Master of Science in Sustainable Design
 
APPLICATION DEADLINES
Fall 2008: rolling admissions
Spring 2009 Admission: October 15, 2008
Summer/Fall 2009 Admission: January 15, 2009
GOALS
The School of Architecture and Planning’s mission, Building Stewardship, focuses on preparing architects and designers to assume a personal responsibility for the welfare of the world. We stress the interdependence of the words ‘building’ and ‘stewardship.’ Our Master of Science in Sustainable Design (MSSD) program is both a natural extension of this mission and a deepening of our commitment to the stewardship of the social, natural and built environments.
The two semester program provides students with an opportunity for full immersion into the theory and application of sustainable design and provides graduates with leadership skills in the field of sustainable design. Courses cover topical concerns such as greenhouse gas emissions and zero energy design, embodied energy and Life Cycle Analysis, national and international rating systems, water conservation and management, and low energy building materials.
Two courses in Systems and Simulation define the core of the program in which students are introduced to a variety of simulation software that allow energy, light and water vapor to be modeled, analyzed and adjusted as an integrated component of the design process. A range of elective courses within the School of Architecture and Planning and across The Catholic University of America campus will be offered. The culmination of the program of studies is a thesis, where students may investigate their thesis through either a design studio or a more conventional written dissertation.
In addition to the regular faculty at the School of Architecture and Planning a number of national and international practitioners, consultants and experts in the field of sustainable design are invited to lecture and review student work on a regular basis.
PROGRAM OF STUDY
Semester One
Sustainable Design Strategies (3 cr.)
Systems + Simulation I (3 cr.)
Materials and Assemblies (3 cr.)
Thesis Research (3 cr.)
Elective (3 cr.)
Semester Two
Systems + Simulation II (3 cr.)
Scales of Sustainability (3 cr.)
Elective (3 cr.)
Thesis (6 cr.)
Total: 30 credits
JOINT DEGREE
Students may enroll simultaneously in the school’s accredited Master of Architecture (M.Arch.) program and the Master of Science in Sustainable Design. This allows students to obtain the two degrees sooner than they could acquire each independently. The MSSD/M.Arch joint degree program requires a total of 79 semester hours of graduate credit. Completion of both degrees separately would require a total of 91 hours. Visit the MSSD/M.Arch. website for more information.
FACULTY
Associate Professor Chris Grech, RIBA, CSI, Program Director
Associate Professor Raj Barr-Kumar, Arch.D., FAIA, RIBA, IIDA, USGBC
Associate Professor Hazel Ruth Edwards, Ph.D., AICP
Professor Ann Cederna, RA
Assistant Professor Carlos Roberto Barrios, Ph.D
Assistant Professor Luis Eduardo Boza
Adjunct Assistant Professor Patricia Andrasik, Associate AIA, IIDA, LEED AP
ADMISSIONS
For more detailed information on admission to CUA's graduate programs in architecture, please visit the School's Graduate Admissions page.
ACCREDITATION
The Master of Science in Sustainable Design is a post-professional degree that is not accredited by The National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) and therefore will not contribute towards licensure as an architect.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For detailed information regarding the Master of Science in Sustainable Design Program, contact the program director, Chris Grech, associate professor; e-mail: cua-arch-sustainability@cua.edu.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in graduate studies is required for graduation in all degree programs.
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