In fall 2007, the School of Constructed Environments launched a new dual-degree graduate track that combines the fully accredited Master of Architecture degree with the Master of Fine Arts in Lighting Design degrees. The 142 credit-hour dual degree prepares students for extraordinary career opportunities in the expanding fields of sustainable architectural design and electronically mediated environmental design. Light has historically been understood as the medium in which architecture is apprehended. In addition, electric lighting - now increasingly the visible result of digital mediation - is emerging as a transformative construction material as buildings, and even entire urban sectors, become information-bearing surfaces. Sustainable practices also rely heavily on solar exposure and creative daylighting energy strategies that can have profound consequences on the shape of the built environment. Given the poetic, technical, formal, and ecological role of natural and electronic light in configuring the built environment, the study of light is a natural complement to the study of architecture.

Admission to the dual degree program will require acceptance to both the mfaLD and the mArch programs; one application may be submitted, but applicants will have to meet the admissions standards of each program's Admissions Committee. Matriculated dual-degree students will receive joint academic guidance from the Architecture and Lighting Design directors and will be eligible for all scholarships, awards, and support offered for either program. If you have questions about the mARCH/mfaLD program, please contact the program directors at: