Master of Design in Boston United States | University of Massachusetts Amherst

The Master of Design is a graduate-level program focused on architecture and design. Tailored for experienced professionals looking to deepen their expertise in a specific technical or academic domain, as well as recent graduates interested in interdisciplinary exploration of architecture and connected disciplines rather than pursuing a professional architecture qualification. This cross-disciplinary curriculum equips students with specialized knowledge while exposing them to diverse research methodologies and practices within architecture, design, and allied fields. It also enables mid-career practitioners and graduates from architecture-adjacent disciplines (like history or engineering) to engage in sophisticated architectural design and academic inquiry.

This intensive 36-credit (minimum) program is crafted through collaboration between students, the Master of Design graduate program director, and faculty specializing in the student's chosen focus area. Participants must establish a research concentration that integrates multiple university departments and the Five Colleges consortium, guided by the program director, graduate advisor, or an assigned faculty mentor. Structured as a terminal degree, full-time students typically complete the program in four semesters, though exceptionally qualified individuals may transfer up to six credits from prior coursework and graduate in three semesters.