M. Arch Concentration

Students in the M.Arch program are asked to develop an area of concentration as part of their graduate studies in architecture. In general, an area of concentration entails linking three courses (9 of 21 required elective credits) offered at Georgia Tech, within or outside of the College of Architecture. Each student is asked to develop his or her area of concentration during the fall semester of the 2nd year of the M.Arch 3+ year program, and the 1st year of the M.Arch 2 year program.

There are two primary paths a student may take in developing their area of concentration:

1) Field of Study Track Areas of concentration may be structured in accordance with the Architecture Programs “Special Topic” list of categories and associated courses outlined in the Faculty Handbook (see Fields of Study). These special topic areas include 1) Architectural Design; 2) Urban Design, 3) History, Theory and Criticism; 4) Architectural Technology; 5) Professional and Social Practice; 6) Visual Arts and Design Computing.

2) Customized Track Areas of concentration may also be structured separate from these given categories. Each student in consultation with their Faculty Advisor and the Program Office has the option of customizing an individual area of concentration or line of investigation/research. Custom areas of concentration may operate entirely within the Architecture Program or they may be interdisciplinary in nature and include courses from the College of Architecture and, potentially, the Institute at large.

Please keep in mind:

  1. If a student chooses to include course listings outside of the College, written approval by the Professor teaching the course is necessary. Approvals should be copied to the Faculty Advisor and Program Office.
  2. It is not necessary for the title of a course to clearly match the research topic/area of concentration outlined by each student. In other words, there may be ways for a student to pursue their area of concentration within a course that may not explicitly center on their research topic. For instance, there may be a project or term paper requirement in a course that may serve both the requirements of that course and simultaneously serve the student in pursuing research in their area of concentration.

The Customized Track model provides students an opportunity to craft a proposal that cuts across traditional taxonomies. Illustrated below are a few scenarios.

Scenario 1:

A student may align the following courses because their area of concentration is Light.

  • ARCH 8831: Lighting
  • ARCH 6426: 3D Modeling
  • ARCH 4414: Medieval Architecture

Scenario 2:

A student may align the following courses because their area of concentration is Sustainable Housing.

  • ARCH 4334: Housing and Culture
  • ARCH 4335: The Social Practice of Architecture
  • ARCH 6216: Eco-Technology

Scenario 3:

In addition to coursework in the Architecture Program, a student may want to take a course from the Literature, Communication and Culture (LCC) Program because their area of concentration is Digital Media.

  • ARCH 4852: Visual Arts and Computing
  • ARCH 6426: 3D Modeling
  • LCC 6316: History of Digital Media

Scenario 4:

A student may choose to follow the path of History, Theory and Criticism in the Architecture Program's Field of Study track but elect to replace one of the courses with a technology course from the Ivan Allen College as part of their 3-course sequence because their area of concentration is the History of Technology.

  • ARCH 6136: Architecture and Ideology
  • ARCH 6153: History and Theory of the Modern City
  • HTS 4925: History, Technology and Society

Scenario 5:

In addition to coursework in the Architecture Program, a student, with an interest in planning, may want to take a course in the City & Regional Planning Program and a theory course from the Ivan Allen College.

  • ARCH 6151: Theories of Urban Design
  • CP 6012: History and Theory of Planning
  • HTS 6105: Urbanization and Comparative Development

In addition to providing a student the opportunity of developing a focus in their architectural education, it is expected that the area of concentration will:

A. enable a student to refine/evolve their thinking and knowledge about one's area of concentration through the following courses and/or course requirements therein:

1) Theory and Criticism II (Arch 6132): final position paper

2) Critical Positions (Arch 7060):

    Part 1: 25-50 word statement; critical position paper

    Part 2: masters project text

B. enable a student to demonstrate/apply that thinking and knowledge in one's area of concentration towards their Master Project (Arch 7090).