Master thesis

30.00 credits

Language

French

Main themes

The thesis, also called End of Study Work, is the keystone of the training. It is the piece that is carried by others and gives meaning to the whole. It is also the one that should allow students to enter the professional world.
For architectural projects, the following specifications must be completed:

the highlighting of the personal position in relation to the given framework.
the highlighting of the contextual dimension of the project (site and programme),
the deliberate study of the composition of the plans, sections, elevations, models that define the project in a range of scales from territorial to 1:50 (at least) sections. The specific work of elevations cannot appear to be a simple question of more or less free style, which is dealt with at the end of the project,
taking into account the constructability of the project, by producing details on the major articulations of the projected architectures, and by a clear and detailed representation of the materials used,
the design of the presentation so that it is consistent across all the boards (or other media), so that it shows all the elements necessary for understanding the project, and so that it captures the most revealing points of view of the project's issues.
a document (with writing and drawings) gives the critical perspective that the student has built on the different encounters that have marked his year, on the path that has been his and the understanding that he has of architecture beyond his final project.

For research work, the following specifications must be completed:

the highlighting of the interest of the chosen subject for the architect or urban planner and its formulation in question,
the synthesis of the state of knowledge,
a detailed and justified description of the method chosen or developed,
the identification of hypotheses and developments that attest to the student's ability to speculate,
the production of correct results and their interpretation,
the deliberate elaboration of texts, with diagrams, illustrations, bibliographical references, which allow a complete reading of the thesis and its results,
the conclusions of the final draft will summarize the contributions of the quality scientific answer to the question asked, new elements in the field studied and perspectives for further research. The conclusion will also describe the status of architectural research work.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

At the end of their Project thesis, students will be able to:

to analyse and interpret personally, in the contemporary situation, the framework proposed to him. Students take a position in relation to the given framework.
to analyze a site and a program. Whether the site is imposed or to be found, the student does more than locate it, he understands its history, reasons and potentials that define its current configuration. Whether the program is given or to be defined, the student understands it in its requirements and its potential to structure architectural devices.
to elaborate a coherent project in all its dimensions (layout, articulations, plans, volumes, elevations, constructability, structure, materiality, adequacy to the program,...)
to report, through a complete and coherent presentation, on the interest of its drawn speculation work.
to state what the architecture is like for him both at the level of what drives his position (he is able to state the elements, hypotheses, laws of aggregation and determinants of his project) and his way of intervening disciplinaryly (as an architect).

At the end of his research thesis, the student will be able to:

develop a question that is relevant in the contemporary situation and requires the specific skills of the civil engineer architect.
draw up the state of knowledge and to identify oneself through the use of references.
find and follow the method necessary to carry out his work.
produce, verify and interpret results.
criticize existing knowledge, the sequence of questions, the methods used, the production of results.
report, through a final text and an oral presentation, both complete and coherent, on the interest of its speculative work. It clearly reports on the questions, methods and results obtained.
state the status of architectural research work and to indicate the interests of architects and planners in this work.

Faculty or entity

LOCI

Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme

Sigle

Credits

Prerequisites

Learning outcomes

Master [120] in Architecture and Engineering

ARCH2M