The Master of Architecture program trains students to become leaders in the professional practice of architecture with innovative methods of design research and inquiry.Â
Students: Sophy Feldman & Rowan Price Instructor: Alexandra Barker SP23 Studio 4
Info Sessions
Wednesday, October 16th, 2024 6:00-7:30 ET (Zoom) Thursday, November 7th, 2024 12:00-2:00 pm ET (in-person) Monday, November 25th, 2024 6:00-7:30 pm ET (Zoom)
Master of Architecture at Pratt
The MARCH curriculum embraces an integrative approach to design that weaves together technical knowledge and creative practice, building science and environmental stewardship, and professional responsibility and equity. We actively engage the pressing climatic and social challenges of our era through rigorous inquiry. Through case studies that leverage the city as our classroom, students develop innovative design strategies that convey a thorough understanding of the way in which architecture shapes the built environment and its communities. As architects, our inquiry extends across all scales of the built environment, from individual buildings to neighborhoods, cities, and all the way to global systems and ecosystems. What connects our intervention across this broad range of scales is our deep commitment to design work that prioritizes the well-being and safety of all life forms.
The Master of Architecture (M.Arch) is a three-year NAAB-accredited, STEM-certified professional program. Our 84-credit, three-year track is designed for students who have completed a bachelor’s degree, including majors other than one of the architectural design professions. The program is also available in a 56-credit, two-year Advanced Standing track for students with bachelor’s degrees from four-year Architecture or Engineering programs.
The M.Arch program is structured with a core curriculum of design, history-theory, technology, and media courses, followed by an advanced curriculum of applied research and elective courses. The entire curriculum is designed to equip students with the professional knowledge required for becoming a successful architect.
We believe in an integrative approach to architecture. Our curriculum is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the diverse practices and modes of inquiry that converge in the architectural discipline and profession.
In the first three semesters, the core curriculum is structured to coordinate learning across design, technical, historico-theoretical, and media courses. In the fourth semester, this coordinated learning culminates in the Integrative Studio. Unique to the GAUD, the Integrative Studio combines the teaching of architectural design, building systems, and regulatory compliance into a single course. Collaboration is a fundamental aspect of the Integrative studio: students work on a single architectural project in teams, supported by GAUD faculty and a cohort of technical consultants from leading New York City firms. During the last two semesters, our M.Arch program further compliments the Integrative Studio with an advanced curriculum of studio and elective courses. In these advanced courses, students engage in directed research projects alongside a diverse group of faculty members from Pratt Institute and the architectural profession at large.
Our integrative approach begins, does not end, with our program. By integrating different modes of architectural knowledge and practice, and engaging audiences both within and outside the architectural professions, our M.Arch program equips graduates with the unique ability to intervene in the complex systems shaping the building and living environment.
Integrative Design:
Our M.Arch students are trained to make complex design decisions that integrate architectural ideas with structural, building, and regulatory systems. Their integrative thinking advances environmental stewardship, social equity, and community resilience in all aspects of design work.
Environmental Design Practice:
Our M.Arch students are trained to embrace their responsibility as stewards of the environment. Their work reflects a deep awareness of architecture’s impact on the living and building environments by integrating research on fragile ecosystems, ecologically responsive technologies, and sustainable materials.
Inclusive and Equitable Design:
Our M.Arch students are trained to view equity, diversity, and inclusion as an integral aspect of design. They understand their responsibility to consider diverse needs, values, and physical abilities in design practices, and act on that understanding by integrating an ethos of equity and inclusion in their architectural solutions.
Design Knowledge:
Our M.Arch students are trained to think critically about architecture’s role in the world. They use cutting-edge design methods, media, and technologies to advance architectural knowledge within the discipline and in culture more broadly.
Collaborative Design:
Our M.Arch students are trained to practice creative leadership that benefits their clients, communities, and society at large. Their design work builds relationships, from collaborations with consultants and industry experts to outreach with community partners and stakeholders.
