Overview
All Master of Architecture students are required to develop a thesis proposal during their penultimate semester in a one-credit-hour course that is taken alongside the final course in the history and theory sequence, Contemporary Practices. Contemporary Practices considers current and emerging issues and approaches to architecture and urbanism, providing a backdrop against which students independently conceptualize, articulate, and critically evaluate their thesis proposals. Each student is expected to clearly outline a thesis focus and its relevance, its implications, and projected material results: to pose a question that will motivate them as they navigate their early careers and long after they graduate.
The students admitted to thesis the following semester test their proposed thesis in a project that is a synthesis of intellectual and design objectives. These projects are not meant to be comprehensive building designs; thesis is a laboratory for focused research in our field. Thesis concludes in a final public review with distinguished invited guests that engages the entire school. The project is evaluated both on its own terms and within the broader field of contemporary architectural discourse. Successful theses and the discussion they foster stimulate future activity at Rice Architecture and beyond.
