NY-MOSCOW
Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
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MARKHI-Moscow Architectural Institute
Global Metropolis: New York-Moscow Design Leadership Program
Degree: Columbia University Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design
The Program
Globalization is today a reality that has a strong impact on our world, our way of life, our very future, leading to radical transformations not only at the economic, political and cultural levels but also in the quality of social relationships. Drastic changes that can and do alter our environment, and especially, our urban centers, create dynamic opportunities but at times profound strains and perilous disparities. It is a process sometimes experienced as a threat, which can engender negative reactions, often resulting in a lack of proper understanding as well as the incapacity for establishing more constructive interactions and well-grounded professional tools. The rapid and massive changes in the global physical and social fabric in the 21st century call for new forms of international exchange and new forms of expertise in view of gaining a better understanding of the present realities while advancing more innovative broad-minded and sustainable proposals. State-of-the-art design leadership programs are needed to equip professionals with a better knowledge of the global world and the necessary expertise for dealing with the complex emerging urban realities.
The New York-Moscow program aims to nurture a new generation of architects and scholars that are expected to play an international leadership role in the coming decades. Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) and Moscow Architectural Institute (MARKHI)- two of the world’s pre-eminent research universities based in two of the world’s key global centers- introduce a specialized design program that will be aimed at graduates of architecture schools in Russia and its wider region who wish to combine the state-of-the-art knowledge and practices in the international field with the specific conditions and innovations of practice in Russia and its wider region.
The focus of the design program will be globalization and its consequences for the metropolises of today, exemplified in this case by New York and Moscow. The former is the first and most complete symbol of a global metropolis, while the latter embodies a remarkable historical city and dynamic metropolis now rapidly and tumultuously facing the global world, a condition which presents therefore a quite unique situation – and the possibility of its becoming a special laboratory for new social and urban policy and alternative proposals on both the architectural and urban levels.
Admissions
A class of 12 highly selected students is anticipated for each year. All applicants for admission to the program must:
- Hold a professionally accredited degree in architecture (certified copy).
- Submit a portfolio, three recommendation letters, a personal statement, a resume, and transcripts, all of which must be in English. The portfolio must gather examples of the applicant’s architectural work (with special reference to the last 2 years), and must not exceed 8 1/2 by 11 inches, and 1/2 inch in thichness.
- Take the Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL), if English is not the applicant’s native language. The minimum TOEFL score is 100 (internet-based score).
- Complete optional need based scholarship forms.
Applications are due March 2, 2009.
Organization of the Program
The New York-Moscow program begins in the summer and runs through the fall and spring semesters. The summer 2009 semester is to be carried out in New York, at Columbia University; the fall 2009 semester, in Moscow at MARKHI; and the spring 2010 semester again in New York with a mid-semester study trip back to Moscow.
The core curriculum envisages a sequence of consecutive and interrelated studios and seminars conducted in English. The studios will explore the making and rebuilding of the architecture and urban fabric in New York and Moscow, while the seminars will provide an overview on the globalization process and its consequent major transformations, as well as on the history, morphology and shaping of architecture and urban fabric of both cities.
Implicit in the program are additional lectures, seminar discussions, city walks exploring the city center and outskirts, visits to governmental and business offices and guest lecturers, offering further investigation on globalization issues, on recent theoretical and critical debates, on significant current architectural and urban projects, as well as another other world capitals with analogous conditions. A direct and constructive collaboration with government agencies and public and private enterprise in both cities is also anticipated during the whole program.
Program Requirements
The post-graduate program requires a minimum of 45 points in the proposed curriculum:
Term I (Summer-New York)
| Design Studio I (site in New York) |
9 pts |
| Metropolis lecture course |
3 pts |
| Reading New York Architecture and Urbanism |
3 pts |
|
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|
15 pts |
Term II (Fall- Moscow)
| Design Studio II (site in Moscow) |
9 pts |
| Seminar on Global Issues |
3 pts |
| Reading Moscow Architecture and Urbanism |
3 pts |
|
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|
15 pts |
Term II (Spring-New York)
| Design Studio III (site in Moscow or its region) |
9 pts |
| History/Theory Seminar |
3 pts |
| Open Elective – including visual studies workshops |
3 pts |
|
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|
15 pts |
Notes:
- Partial or full need-based scholarships as available to cover or subsidize total program costs. (Program costs include: $84,600 for tuition fee and living expenses including travel & accommodation with additional $4,200 university facilities fee, health service and medical insurance for a total cost of $88,800).
- Participants in need of introduction to computer modeling and multimedia techniques will be required to complete a special course in advance.
- Participants in need of additional training in English (TOEFL lower than 100) should consider an English language course in advance.
- The Summer semester in New York will allow the students to share some classes with students in other programs, while also maintaining the specialized classes of the New York-Moscow program.
- It is advised to take an additional 3 point elective during the summer and spring semesters, and an additional seminar by Moscow faculty is envisaged for the fall semester.
- The Fall semester in Moscow will include a study visit to St. Petersburg and design faculty from Columbia will visit Moscow for reviews.
- The Spring semester in New York will include a 1 to 2 week trip o Moscow, for a site visit and mid-term reviews. Faculty from Moscow will visit New York for final reviews.
- The strongest graduates of the program will be eligible to apply to carry out an additional year of study in the Advanced Architectural Research program at GSAPP and all graduates have the possibility of spending a one year period after the completion of the program for further training and working experience in the United States.
For additional information contact:
Professor Valery Bgashev, Vice Rector (MARKHI)
Tel: 7-495-6281269,
E-mail:id@marhi.ru