Design Learning:
Our M.Arch students are trained to ask thought-provoking questions throughout their careers and their lives. They value forms of inquiry and collaborative exploration that deepen their understanding of architecture’s connections to complex systems, including bodies of historical-theoretical knowledge, socio-economic forces, environmental dynamics, and cultural contexts.
Take A Look At How Our Courses Advance Design Research And Thinking
Our faculty are leading practitioners, scholars, and educators, including a distinctive cohort of PhD candidates from top universities who share a common desire to develop each student’s potential and creativity to the fullest. Bringing different views, methods, and perspectives the faculty provide a rigorous educational model in which students make and learn. See all GAUD faculty and administrators.
Pratt’s department of Graduate Architecture and Urban Design (GAUD) balances knowledge and understanding, enhancing your individual capacities to ask often difficult and challenging questions facing the profession and discipline, specifically through design and with audiences outside of architecture and urban design. This program is intended for students holding a four-year undergraduate, nonprofessional degree in any field. Applicants with degrees from a four-year BSc in Architecture or BScEng in Architecture may qualify for advanced standing.
Integrative Studio
Unique to the GAUD, the Integrative Studio is a combined design and integrative building-systems course and brings together a number of related disciplines into a single project, which students develop in teams. An ensemble of technical consultants from world-leading firms in New York City work directly with GAUD faculty and students on their design projects engaging in facade design, structural design, energy design and more.
Directed Research
In your final two semesters, the advanced curriculum is focused on Directed Research studios and electives. Among the studios, you might apply to participate in the Studio of Experiments, which is an opportunity to work closely with a visiting faculty member on a directed research topic set by the department chair. Learn more about Directed Research.
Seminars, Lectures & Events
Immersive seminars, lectures and events accompany each semester. They explore contemporary issues in architectural practice and research, and foster discussion between students and prominent scholars. Exhibitions spotlight exceptional faculty and student work, and the student publication offers students opportunities to engage in theoretical, editorial, and writing activities.
Study Abroad
Immersing yourself in another culture is an incredible experience that can extend the boundaries of creativity. Study abroad programs are an integral part of the university experience, and Pratt has deep connections with university partners around the world. In the first, second, or third year, students may elect to participate in one or both of our international programs. See where you can go.
Learning Resources
We develop disciplinary fluency in our program of study and we celebrate the interdisciplinary nature of design critical to address the plurality and complexity of the environments in which we operate. Learn about resources.
Our Alumni
Pratt’s distinguished alumni are leading diverse and thriving careers, addressing critical challenges and creating innovative work that reimagines our world.
Career Opportunities:
Graduates from the M.Arch program go on to work in leading architectural firms and other creative fields, both nationally and internationally. Take a look at where some of our recent graduates work:
Where They Work
Architect – Morphosis
Junior Designer – BIG Bjarke Ingels Group
Architectural Designer — Foster + Partners
Director – KPF
Senior Associate – SHoP Architects
Architect – Woods Bagot
Lead Designer – Zaha Hadid Architects
Architectural Designer – UNStudio
Assistant Chair, Interior Design – Pratt Institute
Join us at Pratt. Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step.
You’ll find yourself at home at Pratt. Learn more about our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, gallery exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighborhood communities. Check us out.
ARCH 806 | Design 6: Flow Flux Freeze | Spring 2025 | Instructors: Philip Parker | Students: Nil Islekel & Alara Ata
Students, working individually or in pairs, propose an Archive/Event space situated at the intersection of urban and natural environments in New York City’s parks and edges. The studio, Flow Flux Freeze, imagines architecture as porous and open to connection, attentive to how assemblies emerge through molecular exchanges and localized dynamics among particles, strands, and pressures translating into tectonic shifts at the scale of building. Each project investigates material strategies for embracing temporal change, hybridizing digital and physical archives, and incorporating participatory roles within urban nature. Students develop media that responds to material transformation, while remaining aware of tool-specific limitations and the multiplicity of design and feedback techniques. Projects operate across scales, materials, speeds, and sensory media, proposing new ways to assemble and narrate architectural intent.
