MA Architecture

Why Iuav University

Iuav has long been recognized as one of the best design and art Schools in Europe and across the world. It is the only university in Italy to provide thorough education and training in architecture, urban planning, design, visual arts, theatre, and fashion. It is deep-rooted in tradition but truly committed to innovation. Its workshops give students the opportunity to interact with high-profile teachers and world-level professionals. Iuav is an international university that offers courses and internships both in Italy and abroad and encourages student exchanges. It teaches the knowledge, skills, and expertise to ensure successful entry into the world’s job market. It is a widely recognized school of excellence in an unparalleled city – Venice – famous for its beauty, culture, and lifestyle.

MA Architecture

The English-taught MA provides education and training for internationally oriented architects, in accordance with the Directive of the European Parliament 2005/36/CE. It gives students excellent preparation for the changing demands of society, both in the technical-scientific area and the humanities. It teaches how to cope with present-day problems related to urban and natural landscapes. It focuses on the conservation and transformation of different architectural and urban contexts, with special attention paid to environmental, economic, and social sustainability. MA Architecture prepares students to tackle pressing architectural, urban, and environmental issues in the national and international scenes. It proposes updated visions of architecture and integrates them with ideas from global culture. It employs the most innovative techniques and methodologies to train generations of digital natives. This also means providing cross-disciplinary competences in – urban projects and theories on the city, with their related issues of sustainable growth and sustainable decrease – Italian cultural heritage and its conservation through regenerative projects that can be applied to other countries and contexts – interior and exhibition design – a global asset for today’s architects.

Studying Architecture in Venice

Venice provides lifelong inspiration. An uninterrupted tradition links Venice to its School of Architecture. Such masters as Carlo Scarpa and Aldo Rossi taught at Iuav, were affected by the beauty of the place and put it into their works. Iuav caters to the needs of rapidly changing professional environments. It makes a commitment to teaching design and planning as interpretations of spaces, knowledge of their history, and synergy of multidisciplinary competencies and skills.

Key features

You will gain comprehensive knowledge and field-specific language skills to enter and contribute to global architectural practice and architectural discourse worldwide. – You will become a professional within the specialist fields of historic building and landscape conservation. – You will be encouraged to be an architect with an informed sense of social responsibility and ethics in relation to campaign design and impact evaluation in developing countries. – You will graduate with a strong awareness of the nature of architecture and its uses in written and visual communication. This will make you ideally suited to a wide range of professional sectors that include: education, publishing, media, international development, and public relations.

Organization&contents

Iuav Master in Architecture focuses on both research and practice. While acknowledging the fundamental role of practice in architectural work, it considers architectural design as a creative process brought about by research-led activities. It offers student-centered learning through problematization, experimentation, and critical reflection by applying a variety of methods and practices to finally acquire advanced skills and reach informed positions. The modules taught in each semester are developed in synergy. They are research-driven in order to present design as a process of inquiry. Each semester includes one integrated design lab and two theoretical courses. The program illustrated below is in line with the project that is currently under approval at MIUR, the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research.

International Perspectives

Iuav collaborates with international cultural institutions and universities to impart a modern, updated education for a globalized world. Students can attend workshops and seminars taught by visiting scholars, professionals, and specialists who are part of the International Exchange Programmes, in partnerships with 130 European universities and 60 non-EU institutions and universities. For the final module, students will be given the possibility to study abroad within the Erasmus+ program in order to complete their thesis.

What will you study?

During the two-year course, you will develop as an architectural designer and thinker and move towards the ability to engage in architectural practice as an independent and inventive practitioner. You will acquire the knowledge to extend your communication skills and gain expertise in contemporary architectural fields. You will further improve the understanding acquired during your first degree, learning by doing also through visual inspection and didactical sites. Finally, you will apply your critical and analytical skills to produce substantial projects and written research in any of the areas covered in, and relevant to, the course.

Examples of modules

Sustainable Urban Design & Performance; Architecture, Interior and Creative Exhibition Design; Regeneration and Conservation of Historic Buildings and Environments; Research Principles and Visual Narrative towards the Thesis Project.

Assessment

Design assessment and portfolio, reports and seminars, presentations, case studies, interior and exhibition projects, group field trip, dissertation.

Postgraduate opportunities

MA students are highly qualified to hold important positions in both national and international agencies. They can work in public institutions, private practices, and public companies in the fields of construction and urban and regional planning. MA is a prerequisite to taking the Italian State Exam to qualify as licensed architects. Iuav Career Service helps postgraduates to find the most suitable opportunities for internships and land future jobs, both in Italy and abroad.