Master of Advanced Studies in History and Theory of Architecture
Programme Structure

A PART-TIME PROGRAM
The seminars and workshops of the MAS in History and Theory of Architecture (MAS GTA) take place on Thursdays and Fridays. We recommend working 60 percent of full time.

SEMINARS
The seminar series “Architecture and the City” is at the core of the four-semester program. Two semesters are dedicated to selected topics in the history of architecture and urbanism; a third semester addresses architectural criticism in relation to urban issues; a fourth is the MAS GTA research seminar. Here, students contribute to a larger research project, often organized in cooperation with the gta Archive and/or gta Exhibitions.

RESEARCH PROJECT
As part of the MAS GTA research seminar, students conduct research (archival research, field research) which they synthesize in written and graphic form. In the spring semester of 2020, this research project is Cooperative Conditions: A Primer on Architecture, Finance, and Regulation , on view as part of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2020: How Will We Live Together? In the spring semester of 2022, the research addressed the demolition and new construction of housing in a global perspective, which was part of the exhibition "Densification or Displacement?" at ZAZ Zentrum Architektur Zürich in the spring of 2023.

STUDY TRIP
Each spring semester there is a study trip open to MAS GTA students only.

METHODS WORKSHOP AND METHODS SEMINAR
In addition to the seminars, students take part in a weekly workshop on writing, research, and methods. In their second year, they have the option to enroll in the methods seminar of the GTA doctoral program. Alternatively, they enroll in a course that supports their thesis project methodologically.

ELECTIVES
Students also enroll in courses with a total of 4 ECTS offered by the GTA Institute or the Department of Architecture. These can be lectures, seminars or seminar weeks, according to academic and professional interests.

INDEPENDENT SCHOLARLY WORK
In parallel to the seminars and workshops, the program’s second focus is on students’ individual research. In the course of the program, students write two papers and a master’s thesis on topics of their choice, as well as one paper related to the research project. These are individually tutored by the lecturers. (For further information, please see Didactics and Method.)