B.Arch CurriculumFree, forever
A tribute to Amogh N P
Advanced Architectural Research
This is where research stops being a subject and becomes something you DO. The dissertation is your first sustained, independent inquiry — a single question, pursued in depth, written up to scholarly norms, and defended. It is the rehearsal for the final-year thesis. The companion course gave you the methods; this studio walks you through producing the real thing: turning a vague interest into one researchable question, writing the proposal that commits you to it, building a literature review that finds the gap, constructing an argument that turns evidence into a defensible claim, and writing and defending the dissertation itself. The deliverable is not an essay about research — it is your own piece of research, made and owned.
Course byAmogh N P· Architect & interior designer
The syllabus
5 units · 5 liveTranscribed from the official B.Arch syllabus. All 5 units are live as full interactive lessons, each with original diagrams, a self-assessment quiz and a studio task.
Unit 1 — Choosing a Dissertation Topic
LiveWhat a dissertation is and why it matters as the prelude to thesis; the importance, purpose and scope of dissertation research in architecture across design, technology, environment, economic and behavioural areas; turning a broad interest into a narrow, researchable topic and question; and testing a topic for significance and feasibility.
Unit 2 — The Research Proposal
LiveThe research proposal (synopsis) as the contract for the dissertation — the problem statement, aim and objectives, hypothesis or research questions, scope and limitations, the chosen methodology and its justification, ethics, timeline and references; and the research gap the proposal must point to.
Unit 3 — The Literature Review
LiveFinding and evaluating sources (primary, secondary and grey literature; peer-reviewed vs not); reading critically rather than summarising; organising and synthesising by theme; building a theoretical framework; identifying the research gap; and referencing, the annotated bibliography and avoiding plagiarism.
Unit 4 — Building the Argument
LiveTurning evidence into a warranted argument — the Toulmin model (claim, reason, evidence, warrant, qualifier, rebuttal) and Booth's claim–reason–evidence; collecting and analysing data and field studies for the dissertation; making claims the evidence supports; and answering counter-arguments.
Unit 5 — Writing & Defending the Dissertation
LiveThe dissertation report structure and academic writing; drafting and revising as thinking, not transcription; referencing and integrity; preparing for and defending at the viva; and the bridge from the dissertation to the final-year thesis project.
Course outcomes
What you will be able to doIdentify a dissertation topic and narrow it to a researchable question with a clear significance.
Write a research proposal — problem, aim, objectives, question/hypothesis, scope and methodology.
Build a critical literature review that synthesises sources and identifies the research gap.
Construct a sound argument that turns data and fieldwork into a warranted, defensible claim.
Write and structure a dissertation to accepted norms and defend it at a viva.
Develop a coherent line of thinking — the rehearsal for the final-year thesis.
The author
Amogh N P
Architect, interior designer, and creative polymath. Studio Matrx began in his notebooks — his vision of design made honest, useful, and open to everyone. Its Academy is written and taught in his memory, and free, forever.
More about Amogh →Your first piece of research, made and owned.
A question, a proposal, a literature review, an argument and a defence. Read the five units, study the diagrams, then test yourself.
The curriculum is free, forever