Master of Science in Sustainable Design

The MSSD program advances design methodologies that integrate multicultural and geospatial aspects of ecological thinking, focusing on addressing architectural responses to climate change. It incorporates dynamic bioclimatic processes into the design of constructed environments, guiding students to explore climate-specific socio-ecological placemaking through computational design, environmental science, material research and advanced manufacturing. The program emphasizes the relationship between historical patterns and new technologies, constructed and natural systems, the symbiosis of human and non-human environments, energy systems and human-centered design, regenerative landscapes and circular economies, bio-based material production, and the integration of architectural assemblies. The goal is to cultivate actionable decarbonization expertise and understand the holistic ecological impact of design and construction.

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Through creative solutions grounded in ecological design, environmental ethics, technical proficiency and critical analysis, the MSSD program prepares its graduates for careers focused on reshaping the built environment toward a more resilient and equitable future. Our graduates are equipped for diverse professional, academic and research roles, including:

• Ecological Design: Architectural Design; Ecological and Computational Design; Sustainable Architectural and Urban Practice; Regenerative Landscape Ecology Practice (Professional Career Examples: Designer & Director of Sustainability, Architectural Designer, Design Strategist, Computational Designer, Project Associate Architect)
• Environmental Design Consulting: Energy Performance-based Design; Energy Modeling; Building Performance and Environmental Consultancy; Design Strategy and Data Analytics; Life-cycle Analysis and Material Research; Consulting roles that support non-profit organizations and encourage independent sustainable thinking beyond the office environment (Professional Career Examples: Building Environmental Science Specialist, Building Performance Analyst, Sustainable Design Specialist)
• Sustainable Technology Specialist: The development of Computational Tools and Processes (including Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence); Robotics and Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing; Sustainable Engineering (Professional Career Examples: Sustainability Engineer, Software Engineering - Sustainability, Machine Learning Researcher, Technical Associate)
• Academics, Research and Scholarship: Path towards PhD; Academic career paths in teaching and research

The MSSD program builds upon its robust academic roots in sustainability and green building systems integration while expanding on bioclimatic approaches from architecture to landscape ecology to natural material systems. Embracing cross-scale relationships between human habitation, biodiversity, industrialized manufacturing and the extraction of material resources, the MSSD program promotes symbiotic strategies that integrate passive and active building systems with low-tech and high-tech modes of production within the context of embodied and operational energy. The program emphasizes regenerative design methods that connect ecological and natural patterns with social sustainability and the decarbonization of the built environment.

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Pedagogically, the MSSD program focuses on developing design agility and creative problem solving integrated with critical computational skill sets and research capabilities. The program's culmination is the development of an independent research-based MSSD THESIS in the form of a year-long design synthesis project completed under the close guidance and mentorship of dedicated faculty experts in the field.

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MSSD THESIS 

• THEMES: The MSSD theses encompass a broad range of inquiry into ecological impact, including Regenerative Landscapes, Green Infrastructure, Material Lifecycle and Circular Design, Social Equity, Health and Human-Centered Design, Regenerative Materials and Embodied Energy, as well as Performance-Based Design and Operational Energy.
• SCALES: The MSSD theses focus on examining across-scale relationships from natural phenomena on the ecological scale to the design and analysis of synthetic architectural systems. These investigations focus on Material Properties and Behavior through Architectural Assemblies and Systems, Situated Buildings, expanded Site Considerations, Neighborhoods, City Planning, Infrastructure, Landscape Design, and Ecological Territory.
• METHODS: Methods of research, formed through the foundation offered in courses within the two-year curriculum, include, but are not limited to, Environmental Simulation, Data Analytics, Robotics and Advanced Manufacturing, Bio-based Material Development, Prototyping, Performance Validation, Ecological Impact Assessment, Life-cycle Assessment, Geo-spatial Systems, Advanced Computational Modeling, Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Supported by a foundation in key technical climate-related issues, the MSSD program offers an intensive, yet flexible curriculum designed to allow students to define their path toward a specific area of ecological knowledge and expertise. The program combines critical inquiry with self-driven design research courses, complemented by expert technical and computational skills offered at the School of Architecture and across Carnegie Mellon University. The curriculum emphasizes the integration of design and technology, the value of total-building performance, material circularity, human-centered design, large-scale ecology, and natural systems knowledge with ecological systems analysis and creative design processes.

MSSD PROGRAM Curriculum

Our students benefit from an interdisciplinary academic environment with courses spanning architecture, material science, human-computer interaction, computer science, engineering, humanities, art and design, psychology and more. The curriculum offers both depth and breadth, culminating in a thesis project that allows students to focus their research and integrate the ecological impact of their work with topics of personal and professional interest. MSSD theses are published in MSSD KiltHub, CMU's online repository, and students are encouraged and guided to share their innovative work at other academic and professional venues.

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The program offers a four-semester/two academic years curriculum to complete the study. It also allows for the integration of the Accelerated Master Programs (AMP) as well as the sequential completion of two School of Architecture graduate degrees within an expedited time frame. 

MSSD students benefit from access to Carnegie Mellon University's robust research environment and cutting-edge facilities. This includes the state-of-the-art Design Fabrication (dFAB) Lab and Applied Architectural Robotics Lab, which serve as a collaborative hub for faculty and students. Additionally, students have access to the Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics and Robert L. Preger Intelligent Workplace, facilitating interdisciplinary interactions focused on sustainability studies.

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Our graduate students also engage in interdisciplinary research and learning activities across various university labs, such as the Material Science and Engineering Labs, the Manufacturing Futures Institute at Mill 19, IDeATe facilities and the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry - a laboratory for atypical, transdisciplinary and inter-institutional research at the intersections of arts, science, technology and culture.

The MSSD program welcomes applications from candidates oriented towards design, research and practice, with backgrounds in fields such as architecture, urban design, engineering, landscape architecture, computer science, material science, industrial design, interdisciplinary studies, biotechnology, product design, computational design, humanities and planning. Prospective candidates should demonstrate an interest in and understanding of sustainability concepts. We seek individuals who are critical thinkers, deeply curious about the built environment, dedicated to fostering positive change, and willing to explore innovative approaches. The program is designed to complement and enrich degrees related to the built environment, including architecture, landscape architecture, ecology, engineering, construction, product design, interior architecture/design and other relevant fields.

ADMISSIONS OVERVIEW and APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

APPLY FOR MSSD

Interested applicants are invited to contact program Track Chair Prof. Dana Cupkova for questions concerning academic aspects of the program. Applicants interested in obtaining information about financial aid packages should visit the Carnegie Mellon Financial Aid website.