Master of Science in Architectural Research & Design (M.S.ARC)

Students in Tulane University’s M.S.ARC gain practical research and design experience through advanced research studios, thesis work, fabrication, prototyping, and specialized inquiry. The program’s facilities support both digital and physical experimentation, while the school’s research studios allow graduate students to work with emerging materials, computational design, robotic fabrication, and full-scale architectural prototypes. Students can connect research with hands-on making through facilities such as the Fabrication Labs, Digital Ceramics Lab, and the Mintz Computer Classroom, while architecture and built-environment library resources support deeper academic investigation.

Students can develop these practical skills through:

• Advanced Fabrication: The School’s Fabrication Labs support three-dimensional design exploration and fabrication technologies, giving students opportunities to translate research and design concepts into physical prototypes and architectural assemblies.
• Digital Design & Software: The Mintz Computer Classroom provides workstations configured for computer-aided design, animation, 3D modeling, rendering, and imaging, with access to Rhinoceros, AutoCAD, ARGUS, Revit, Maya, Adobe Suite, and Microsoft Office.
• Digital Ceramics Lab: Students can experiment with digitally fabricated ceramics using Potterbot Super 10 XL 3D printers, with architecture students exploring parametric design, material behavior, ecological applications, 3D photogrammetry, and unconventional printing techniques.
• Research Studios: Graduate research studios provide hands-on investigation of emerging materials and architectural systems. For example, Ecological Tectonics: Architectural Ceramic Assemblies for Climate Adaptation uses robotic clay 3D printing, physical modeling, and full-scale prototyping.
• Laboratory-Based Material Research: Research studio work can involve laboratory experimentation with materials such as living mycelium and masonry, alongside digital and manual fabrication and testing.
• Full-Scale Prototyping: Tulane’s research studios can take projects beyond drawings and models into full-scale fabrication. The URBANbuild studio, for example, develops and fabricates housing projects while students work with tradespeople, acquire materials, develop building skills, and engage with community members.
• Research & Library Resources: Architecture and Built Environment library resources are available through Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, the Latin American Library, and the Southeastern Architectural Archive, supporting research into architecture, design, and the built environment.
• Graduate Research Facilities: Tulane is developing the Graduate Hub, scheduled for graduate use from fall 2027, with a large studio, research labs, advanced fabrication facilities, collaborative spaces, and a Historic Preservation/materials research laboratory.
• Computational & Robotic Research: Faculty research at Tulane includes computational design, digital fabrication, robotics, and ecological performance, giving M.S.ARC students an environment for advanced technology-driven architectural research. 

The Master of Science in Architectural Research and Design (M.S.ARC) is designed for architects who want to move beyond professional practice into advanced research, teaching, and design scholarship. Its post-professional structure, thesis emphasis, research studios, and specialized concentrations can prepare graduates for academic careers and research-driven roles across architecture and the wider built environment.

Career opportunities: Architecture researcher, university/architecture educator, design researcher, research-based architectural practitioner

Employment support and opportunities:

• Career advising: Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment provides one-to-one career advising, including resume and portfolio reviews, interview preparation, professional contacts, and job/internship-search support. Students and recent alumni can also use Handshake for architecture jobs, internships, fellowships, and competitions.
• Professional development: Career workshops and panels cover career pathways, interviews, negotiation, licensure processes, and professional practice, helping students connect their research background with longer-term career goals.
• Employment and salary: Tulane's official Career Services platform provides occupation-level employment trends, annual earnings, job titles, and employer data using labor-market sources. A current Tulane-posted Architectural Designer I position with BKV Group lists $65,000–$75,000 annually, but Tulane does not publish a specific employment rate or salary outcome for M.S.ARC graduates.
• University–industry/community partnerships: Students can engage with the Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design, where faculty and students work with community organizations and multidisciplinary partners on real design projects. Tulane also partners with the Gulf Coast Housing Partnership on the new Graduate Hub, a 24,000-square-foot facility intended to expand graduate teaching, research, fabrication, and collaboration.
• Research partnerships: Tulane's research studios involve direct partnerships with organizations and local governments, while the school's Gulf Research Studio has worked with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Gulf Research Program on climate adaptation research.
• Long-term accreditation value: The M.S.ARC is a post-professional research degree and does not itself provide a professional architecture degree leading to licensure. Its value is therefore strongest for students who already hold an accredited professional architecture degree and want to build expertise for teaching, research, and advanced architectural inquiry.
• Graduation outcomes: Tulane specifically positions the M.S.ARC for graduates pursuing teaching and research careers in architecture and affiliated fields. The degree's thesis framework, research concentrations, and fellowship experience provide a strong foundation for developing an academic or research-oriented professional profile.
• International progression: The program is classified under Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology (CIP 04.0902), making eligible international graduates potentially eligible for the STEM OPT extension, allowing up to 36 months of practical training in the United States after graduation, subject to applicable USCIS requirements.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can continue toward doctoral-level research and academic careers, particularly in architecture, urbanism, design research, or related built-environment disciplines. Tulane's own faculty demonstrate this research pathway, including faculty with PhDs in architecture and faculty pursuing doctoral research in areas such as city, culture, and community.