Independent Design Engineering Project I

The Independent Design Engineering Project (IDEP) is a two-semester project during which students in the Master in Design Engineering (MDE) program work on understanding a concise, real-world problem and develop a prototypical solution. Methodologically a continuation of the MDE first-year studio, each student frames a complex problem and engages with stakeholders in order to understand its multi-scalar, multidisciplinary aspects. Work on a solution involves a combination of analytical and visualization skills, technical skills, and design methods, culminating in the development, prototyping, and evaluation of a solution. The two-semester long IDEP is the required second-year component of the MDE program. Each student receives guidance from an advisor from SEAS and an advisor from the GSD. Initial domain outlines for the IDEP are due at the end of the second semester. Course group meetings serve as platforms for workshops, updates, and the sharing of progress, and allow for feedback on methods from the project coaches. Presentations and reviews will be scheduled during the fall and the spring semester to facilitate feedback by advisors, stakeholders, Harvard faculty, and guests. The final presentation at the end of IDEP includes an oral presentation, visuals, and a demonstration of the solution.

Independent Study by Candidates for Doctoral Degrees

9502 must be taken for either 2 or 4 units. 

Under faculty guidance, the student conducts an independent reading program and formulates a thesis proposal. The course is intended for doctoral students. 

In addition to enrolling in the course, students must download and fill out the independent study petition, which can be found on my.Harvard. Enrollment will not be final until the petition is submitted. 

Independent Thesis in Satisfaction of Degree MArch

The Thesis Program encourages students to take advantage of the wide range of resources and research initiatives of the Graduate School of Design and its faculty to make a thoughtful contribution to the discipline. Thesis is a required component of the March I program, and an optional track for the March II program.

Each student works on a final thesis project based upon the interests and research done in the semesters leading up to the final term and under the guidance of a designated faculty advisor, with whom s/he will meet regularly throughout the course of the term.

The final thesis project, having attained a sufficient standard of completion, will be presented and defended at a final, open review consisting of a panel chaired by the thesis advisor and composed of members of the faculty and invited critics.

Independent Study by Candidates for Master’s Degrees

Students may take a maximum of 8 units with different GSD instructors in this course series. 9201 must be taken for either 2 or 4 units.

Prerequisites: GSD student seeking a Master’s degree

Candidates may arrange individual work focusing on subjects or issues that are of interest to them but are not available through regularly offered coursework. Students must submit an independent study petition, and accompanying documentation as noted on the petition, after securing approval of the faculty member sponsoring the study.

The independent study petition can be found on the Documents tab in my.Harvard. Enrollment will not be final until the petition is submitted.

Mumbai INformal

Kiara Nahomy Wong Siu (MAUD ’25), Teresa Ka Weng Lai (MAUD ’25), Henry Black (MUP ’26), and R. Kofi Boakye Bempong (MUP/MPA ’26)

Luxury living in Mumbai hinges on the vertical, while informal living lays on the horizontal. Mumbai INformal bridges these contrasting realities by introducing a multi-use podium typology that transforms “co-existing” into meaningful “co-living.” This approach respects and celebrates the livelihoods, aspirations, and daily rhythms of the residents who call this area home.

ARCA

Andres Lira Vigneaux (MArch II ’25), Brittany Arceneaux (MRE ’26), Noemi Iten (MDes ’25), and Dennis Sola (MArch II ’25)

ARCA is a housing construction system designed to make gentle density both feasible and compelling by rethinking how housing is built – combining architectural precision, material innovation, and contextual design. ARCA’s pilot project is situated on a standard R1 lot in Los Angeles’s Playa del Rey neighborhood – a vacant parcel that embodies both the challenges and opportunities of low-density zoning.

Infilling with Outbuildings

Nicky Rhodes (MArch I ’26), Ian Erickson (MArch I ’25), Nathan Lowrey (MRE ’26), Vincent Jackow (MArch/MIT)

Infilling with Outbuildings centers on transforming garages in Somerville, MA into affordable live-work spaces for local artists and artisans by utilizing sustainable building materials, architecturally innovative designs, and efficient construction practices. Recognizing the dispersed yet standardized nature of these structures and the urgency of the affordability problem, the proposal prioritizes easily replicable design prototypes that can be quickly implemented, adding density and dynamic, mixed-use energy to neighborhoods.

