The Harvard University Graduate School of Design has as its philosophy a commitment to design excellence, which demands skillful manipulation of form as well as inspiration from a broad body of knowledge. The international faculty at the Graduate School of Design are prominent members in their field, allowing students to be exposed to a wide range of approaches to designs, issues and trends in contemporary architecture. Students enrolled in the program are exposed to a curriculum which encompasses a variety of teaching methods including instruction, research, visual studies, technology, history and professional practice. The program at the Graduate School of Design requires a close interaction between the departments of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning and design, exposing students to many different aspects of the architectural profession as well as enriching the academic experience.
The Yale School of Architecture began as part of the Yale School of Fine Arts, which was the first college-affiliated art school in the U.S. The program maintains that art is an intellectual discipline and in its curriculum it seeks to stimulate artistic sensitivity and creative powers to strengthen intellectual growth in the face of unique and changing problems and to help students acquire individual capabilities necessary for the practice of architecture. The design studio is pivotal to the Yale School of Architecture program, providing an environment where students present and discuss projects as well as proposals with professionals and peers with a value to risk-taking and experimentation. Degrees offered are a Master of Architecture and a Master of Environmental Design and a PhD option through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences as well as joint-degree programs.
The Graduate School of Architecture at Columbia University fosters the belief that in trusting the next generation of architect (the student), that architecture may defy the logic and standards of the present, making its program a place of experimentation and assertation of personal design inclinations, which has as its goal an evolution in architectural intelligence. In their studies, students will be expected to move beyond professionalism into a creative space of speculation, experimentation and analysis. Based on this initiative, Columbia offers an open-ended design studio that focuses on launching more than 35 explorative projects operated by students who receive professional feedback. Degree concentrations offered include architecture, architecture and urban design, historic preservation, real estate development, urban planning, Master of Science in critical, curatorial and conceptual practices in architecture, introduction to architecture and a PhD option.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) architecture program offers both degree-granting and non-degree programs for both graduates and undergraduates. Faculty in the program come from different academic backgrounds, practices and research interests, each belonging to their own discipline group in order to provide a broad variety of architectural opinions and influences. There are five graduate education programs offered by the MIT Architecture program including a Master of Architecture, Master of Architecture in architecture studies, Master of Science in building technology, Master of Science in visual studies and a Master of Science without specification, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy in three different disciplines.