Courses

Please see the Graduate Catalog for the list of courses for each concentration. 

Graduate courses might include:

ARDS 6723 Methods of Design Inquiry. Investigation into the practical, theoretical, and methodological strategies necessary for embarking upon inquiry and discourse for design-related problems.

ARDS 6803 Design Leadership. This course explores design leadership through conceptual and theoretical perspectives. Emphasis is on developing and managing effective design processes, methods, and organizations enabling innovative design practices. Students will explore contemporary issues and forces that affect the conditions of how design is imbedded in thought leadership.

ARDS 6813 Cities and Public Good. Studies infrastructure as socio-technical systems and potential transitions to lower-carbon futures. Concepts governing Large Technical Systems such as obduracy, path-dependency, energy transitions, value capture, and public good are explored through analytic frameworks like Multi-level Perspectives (MLP) and Socio-technical Systems Theory (STS) in the context of incumbent technologies.

ARDS 6823 Vocabularies of Context Production. Explores connectivity through spatial and organizational formats from urbanism to supply chains, ecosystems, resource sheds, infrastructure, neighborhoods, eco-districts and other public spaces. In addition to the traditional categories of geometry, proportion, and fit used to define place, vocabularies of flow, timing, interactivity, phasing, modulation, distribution and emergence will be examined.

ARDS 6833 Fundamental Wood Theories, Tectonics, and Environmental Response. Examines wood design through theoretical, technical and practical inquiry with emphasis on tectonics in response to material and environmental aspects. Areas addressed include wood anatomy, physical and mechanical characteristics, tectonics and aesthetics, and wood performance related to structural design, energy, fire-resistance, acoustics, renewability, resiliency and healthy living.

ARDS 6843 Advanced Wood Production Processes. Explores the impact of wood production, fabrication and construction processes on the design of industrial wood products, structures and construction for buildings. Investigations are conducted through simulation of design and assembly at multiple scales, of a variety of engineered and hybrid wood/timber materials, applying contemporary and emerging fabrication technologies.

ARDS 6853. Health and Wellness in the Built Environment. 3 Hours. Advanced seminar examining the interactions of health and wellbeing in the built environment. Physiological and psychosocial wellness concepts are examined across multiple scales and settings.

ARDS 6906 Advanced Design Studio 1. A topical design studio investigating project development dependent upon the synthesis of knowledge and application of critical thinking to complex environmental design scenarios. The intimate relationship between architecture, place and culture is used to create connection and relevance in the built environment.

ARDS 6916 Advanced Design Studio 2. An advanced topical design studio utilizing methods from domains external to design disciplines. Project resolution requiring skill in generating design ideas developed through strategic planning and responding to sociopolitical, economic, and environmental drivers.

ARDS 6926 Graduate Residency. Experiential learning integrating knowledge and theory in professional environment. This guided experience will facilitate career development, professional relationships, and provide a critical opportunity to apply new skills and knowledge to real challenges.