Master of Advanced Architectural Design

1 Years On Campus Masters Program

University of Texas Austin

Program Overview

The Master of Advanced Architectural Design (MAAD) at The University of Texas at Austin is a post-professional, design-oriented program for students with an accredited B.Arch. degree, offering advanced study under faculty mentorship in areas such as Sustainable Design, Community and Environmental Equity Design, Digital Technology, Building Technology, Historic Preservation, and Urban Design. The three-semester program is STEM-designated and allows students to tailor their advanced architectural education around a specialised area of interest while developing enhanced qualifications for professional practice, research, or teaching.

Curriculum Structure

Year 1: In the first year, students begin advanced architectural study through design-focused coursework and develop their chosen area of concentration with faculty guidance. Relevant advanced offerings include ARC 695S: Advanced Architectural Design: Integrative Studio, which focuses on developing feasible building designs, and ARC 696: Topics in Advanced Architectural Design, which addresses advanced problems across areas such as preservation, landscape, urban, and sustainable design.

Year 2: During the final semester, students undertake higher-level design work through ARC 697: Topics in Master’s Design Studio, a forum for complex architectural problems and specialised topics, or complete the program's required advanced design study. The curriculum culminates in a final design project, with students completing a portfolio review before progressing to the final project.

Focus areas: Sustainable Design, Community and Environmental Equity Design, Digital Technology, Latin American Architecture, Building Technology, Cultural Heritage Documentation and Research, Political, Social and Cultural Histories of Architecture, Architectural History, Community and Regional Planning, Environmental Equity Design, Historic Preservation, Interior Design, and Urban Design.

Learning outcomes: Students develop advanced architectural design capabilities, specialised expertise in their selected area, stronger design and critical-thinking skills, and the ability to apply advanced architectural knowledge to professional, institutional, governmental, business, research, or teaching contexts.

Professional alignment (accreditation): STEM designation: The MAAD is classified as a STEM-related discipline, supporting additional professional opportunities for international students. NAAB accreditation: The MAAD is not a NAAB-accredited professional degree and does not fulfill the professional degree requirements for U.S. architectural licensure; international students seeking U.S. licensure are advised by UT Austin to apply to the M.Arch. instead.

Reputation (employability rankings): Most Hired From: UT Austin's School of Architecture was ranked No. 1 “Most Hired From” among architecture programs in its size group by DesignIntelligence in 2019. Graduate reputation: DesignIntelligence also placed the School of Architecture's graduate program at No. 12 nationally for “Most Admired” in 2019, while UT Austin reports that its graduate architecture program has been consistently ranked among the top 15.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The Master of Advanced Architectural Design at the University of Texas at Austin is designed around advanced architectural investigation, allowing students to develop specialized expertise in areas such as Sustainable Design, Digital Technology, Building Technology, Cultural Heritage Documentation and Research, and Community and Environmental Equity Design. Students benefit from UT Austin’s interdisciplinary environment and can work with advanced fabrication, robotics, visualization, material research, and computational resources through the School of Architecture. The program’s three-semester structure gives students the opportunity to pursue focused design and research under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

