture and Representation, Architecture and Urbanism, sustainable practices, material research, environmental simulation, computational design, digital fabrication, emerging technologies, urban geography, infrastructure, design research, architectural theory, and contemporary representation.

Learning outcomes: Students develop advanced capabilities in architectural design research, critical inquiry, computational and digital design, ecological and material investigation, urban analysis, representation, and interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary architectural problems. The program also enables students to formulate specialized research questions and develop sophisticated design responses within their selected territory of investigation.

Professional alignment: The M.S. AAD is a post-professional degree intended for applicants who already hold a professional B.Arch., M.Arch., or equivalent qualification, so it is designed to advance architectural research and design expertise rather than serve as the initial professional architecture degree. STEM designation: Cornell identifies the program as a STEM program in Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology (CIP 04.0902), making eligible international graduates potentially able to extend their F-1 status for up to three years for U.S. employment.

Reputation: Cornell AAP describes its graduate architecture programs as top-ranked graduate programs, supported by world-renowned faculty, extensive research resources, the Milstein Hall and fabrication facilities, the Cornell NYC presence, and a global alumni and partner network.

Employability: Cornell AAP’s Gensler Family AAP NYC Center provides access to leading practitioners, civic and cultural institutions, industry networking events, site visits, studio visits, and Cornell’s New York City alumni community, giving M.S. AAD students direct exposure to contemporary professional and design networks.

Ranking: A specific QS/Guardian employability ranking for this individual M.S. AAD program is not stated on the official Cornell sources reviewed, so no external ranking figure is substituted.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Cornell’s Post-Professional M.S. in Advanced Architectural Design places students in an environment where advanced architectural design is developed through studios, computational methods, material experimentation, digital fabrication, and research. Students have access to dedicated architecture studios, fabrication facilities, robotic construction resources, research labs, and the Mui Ho Fine Arts Library, allowing them to move from digital concepts and prototypes toward physical architectural experimentation.

Digital fabrication: Students can work with CNC machining, laser cutting, 3D printing, and robotic fabrication technologies through Cornell AAP’s Digital Fabrication Lab. The facility provides programming stations and robotic equipment, supporting advanced computational design and fabrication workflows.

Software: Rhinoceros 8, RhinoCAM 2023, Adobe Illustrator, Prusa Print, ABB RobotStudio, and RoboDK are available through the Digital Fabrication Lab, supporting 3D modeling, CAM, visualization, 3D printing, and robotic fabrication.
Digital fabrication equipment: 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC equipment, robotics programming stations, and a 4′ × 8′ CNC mill enable students to translate computational designs into physical prototypes and architectural components.
Robotics: ABB IRB-120, ABB IRB-4600, and ABB IRB-6700 robotic arms provide opportunities for experimentation with robotic fabrication and construction processes.
Design studios: L. P. Kwee Studios in Milstein Hall provide dedicated student workspaces and presentation areas, while the department’s studio environment supports individual design development, reviews, and collaborative architectural work.
Material experimentation: The Autodesk Design and Make Space includes wood and metal shops, a digital fabrication center, and a 24/7 work area, allowing students to combine traditional material processes with digital making.
Research laboratories: Students can engage with research environments such as the Robotic Construction Lab, which develops sustainable robotic construction technologies, material systems, and fabrication processes for the future built environment.
Advanced research: The RUBI Lab combines computational protocols, digital fabrication, augmented reality, and mixed reality with research into adaptable buildings, housing, materials, and construction methods.
Architecture research: Cornell AAP’s research community includes the Building Construction Lab, Jenny Sabin Lab, Design Across Scales Lab, Realtime Urbanism Lab, Housing Innovation Lab, and Robotic Construction Lab, giving advanced architecture students opportunities to engage with research at the intersection of architecture, technology, ecology, materials, and society.
Library resources: The Mui Ho Fine Arts Library provides extensive fine arts and design collections, collaborative workspaces, individual study carrels, public computing and output facilities, seminar space, and direct access to the L. P. Kwee Studios.
Research and making environment: The ground floor of Rand Hall combines the Autodesk Design and Make Space, digital fabrication shops, maker space, research lab, and small-tool repository, creating a concentrated environment for architectural experimentation and research.
Technical support: AAP Material Practice staff provide training and supervision for equipment and processes in the fabrication shops and Digital Fabrication Lab, while AAP IT Solutions provides computing support and access to commonly needed software applications.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Post-Professional Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design (M.S. AAD) prepares graduates to pursue advanced architectural design research, critical practice, and emerging technologies across architecture and urbanism. Graduate outcomes: Students can build specialized careers in advanced architectural practice, computational and digital design, sustainable design research, and architectural research or academia, with the program’s STEM designation also providing eligible international graduates an opportunity to extend F-1 work authorization for up to three years.

Typical job roles: Architectural Designer, Computational Designer, Design Researcher, Architectural Researcher: the program’s territories of investigation develop expertise in design research, sustainable practices, computational design, digital fabrication, emerging technologies, urbanism, theory, and representation.

Career support: Cornell’s Career Network provides graduate outcome information by school, major, degree, employer, industry, and graduation year, while AAP’s New York City center provides access to leading practitioners, civic and cultural institutions, studio visits, site visits, networking events with industry leaders, and Cornell’s NYC-based alumni community.
Employment statistics: Cornell publishes graduate first-destination information covering employment, continuing education, employers, employment locations, and starting salaries; the university does not state a separate M.S. AAD employment percentage on the official program page reviewed.
Salary figures: Cornell states that its starting-salary figures are self-reported base salaries from graduates employed full-time; a specific M.S. AAD salary figure is not stated on the official sources reviewed, so no unrelated salary figure is substituted.
Industry connections: The Gensler Family AAP NYC Center places M.S. AAD students in New York City for the program’s first summer semester, with access to leading practitioners, cultural and civic institutions, field trips, site visits, studio visits, and networking events with industry leaders.
Research opportunities: Cornell AAP supports advanced architectural research through its labs and research resources; for example, M.S. AAD students participate in research involving computational design, digital fabrication, and sustainable construction.
Accreditation value: The M.S. AAD is a post-professional degree rather than Cornell’s NAAB-accredited professional architecture degree. Cornell states that its NAAB-accredited programs are the B.Arch. and professional M.Arch.; therefore, the M.S. AAD should be viewed as an advanced specialization for students who already hold a professional architecture qualification rather than as a replacement for a professional accredited architecture degree.
STEM value: The program is designated as a STEM program in Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology (CIP 04.0902), making eligible international graduates potentially able to extend their F-1 visas for up to three years to work in the United States.
Graduation outcomes: Cornell’s AAP Alumni Archive documents the careers, work, practices, and accomplishments of graduates across decades, while the Cornell Career Network provides structured first-destination and employment-location information for graduate programs.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can continue toward research-intensive academic study, particularly Cornell’s Ph.D. in History of Architecture and Urban Development, which prepares scholars for academic and research careers. Students may also pursue further specialized graduate study within Cornell AAP, including the M.S. in Advanced Urban Design or M.S. in Design Technology, where their professional architecture background can support deeper specialization in urban transformation, technology, computation, and design research.