The program has a strong interest in the methods of inquiry, development and testing of knowledge, and the building and application of theory as it pertains to the built environment. It allows students to specialize in areas in which they wish to obtain particular abilities. There are three major areas of study. In Architecture and Urbanism, areas of faculty interest include theory of urban form and urban design strategies linked to the institutions that effect urban change. As part of Architecture and Urbanism, Architecture and Culture concentrates on issues of regional and cultural identity and expression in architectural and urban form.
Special programs exist for Muslim and other nonwestern societies.
Design Technology focuses on the search for principles of architectural form and design. A research and teaching group in Design and Computation is central to this area. A few students can enter the areas of History, Theory and Criticism, and Building Technology, where they work alongside S.M.B.T. and doctoral students, and, as a result, are able to carry their learning experience back to professional practice, design education, or technology research. In all of these areas, related subjects are available in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, in other departments at MIT, and at Harvard. About 60 percent of the students in the S.M.Arch.