Faculty-Mentored Design Research: Students select an area of concentration and pursue advanced architectural work under the guidance of a faculty mentor, supporting individualized professional and research development.
Digital Fabrication: The Technology Lab provides access to five Epilog FusionPro laser cutters, a CNC knife, a Stratasys Fortus 3D printer, and 22 Raise3D 3D printers, supporting physical prototyping and digital fabrication.
Robotics: The Robotics Lab provides two KUKA Robotics KR60 robotic arms for creative exploration and practical implementation of advanced digital fabrication methods.
Advanced Computing: Students can access a render farm, Extended Reality resources, ArcGIS Enterprise, and software virtualization through the School of Architecture Technology Lab.
Digitization Tools: The Technology Lab supports LiDAR, photogrammetry, and UAV mapping and modeling, giving students tools for advanced documentation and digital analysis.
Material Research: The Materials Lab supports advanced and interdisciplinary material research, development, and fabrication through a circulating collection of more than 29,000 material samples and assemblies.
Hands-On Workshops: The Materials Lab organizes hands-on workshops, lectures, and other programming, while providing individual and group workspaces for material investigation and design development.
Architectural Fabrication: The Build Lab provides approximately 8,400 square feet of interior and exterior fabrication space, including concrete and plaster casting, metalworking, woodworking, and dedicated classroom work areas.
CNC & Workshop Equipment: The Build Lab includes two Shopbot CNC routers, table saws, bandsaws, jointers, a planer, a 25-ton iron worker, welding equipment, a plasma cutter, vacuum-forming machines, and a mill for physical model and fabrication work.
Design Fabrication Projects: UT Austin offers architecture coursework that connects material research with digital fabrication; for example, a design fabrication seminar has used industry-based CNC resources and the Robotics Lab’s KUKA robots to develop and fabricate architectural facade modules.
Architecture Library: Students have access to the School of Architecture’s Architecture and Planning Library, supporting research across architecture, planning, design, and the built environment.
Facilities & Resources: Students can access the School of Architecture’s Technology Lab, Digital Fabrication Lab, Robotics Lab, Materials Lab, Build Lab, computer labs, digital review rooms, and related design-production resources.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The Master of Advanced Architectural Design (MAAD) is designed for students who already hold a professional architecture degree and want to strengthen their expertise in a specialized area such as sustainable design, digital technology, building technology, community and environmental equity design, or urban design. Graduates can re-enter or advance within professional practice with enhanced design and technical capabilities, while the program also supports pathways into architectural teaching and work with governmental, institutional, and business organizations.

Typical career roles: Advanced Architectural Designer, Architectural Designer, Design Researcher, Architecture Educator

Career Services: UT Austin School of Architecture Career Services provides one-to-one career advising, resume and portfolio reviews, group workshops, networking events, professional panels, employer presentations, career fairs, and an architecture-specific job board for current students and alumni.
Employment outcomes: More than 91% of surveyed 2025 School of Architecture graduates who pursued employment reported finding a job in the months after graduation, while 5% pursued further graduate studies. UT Austin publishes employment reports by degree, including employer, position, location, and salary information where sufficient salary data is available; a program-specific MAAD salary figure is not stated on the university's public employment-summary page.
Professional network: The School of Architecture's Professional Residency Program has connected students with more than 300 firms in 30 countries over the past 25 years. Participating firms listed by UT Austin include Architecture Research Office, Bjarke Ingels Group, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, KPF, Lake|Flato, MVRDV, Olson Kundig, Snøhetta, Steven Holl Architects, and Weiss Manfredi Architects.
Industry engagement: UT Austin's annual School of Architecture Career Fair typically brings more than 100 firms and organizations together with students and provides access to employers recruiting for full-time and internship positions. Career Services also organizes portfolio reviews, employer roundtables, firm and site visits, professional panels, and on-campus recruiting.
Professional development: The MAAD's specialized focus can help graduates build stronger qualifications for advanced architectural practice, research-oriented work, and teaching. The program's STEM designation also creates additional professional opportunities for international students after graduation.
Accreditation value: The MAAD is not NAAB-accredited and does not fulfill the professional degree requirements for registration as an architect in the United States. Students whose objective is U.S. architectural licensure should consider UT Austin's NAAB-accredited M.Arch instead.
Graduation outcomes: UT Austin reports that the School of Architecture tracks graduate employment six months after graduation and publishes outcomes by degree, employer, position, and location. The university also reports that 5% of the surveyed 2025 graduating class pursued graduate studies.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the MAAD, students can pursue further graduate-level study or research in architecture and related built-environment fields, depending on their academic goals. The MAAD also provides a foundation for students interested in architectural teaching, while students seeking a professional U.S. architecture qualification should pursue the NAAB-accredited M.Arch pathway rather than treating the MAAD as a licensure degree.