This study purports to foster the understanding of profession-based academic writing in two different cultural conventions by examining the rhetorical moves employed by American and Philippine thesis introductions in Architecture using Swales’ 2004 Revised CARS move-analytic model as framework. Twenty (20) Master’s thesis introductions in Architecture published from 2003-2010 were culled randomly. Results show apparent differences between the two corpora. The Philippine corpus comprises a structured pattern that includes the following elements in order: background of the project, statement of the problem, significance of the study, scope and delimitation and definition of terms. Meanwhile, the American corpus follows a free-flowing structure with varied elements. Two predominant conclusions may be drawn from this study.  Firstly, each profession operates within a context that has its own dynamics and constraints. Another significant conclusion is the role of culture in terms of following writing conventions. Americans, having individualistic culture, tend to be more free-flowing in terms of their introduction structure.  The Filipinos, on the other hand, having collectivist orientation, follow certain formats and structure in their introductions.