Master of Advanced Architectural Design (MAAD)

2 Year On Campus Masters Program

University of California Berkeley

Program Overview

The Master of Advanced Architectural Design (MAAD) at UC Berkeley is a post-professional, research-driven architecture program built around an experimental studio that investigates emerging materials, construction techniques, and architectural possibilities. It is designed for architects seeking advanced design and research experience, with recent work exploring wood construction, forest management, manufacturing, assembly, and material reclamation through Berkeley’s interdisciplinary College of Environmental Design.

Curriculum structure

Year 1: The first year centers on the program’s rotating research theme and intensive studio investigation, allowing students to examine a specific material or construction technique from environmental, technological, and architectural perspectives. In the Forest — Fiber — Frame curriculum, students studied wood processes, structures, and assembly systems, connecting forest management with building design and investigating the transition from conventional “stick” construction toward mass timber assembly.

Year 2: The second year continues the research-driven exploration through advanced fabrication, prototyping, and full-scale construction studies, giving students opportunities to test architectural ideas materially rather than limiting the work to drawings or digital models. The program uses the College of Environmental Design’s fabrication shop to develop and test novel techniques and materials, with the MAAD studio extending across two semesters.

Focus areas: Experimental architectural design, material innovation, construction techniques, timber architecture, fabrication, environmental sustainability, forest-to-building systems, research-driven design, emerging technologies, full-scale construction

Learning outcomes: Advanced architectural inquiry, material experimentation, design research, fabrication and prototyping, structural and construction understanding, critical thinking, environmental awareness, innovative architectural design

Professional alignment (accreditation): Post-professional architecture degree; not NAAB-accredited. UC Berkeley explicitly states that the MAAD is not accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), so it should be distinguished from Berkeley’s NAAB-accredited M.Arch. program when considering professional licensure pathways.

Reputation (employability rankings): #1 public university in the U.S. for Architecture and the Built Environment — 2026 QS World University Rankings; #3 overall in the U.S. UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design reports that it has held the #1 U.S. public-university position in this subject area for 12 consecutive years, with the QS ranking incorporating academic reputation and employer sentiment.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

Students in the Master of Advanced Architectural Design (MAAD) at UC Berkeley gain hands-on experience through advanced design studios focused on emerging architectural technologies, materials, fabrication, and construction systems. The current Forest — Fiber — Frame curriculum explores wood construction from forest management and manufacturing through construction and waste reclamation, allowing students to develop and test new techniques and materials and produce full-scale constructions using CED's fabrication facilities.

Key practical learning opportunities include:

Advanced design and fabrication: Students investigate wood processes, structures, and assembly systems and use the CED fabrication shop to develop, test, and fabricate architectural studies and full-scale constructions.
Fabrication Shop: The 3,600-square-foot Fabrication Shop provides equipment and workspace for cutting and milling lumber, bending and welding metal, casting, and experimenting with building materials and methods.
Digital Fabrication Lab: The 1,500-square-foot Digital Fabrication Lab provides access to 3D printers, ShopSabre CNC, laser cutting systems, and Zünd cutting systems, allowing students to translate digital designs into physical prototypes and components.
Computer labs and software: Two advanced computer labs provide 24/7 access to more than 80 desktops, with industry-standard Adobe and Autodesk software, plus Rhino and V-Ray cloud rendering through Berkeley's Render Farm.
Design studios: Six floors of open design studios provide dedicated student workspaces equipped with computers, laser printers, wide-format inkjet plotters, and flatbed scanners, supporting collaborative studio production and design reviews.
Research and fabrication labs: Students can engage with faculty-led research environments such as the Building Futures Lab, which combines robotic fabrication and advanced timber construction, and the Spatial Systems Lab, which explores sustainable construction, digital structural design, building technology, and computing.
Wood research: The Berkeley Wood Lab investigates engineered wood products and timber architecture and operates from the Richmond Field Station, giving students exposure to research into emerging timber construction.
Immersive technology: The XR Lab conducts research in VR, AR, and MR and applies immersive technologies to architecture, urban planning, sustainability, climate change, human-computer interfaces, and new media.
Materials resources: The CED Materials Store provides access to wood, plastic, paper, metal, blades, router bits, and other materials that can be used in the Fabrication Shop and Digital Fabrication Lab.
Library and research resources: The Environmental Design Library in Bauer Wurster Hall supports architecture research, while CED's research labs provide opportunities for students to participate in faculty-led investigations and experimentation.

Progression & Future Opportunities

For accuracy, UC Berkeley’s official site currently states that the MAAD is a one-year post-professional program, not a two-year program, and that applications will not be accepted for the upcoming admissions cycle. The program is designed for advanced architectural inquiry, with its rotating curriculum focused on innovative materials and construction techniques, giving graduates a foundation for advanced design, research and architectural practice.

Typical career roles: Architectural Designer, Design Researcher, Computational Design Specialist, Architectural Technology Specialist.

Career progression and opportunities include:

Career services: UC Berkeley Career Engagement provides career counseling, employer and alumni connections, job and internship searching support, and professional-development resources. CED specifically offers career counseling for researching career options, connecting with alumni and professionals, and developing application materials.
Architecture employment connections: Berkeley hosts an Architecture & Environmental Design Career Fair, giving students access to employers recruiting within architecture and environmental design.
Industry exposure: CED states that the Bay Area's professional and technical innovation creates opportunities for two-way exchange with the professional community, with faculty connected to firms that hire Berkeley students and provide internships.
Employment resources: Berkeley Career Engagement provides Handshake for jobs and internships, while students can also access architecture-focused employer resources and resume books categorized under Architecture & Sustainable Design.
Employment statistics: UC Berkeley does not publish a MAAD-specific employment rate on its official MAAD page. Therefore, a program-specific employment percentage should not be assumed from university-wide or other CED degree outcomes.
Salary figures: UC Berkeley does not publish a MAAD-specific salary figure on the official program page, so no MAAD-specific salary should be presented as an official program outcome.
Professional accreditation: The MAAD is not NAAB-accredited. It is a post-professional degree focused on advanced architectural inquiry rather than a NAAB-accredited professional architecture degree, so students should distinguish its advanced-design value from the accreditation status of Berkeley's professional M.Arch. program.
Research and innovation: The program's curriculum has included advanced investigations of wood construction, earth architecture, lignin and indoor health, while Berkeley's CED research environment covers computational design, additive manufacturing, 3D printing, new materials and building technologies.
Graduate outcomes: CED graduates pursue careers in design, planning and real estate development, while Berkeley's broader architecture community includes alumni working in professional architectural practice internationally.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates interested in advanced research can progress into UC Berkeley's Ph.D. in Architecture, which offers research tracks in Building Science, Technology and Sustainability and History, Theory and Society. Within CED, students can also pursue related graduate fields such as the Master of Architecture, Master of Science in Architecture, Master of Landscape Architecture, Master of City Planning, Master of Urban Design or Ph.D. in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, depending on their academic and professional goals.