#Architecture #MLAStudents #MArchStudents #MSArchStudents #MSAUDStudents
#PrattMArch #PrattInstitute #Design #StudentWork #PrattGALAUD #PrattSOA
ARCH 602 | Design 2: Interiorities & Context | Spring 2025 | Instructors: Poyao Shih | Students: Alexandros Vamvakas
This design studio addresses a specific site through its interior. It emphasizes the related conceptual and material impacts of this “inside out” approach. Circulation and its material and spatial qualities are explored through the design of a small building that responds to a detailed ensemble of architectural programs and the multiple contexts of a local institution. For this studio, the project involves designing a middle school on a vacant site in Greenpoint,Brooklyn, NY. Greenpoint is a diverse community located in a rapidly developing area of Brooklyn.
#Architecture #MLAStudents #MArchStudents #MSArchStudents #MSAUDStudents
#PrattMArch #PrattInstitute #Design #StudentWork #PrattGALAUD #PrattSOA
ARCH 704 | Design 4: Integrated Studio | Spring 2025 | Instructors: Alex Tahinos | Students: Yousef Alsharif & Byungoak Cho
Nature strives for balance, yet it’s repeatedly disrupted by catastrophic events—from ancient volcanic eruptions and mass extinctions to today’s human-driven CO₂ emissions that accelerate species loss and displace millions. In urban centers like New York City, where food is largely imported, a significant portion of edible food is wasted, missing an opportunity to recycle vital nutrients. Architects have a unique opportunity to contribute to ecological restoration by designing innovative urban infrastructure that minimizes environmental impact and embeds sustainable practices into everyday life. A valuable framework for this work is offered by the permaculture movement, which defines its goal as “the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems that possess the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems” This semester’s architectural challenge addresses the imbalance caused by urban food waste by capturing its nutrients and energy to boost urban agriculture. Students will design a
neighborhood composting facility that transforms food waste into a closed-loop resource for an agricultural greenhouse. Aerobic composting not only produces soil enhancers but also releases CO₂ (5), which can potentially increase agricultural yields by 30 to 40%. Beyond closing the nutrient loop, urban agriculture offers numerous benefits—it fosters self-sufficiency, exemplifies the natural cycles of our environment, generates local jobs, and produces fresh, edible food.
#Architecture #MLAStudents #MArchStudents #MSArchStudents #MSAUDStudents
#PrattMArch #PrattInstitute #Design #StudentWork #PrattGALAUD #PrattSOA
ARCH 806 | Design 6:WAYS OF WATER Riverbeds-to-Rooftops | Spring 2025 | Instructors: Sulan Kolatan | Students: Justin Jarrett
This innovative studio explores the emerging concept of river daylighting on Manhattan Island — a method of reintroducing lost urban waterways as powerful ecological agents. From rainwater to river water, students reimagine the city by treating water as a dynamic material and the river as an active design agent. Using the historic path of the De Voor’s Mill Stream in Midtown as a macro-scale site, students are free to propose everything from new penthouses to urban infrastructure, uncovering environmental, economic, and social potentials of river aeration. Drawing from theories of resilience, New Materialism, the Anthropocene, and eco-cinematic representation, the studio bridges design and discourse. How do we design with water as material and the river as agent?
#Architecture #MLAStudents #MArchStudents #MSArchStudents #MSAUDStudents
#PrattMArch #PrattInstitute #Design #StudentWork #PrattGALAUD #PrattSOA
This summer, our graduate architecture students explored Mexico City and Oaxaca through Pratt’s Mexico City: Field Work abroad program. 🌎✨
From hands-on learning with local materials to using photogrammetry for site documentation, the trip offered an unforgettable blend of culture, craft, and technology.