Preparation of MLA Design Thesis

“The natural sciences are concerned with how things are . . . Design, on the other hand, is concerned with how things ought to be.”
          –Herbert Simon, The Sciences of the Artificial, 1969

A thesis is a thematic proposition offered for discussion and debate. A thesis is typically developed through a piece of original research specific to an academic discipline, often at the culmination of a program of study. Theses are produced through various methods as appropriate to the disciplinary commitments of academic fields across the research university. Design theses are pursued through the methods and media specific to the design disciplines, through design research. Design research most often refers to the process and products of knowledge produced through design, as distinct from knowledge produced by research methods associated with the humanities or the sciences. Design research can be characterized by its means and methods, as well as by its sites and subjects for work, as well as the dissemination and reception of its propositions.

Design research is propositional and projective rather than simply empirical or descriptive. It is most often predicated on intervention in the world rather than simply describing the world as found. Design research is characterized by its capacity to propose alternative and better futures while simultaneously producing disciplinary knowledge in design. Candidates in the Master in Landscape Architecture Program elect to pursue independent design theses at the culmination of their graduate work. The projects presented here represent original thematic propositions put forward through design research to stimulate discussion and debate. In this sense, they are as much about design discourse and disciplinary formation as they are propositions for how things ought to be.

This research seminar is intended for Master in Landscape Architecture candidates electing to pursue a design thesis in their final year of study. The course defines the parameters of a design thesis and assists candidates in the development of their own individual design thesis proposals. The course addresses a series of broad themes essential to developing a cogent thesis proposal including design research, projective practices, discursive agendas, site contexts, programmatic drivers, and representational strategies. The course examines the role of precedent projects and design methods as well as the status of design and design research as forms of knowledge in the research university.

Course readings, video lectures, and videos of advice from faculty and recent graduates are made available asynchronously via Canvas. The course meets weekly for workshop presentations and discussion of thesis projects in development. In addition to the regularly scheduled class sessions, tutorial workshops, and formal reviews, individual meetings with faculty advisors are an important aspect of the course. Students will be expected to secure a GSD faculty thesis advisor by the beginning of class. By the end of the term candidates will prepare an independent thesis proposal of their own formulation as a critical contribution to contemporary discourse and debate in landscape architecture. The course welcomes individual design thesis projects exploring topics of contemporary relevance to the future of landscape architecture including questions of racism and resistance, class and climate, among others.

Note regarding the Fall 2025 GSD academic calendar: The first day of classes, Tuesday, September 2nd, is held as a MONDAY schedule at the GSD. This course will meet for the first time on Tuesday, September 2nd.

Preparation for Independent Thesis Proposal for MUP, MAUD, or MLAUD

What does it take to complete a graduate thesis in the Department of Urban Planning and Design? The seminar introduces different types of theses that might be produced by students, whether textual, design-focused, or based in some other medium, such as film. It addresses topic and question identification, research methods, case selection, the craft of thesis production, managing the student-advisor relationship, and techniques for verbally defending a thesis.

Over the semester, students identify and refine their thesis topic, solidify their relationship with a thesis advisor, and produce a thesis proposal. By the end of the semester, students will have produced a solid thesis proposal and have the necessary intellectual foundation to complete their thesis by the end of the academic year.

Course meetings combine input from faculty, group discussions, progress reports by students, and reflections on next steps. The course will include a midterm and final review of students’ proposals, to be attended by faculty and critics.

Independent Thesis in Satisfaction of Degree MArch

The Thesis Program encourages students to take advantage of the wide range of resources and research initiatives of the Graduate School of Design and its faculty to make a thoughtful contribution to the discipline. Thesis is a required component of the March I program, and an optional track for the March II program.

Each student works on a final thesis project based upon the interests and research done in the semesters leading up to the final term and under the guidance of a designated faculty advisor, with whom s/he will meet regularly throughout the course of the term.

The final thesis project, having attained a sufficient standard of completion, will be presented and defended at a final, open review consisting of a panel chaired by the thesis advisor and composed of members of the faculty and invited critics.