Affiliates generally follow one of two models in designing their curriculums, the variable being when work begins on the final project.
Some affiliates, during the first half of the program, introduce students to different fields in the design/construction industry and teach basic skills (e.g., scale, structural forces) that are employed in developing the final project. The second half of the program focuses entirely on producing the final project.
Other affiliates immediately begin work on developing the final project, breaking it down into component parts (e.g., architectural design, mechanical and electrical engineering, structural engineering, landscape architecture) which become the topic of one or two sessions.