#Architecture #MLAStudents #MArchStudents #MSArchStudents #MSAUDStudents #PrattMArch #PrattInstitute #Design #StudentWork #PrattGALAUD #PrattSOA
ARCH 602 | Design 2: Interiorities & Contexts | Spring 2025 | Instructors: Olivia Vien | Students: Michael Ballou
“The massing concept for my Greenpoint middle school proposal explores relationships between simple cubes of varying sizes. As the cubes come together, they begin to change, both within themselves and in combination with their neighbors. Each object’s original identity is altered by these interactions. The cubes split and shift as if pushed or pulled by each other. Their facades start to overlap and blend, absorbing characteristics from one another. In this way, new and unexpected traits develop in each entity. A dynamic appearance, reflective of a transition state, emerges. Middle school is a time of transition, where identities begin to change and new relationships are formed. For students approaching the school, the form of the building will reflect and encourage an openness to this dynamic. The various sizes, colors and interactions of the cubes promote an environment where students feel welcome to explore new relationships in their own lives.”
#Architecture #MLAStudents #MArchStudents #MSArchStudents #MSAUDStudents #PrattMArch #PrattInstitute #Design #StudentWork #PrattGALAUD #PrattSOA
🎉 Congratulations to our M.Arch students Emily Sardo and Ankit Muhury for being recognized by the 2025 NY SARA Design Awards!
Their project “Imprints”, completed in their fifth semester studio led by Florencia Pita, received the Design Award of Excellence.
Their earlier project “The Living Machine”, from their fourth semester with Hart Marlow, earned the Design Award of Honor.
We’re proud to celebrate their creativity, innovation, and dedication to design excellence.
Explore the full list of award winners at https://www.sarany.org/2025-design-awards
#Architecture #MLAStudents #MArchStudents #MSArchStudents #MSAUDStudents
#PrattMArch #PrattInstitute #Design #StudentWork #PrattGALAUD #PrattSOA
ARCH 704 | Design 4: Integrated Studio | Spring 2025 | Instructors: Erich Schoenenberger | Students: Deniz Tokman & Colin House @deniztokmann @col.housee
Nature strives for balance, yet it’s repeatedly disrupted by catastrophic events—from ancient volcanic eruptions and mass extinctions to today’s human-driven CO₂ emissions that accelerate species loss and displace millions. In urban centers like New York City, where food is largely imported, a significant portion of edible food is wasted, missing an opportunity to recycle vital nutrients. Architects have a unique opportunity to contribute to ecological restoration by designing innovative urban infrastructure that minimizes environmental impact and embeds sustainable practices into everyday life. A valuable framework for this work is offered by the permaculture movement, which defines its goal as “the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems that possess the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems” This semester’s architectural challenge addresses the imbalance caused by urban food waste by capturing its nutrients and energy to boost urban agriculture. Students will design a neighborhood composting facility that transforms food waste into a closed-loop resource for an agricultural greenhouse. Aerobic composting not only produces soil enhancers but also releases CO₂ (5), which can potentially increase agricultural yields by 30 to 40%. Beyond closing the nutrient loop, urban agriculture offers numerous benefits—it fosters self-sufficiency, exemplifies the natural cycles of our environment, generates local jobs, and produces fresh, edible food.
#Architecture #MLAStudents #MArchStudents #MSArchStudents #MSAUDStudents #PrattMArch #PrattInstitute #Design #StudentWork #PrattGALAUD #PrattSOA
ARCH 806 | Design 6: REIMAGINING THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY | Spring 2025 | Instructors: Jonathan Louie / Nicole Mcintosh | Students: Megan McGourley & Alexandra Galante
Our project proposes an architectural intervention that reactivates the historic image of the Maison Cailler chocolate factory. Through careful insertion of new public and hospitality programs, including a cafe, boutique hotel, spa and underground speakeasy, we aim to reinterpret the building not only as a site of production but as a living cultural destination. The project challenges the flatness of architectural image-making by transforming the iconic facade into an inhabitable surface, one that supports spatial experiences and sensory engagement. We applied a blue tone across all new architectural interventions. This is not a final material choice, but a visual device meant to clearly distinguish the areas where we are actively intervening, modifying, or inserting new programmatic elements into the existing.
#Architecture #MLAStudents #MArchStudents #MSArchStudents #MSAUDStudents
#PrattMArch #PrattInstitute #Design #StudentWork #PrattGALAUD #PrattSOA
