University of Pennsylvania

I feel that the largest driving forces for deciding to pursue a master of architecture degree in this university is its prominent interdisciplinary programs; in a discipline undergoing immense changes as time progresses, institutions ought to be grounds at which different professions merge to evolve along with the rapid development the world is going through. More and more students are pursuing additional degrees and certifications alongside their main masters programs to strengthen their skill set... Read More and ultimately make a bigger impact in the professional community; I have colleagues pursuing various breadths of professions, mostly related to constructed space, which consequently pushes me to better my own palette. Being able to jump between the boundaries in majors, being versed in more than just one professional concentration is something more readily achieved in an institution with a workable interdisciplinary system such as Penn.

The Master of Architecture program at Penn dovetails together a remarkable number of ideas and provocations pertaining to the fields of architecture and design, while simultaneously providing a comprehensive practical base of information. In particular, the program emphasizes digital fabrication, and appears to seek to be on the avant-garde of design methodologies. However, the time commitment to the program is significant, and the costs of software and other materials necessary for project completion... Read More can present a financial burden.