Graduate education

MS in Architectural Science: Introduction

The concentration in lighting within the Master of Science in Architectural Sciences degree allows students from a variety of disciplines to pursue a multidisciplinary graduate degree related to lighting practice. Geared toward the needs of professionals either currently working or wishing to pursue careers in the lighting industry or design fields, this nine-month, 30-credit degree exposes students to a wide range of topics within lighting including the physics of light, lighting technology, human factors, design, and application. It also allows students to concentrate their research or design work in a particular area of interest by pursuing a master's project.

The LRC encourages close working relationships between its researchers and its students.

The Master of Science in Architectural Sciences with a Concentration in Lighting includes 24 credits of formal course work taken over two semesters and a six-credit culminating master's project completed under the guidance of a faculty advisor. The degree can be completed in nine months, allowing professionals to take a break from their careers and return with a graduate degree in lighting.

The one-year program is ideal for people with an entrepreneurial spirit who want to turn new, innovative ideas into viable lighting products or services. The program includes a concentration in product innovation and development supported in part through funding from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA). This entrepreneurial element is designed to help students better identify and understand industry opportunities and the innovation process with a focus on lighting products and services that benefit society and the environment. Students will have the opportunity to grow their innovations and ideas through business plan development and prototype construction, with support from the LRC’s multidisciplinary faculty and business experts, and the LRC’s Lighting Technology Greenhouse program, developed to foster the commercialization of sustainable lighting technologies and services.

Students who become interested in research while completing the MS in Architectural Sciences with a Concentration in Lighting can consider continuing on in the Ph.D. in Architectural Sciences and can apply their credits toward that degree.

The Master of Science in Architectural Sciences with a Concentration in Lighting is designed for students who

• Come from a wide range of backgrounds
• Have practical experience in the field of lighting
• Want to advance in their current careers by gaining more complete knowledge of the various disciplines within the lighting field
• Want to participate in a multidisciplinary educational program in lighting
• Have an interest in technology transfer and entrepreneurship.

Graduates with a Master of Science in Architectural Sciences with a Concentration in Lighting can pursue career advancement in the lighting industry or the lighting design field, or can continue on for further study with the Ph.D. in Architectural Sciences with a Concentration in Lighting. <

Overview | Introduction | Curriculum