Special Project
A student who intends to do a studio-based special project must notify the architecture department of that intention. For special projects to be undertaken in the fall semester, the notification deadline is the last day of classes in the previous fall semester; for special projects to be undertaken in the spring semester, the notification deadline is the last day of classes in the previous spring semester.
Special Project Studio
The special project requirement must be completed while “in residence” during a fall or spring semester graduate studio. Descriptions of all graduate studios to be offered each semester will be posted. Students notify the architecture department of their ranked preferences among the graduate studio offerings by submitting studio selection forms following the studio instructors' presentations during the first week of classes. These students will be given priority in the studio lottery selection.
Special Project Requirements
A student must complete the special project studio's design work and special project documentation to the satisfaction of his or her supervising studio instructor and the Master's Degree Requirements Committee (MDRC) respectively. Students are encouraged to schedule consultative meetings with their studio instructors periodically throughout the semester to gauge progress on their special project studio's design work.
Six weeks before the semester's last day of classes, a special project student must provide the architecture department with:
- a written special project abstract comparable to the thesis abstract
- a mock-up of his or her proposed special project documentation
The MDRC will review these submissions and notify the student of any required changes.
A special project studio instructor's submission of a studio course grade of “B” or higher will be considered an indication of that instructor's receipt of and satisfaction with a student's completed special project studio's design work. A student who receives a special project studio course grade of “B-” or lower will be required to complete an additional special project graduate studio with a grade of “B” or higher in a subsequent semester.
The MDRC will review each special project document submitted to the architecture office to verify its satisfactory compliance with the special project documentation requirements (described below). special project documentation that the MDRC deems noncompliant will be returned to the student for correction.
The architecture department will notify the Graduate School that a student has completed his or her special project requirement for the Master of Architecture first professional degree only after:
- the special project studio's design work has been deemed satisfactory by the supervising studio instructor
- the special project documentation has been deemed compliant by the MDRC
- a receipt for having the MDRC-approved documentation bound has been provided to the architecture department
- the required M-form has been signed by a MDRC representative and the special project studio instructor or, if the studio instructor is unavailable, the architecture department chairperson
Special Project Documentation Requirements
Each student's special project studio work must be documented both as an 8 ˝” x 11” bound print document and as an electronic document saved to a labeled CD/DVD that is stored in a jewel case. Since the special project documentation is organized in a manner comparable to the thesis documentation, students should reference the Graduate School's “Guidelines for Graduation and Thesis and Dissertation Preparation” (http://www.grad.buffalo.edu/docs/thesdisrtprep.pdf) for information about required parts of the documentation, its physical specifications and style manual options.
The special project documentation must include:
- a description of the studio project assignment(s)
- a description of the design approach employed for the studio project(s)
- a discussion of the salient issues inherent in the project assignment(s)
- an annotated portfolio of the student's design work on the project assignment(s)
- a summary of reviewers' comments about that work
- a self-critique of that design work on its merits
Timetable
Each student must submit both print and electronic versions of the special project documentation to the architecture department for review by the MDRC by the following deadlines:
Degree Conferral: |
Deadline: |
|---|---|
February |
One week before the first day of spring semester classes |
June |
Four days before the last day of spring semester final exams |
September |
One week before the first day of fall semester classes |
A student whose special project documentation is submitted after the deadline or is deemed noncompliant by the MDRC will have his or her degree conferral deferred until the documentation is deemed compliant by the MDRC.
Timetable example for 2-year Master of Architecture June Degree Candidates
First Year, Fall Semester |
Research Methods (3 credits) |
First Year, Spring Semester |
Affirm special project intention (before classes end) |
Second Year, Fall Semester |
Submit Application to Candidacy form (by announced due date) |
Second Year, Spring Semester |
|
Timetable example for 3.5-year Master of Architecture February Degree Candidates
Second Year, Fall Semester |
Research Methods (3 credits) |
Third Year, Fall Semester |
Affirm special project intention (before classes end) |
Third Year, Spring Semester |
Submit Application to Candidacy form (by announced due date) |
Fourth Year, Fall Semester |
|
