California College of the Arts
Master of Advanced Architectural Design (MAAD) Digital Craft

DEGREE TYPE

Master degree

DURATION

1 year

LANGUAGES

English

PACE

Full time

APPLICATION DEADLINE

EARLIEST START DATE

STUDY FORMAT

On-Campus

Key Summary

About : The Master of Advanced Architectural Design (MAAD) Digital Craft program focuses on the intersection of digital design and architecture. This postgraduate degree emphasizes innovative technological practices and design methodologies in architecture. Students will explore advanced fabrication techniques and develop skills that bridge the gap between digital tools and physical construction, enhancing their creative potential over the course duration.

Career Outcomes : After completing the program, graduates can pursue various career paths, including roles as digital architects, design consultants, and fabrication specialists. They may also explore opportunities in architectural firms, construction companies, or as independent practitioners in the field of digital architecture.

This one-year interdisciplinary post-professional degree program is tailored for advanced students and mid-career professionals. Students focus on research and design through mentored study and a range of elective offerings.

Three possible areas of concentration are offered that reflect the diversity of emerging domains within architecture, allowing for a rigorous course of study that has an advanced level of specialization but is also highly cross-disciplinary.

Digital Craft

The Master of Advanced Architectural Design (MAAD) Digital Craft concentration focuses on contemporary digital design technologies and digital craft. It provides students with both broad and in-depth exposure to contemporary topics:

parametric design and advanced computation
digital fabrication and robotic technologies
interactive technologies and responsive environments
building information modeling (BIM)
advanced simulation and visualization
history and theory of digital design
experimental and emerging technologies

Urban Works

The Urban Works post-professional program draws upon the entrepreneurial spirit of San Francisco and the Bay Area to engage students as active agents in forming a product that has a direct or indirect effect on the city.

Design Theory & Critical Practices

The MAAD History, Theory, Experiments [HTX] concentration offers graduates of professional architectural programs an intense year of advanced study in architectural and urban history, theory, and criticism, culminating in an independent research project oriented toward public exhibition, publication, or digital dissemination.

The program is designed for mid-career professionals or post-graduate students seeking advanced training that will prepare them for careers as architecture teachers, critics, curators, civic leaders, theorists, journalists, and provocateurs.

Requirements for Admission

Professional degree in architecture, or equivalent. See submission requirements

Curriculum

Total number of credits for degree: 30 units
Duration: 2 semesters (fall/spring)

Fall Semester (15 units)

Advanced Studio (6 units)
Topic Elective (3 units)
Topic Elective (3 units)
Open Elective (3 units)

Spring Semester (15 units)

Advanced Studio (6 units)
Topic Elective (3 units)
Topic Elective (3 units)
Open Elective (3 units)

Advanced Studios and Topic Electives are focused courses in the student's area of concentration. Open electives can be courses within the Architecture division or across the college.

Internships

The purpose of the Architecture internship program is to provide advanced-level students with a grounded, real-world experience in a professional design environment.

You will invariably acquire multiple skills from your experience: