Master of Science in Regenerative and Sustainable Design

The MSRSD program (formerly the Master of Science in Sustainable Design - MSSD) prepares graduates for careers focused on reshaping the built environment toward a more resilient and equitable futures. It builds on a longstanding foundation in sustainability and green building systems integration, extending bioclimatic design across architecture and landscape ecology while advancing biogenic and regenerative material systems. Grounded in local ecological, material, and geospatial conditions, the program examines how design can respond to climate change by strengthening relationships between constructed and natural environments.   

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Through computational design, environmental science, material research, and advanced manufacturing, students work across material, building, urban, and territorial scales to develop climate-specific approaches to socio-ecological placemaking. This cross-scalar perspective cultivates actionable expertise in decarbonization and a holistic understanding of ecological impact in design and construction, encompassing regenerative material systems, circular resource flows, embodied and operational energy, biodiversity, human health, and social equity.

Learning is organized through design research that connects critical inquiry and ecological theory with computational experimentation, environmental analysis, and making. By examining cross-scalar relationships - from material extraction and industrial manufacturing to biodiversity and human habitation- students develop design agility, creative problem-solving, computational fluency, environmental literacy, and research capabilities while learning to translate evidence into design propositions. Coursework brings passive and active systems, low- and high-tech modes of production, and qualitative and quantitative evaluation into iterative design processes.

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These capabilities converge in the year-long MSRSD THESIS, through which each student develops an independent, research-based thesis under the close guidance and mentorship of dedicated faculty experts.

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MSRSD THESIS 

Each thesis connects an ecological question with an appropriate scale, site, material or spatial system, and research methodology:

• ECOLOGICAL IMPACT:  Thesis research engages relationships between constructed and natural systems; human and non-human environments; regenerative landscapes and green infrastructure; material lifecycles and circular design; social equity; health and human-centered design; bio-based and regenerative materials; embodied and operational energy; and performance-based design.
• SCALES:  Investigations range from material properties and behaviors to architectural assemblies, situated building systems, neighborhoods, cities, infrastructure, landscapes, and ecological territories.
• METHODS:  Students select and combine methods appropriate to their research questions, including environmental simulation, data analytics, robotics and advanced manufacturing, bio-based material development, prototyping, performance validation, ecological impact assessment, lifecycle assessment, geospatial analysis, advanced computational modeling, machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI).

CURRICULUM

Required core courses, Core Selectives, electives, and the 36-unit RS Design Synthesis provide a shared academic foundation while enabling students to develop individualized areas of ecological knowledge and advanced design expertise.

MSRSD PROGRAM Curriculum

Students draw on courses within the School of Architecture and across Carnegie Mellon, benefiting from an interdisciplinary academic environment that spans architecture, materials science, human-computer interaction, computer science, engineering, the humanities, art and design, psychology, and related fields. Together, these courses establish a strong foundation while supporting breadth of inquiry and depth of specialization, culminating in a thesis aligned with each student’s research and professional interests. Students are also encouraged and guided to disseminate their innovative work through academic and professional venues.

Explore the complete list of MSRSD THESIS, as well as the full thesis archive in the MSRSD KiltHub Collection, CMU Libraries’ online research repository. 

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The MSRSD follows a four-semester, two-academic-year curriculum. Alternatively, eligible students may complete the degree through the Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP), following either the B.A. + MSRSD (4+1 pathway), or the B.Arch + MSRSD (5+1 pathway). Students may also combine the MSRSD sequentially with another Architecture graduate degree through the Graduate Accelerated Master’s Program (GAMP) 2+1 pathway, such as MSRSD + M.Arch, or MSRSD + MUD. 

The following resources highlight the breadth and broader impact of MSRSD student work. Explore a selection of MSRSD Publications emerging from thesis research and browse the MSRSD Thesis Visual Archive organized across four scales:

•   Material Systems  
•   Building Systems  
•     Urban Systems     Ecological Territory

MSRSD students benefit from access to CMU's robust research environment and cutting-edge facilities. These include the state-of-the-art Design Fabrication (dFAB) Lab and Applied Architectural Robotics Lab, which serve as collaborative hubs for faculty and students. Students also engage with the Remaking Cities Institute, a research platform for urbanism, participatory action, and community design, as well as the Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics and Robert L. Preger Intelligent Workplace, which support interdisciplinary research and collaboration focused on sustainability studies.

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Our graduate students also engage in interdisciplinary research and learning activities across a range of university laboratories and facilities, including 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 art, science, technology, and culture.

The MSRSD program prepares graduates for diverse professional, academic, and research careers across four primary pathways:

 Alumni Professional Career Paths Data 2016-2026

• Architectural Design:  Integrates ecological, sustainable, computational, and bioclimatic design approaches across architectural and urban practice, regenerative landscape ecology, material and assembly design. Career Examples: Sustainability Director, Architectural Designer, Design Strategist, Computational Designer, Project Architect, and Associate Architect.
• Environmental Design Consulting:  Applies energy and building-performance modeling, environmental consulting, design strategy, data analytics, life-cycle assessment, and material research across commercial, nonprofit, and independent sustainability initiatives. Career Examples: Building Environmental Science Specialist, Building Performance Analyst, and Sustainable Design Specialist.
• Sustainable Technology:  Advances computational tools and processes -including machine learning and artificial intelligence -alongside robotics, sustainable advanced manufacturing, regenerative material development, and sustainable engineering. Career Examples: Sustainability Engineer, Sustainability Software Engineer, Machine Learning Researcher, and Technical Associate.
• Academics, Research and Scholarship:  Supports pathways toward PhD study, teaching, design research, and interdisciplinary scholarship focused on the built environment. Career Examples: Doctoral Researcher, Design Researcher, Research Associate, Educator, and Faculty Member.

The MSRSD program welcomes applicants with backgrounds in architecture, urban design, landscape architecture, planning, engineering, computer science, materials science, industrial design, product design, interior design, biotechnology, computational design, the humanities, interdisciplinary studies, and related fields. Applicants should demonstrate a foundational understanding of sustainability and a strong interest in design, research, or professional practice.

We seek curious and critical thinkers committed to advancing positive environmental change through design. The degree builds on prior education and professional experience through an interdisciplinary, research-oriented approach to the design, construction, and operation of the built environment.

ADMISSIONS OVERVIEW and APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

APPLY FOR MSRSD

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.