Master of Advanced Studies in History and Theory of Architecture
Objectives

Site visit of the housing complex "Les Espaces d'Abraxas" in Marne-la-Vallée, Mai 2019
Foto: Kadir Asani

PROGRAM GOALS
The course has three main goals: first, to convey the basics of the history and theory of architecture; second, to address contemporary disciplinary questions in architectural practice and debates in architectural and urban theory and the history of science; third, to introduce students to the methods of critical scholarly work as a key tool for independent research, writing and practice.

Graduates of the MAS programme acquire in-depth knowledge of the relationships between architectural, urban and historic-cultural phenomena. They are familiar with various methods of scholarly work and able to critically analyse architectural and urban issues and to situate them both within their historical and contemporary contexts. They are able to independently articulate questions, identify and access a range of sources, and write scholarly texts in a variety of formats. In architectural practice, graduates are able to analyse and critically assess complex design problems.

PROSPECTS
Graduates are qualified to pursue careers at universities, in public agencies dedicated to historic preservation, with public and private developers, and in media and communications. They work in the following fields, among others: research and teaching at schools of architecture; historic preservation/cultural heritage; architectural criticism, publishing and curatorial work; and in leading positions in architectural practice.

TARGET GROUP
The programme is designed for university graduates:
– with a degree in architecture or related disciplines (history of art, landscape architecture, planning, design, etc.) or degrees in the social sciences and related fields (law, politics, divinity, economics, etc.);
– who are interested in deepening their knowledge of complex architectural, urban and historic-cultural relationships and in learning the methods of scholarly research and analysis;
– who are seeking a space for intellectual debate beyond the constraints of professional practice and/or are considering a career change.

A typical MAS cohort brings together 18 to 20 students from the two MAS years. They have different disciplinary backgrounds and are at a various stages in their careers. They generally join the programme for one of two reasons: to supplement their ongoing professional practice through the exploration of the history and theory of architecture, or to explore scholarly research in light of a possible career change.