The MArch (Part 2) is a long-established and well-respected course that is prescribed by the ARB and validated by the RIBA to give exemption from the second stage of professional education. The emphasis of the course is on innovative design work, and on developing a caring and critical approach to the study and practice of architecture.
The course fosters diversity of choice, interpretation and approach, whether in design projects or more academic research. The former focuses on sophisticated design programmes (in formal, technical, professional or urban terms) that demand rigour and self-criticism. The latter focuses on your major dissertation, an extended piece of specialised research into architecture and its historical or theoretical contexts.
The course has three main objectives: to develop your design ability through project-based experimentation; to present an evaluation and critique of your coursework within a broad cultural context, and in light of technical, economic and legal constraints; and to promote the articulate explanation and representation of quality and value in design projects.
Core modules
The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.
Year 1, Semester 1
Year 1, Semester 2
Year 2, Semester 1
Year 2, Semester 2
Most students who complete the Architecture MArch (Part II) are subsequently employed in architectural offices and become registered architects after taking the Part III exam. Others progress to take further Master’s or PhD degrees and then go into research or teaching.
The Architecture MArch is a two-year full-time Master's degree which, in addition, leads to the award of ARB/RIBA Part 2. The programme has an international reputation and is generally regarded as one of the leading Part 2 programmes in the UK.
The MArch unit system of teaching ensures that an open, diverse and critical debate is sustained by the school on what constitutes architecture, and reinforces The Bartlett's ethos that architectural knowledge and expertise is synthesised throughout the student's own projects. Much of the current work by staff and students is at the forefront of developing new intellectual and formal concepts in global architecture discourse.
The programme consists of five core elements. The first year (known as Year Four) comprises three modules, followed by two modules in the final year (known as Year Five).
Year Four
*Year Five modules
Optional modules
There are no optional modules for this programme.
Research project/design project
Students spend their final year undertaking Advanced Architectural Design 2, a major design project, in combination with Advanced Architectural Thesis, a research project related to aspects of their design studio work.
Teaching and learning
The unit system of teaching is supported by lectures and seminars given by a diverse spectrum of leading practitioners and academics. Design work accounts for 65% of the programme, and assessment is through portfolio, essay, design realisation report, and thesis.
Fieldwork
There is one field trip (optional) annually as part of the programme.
Maximum cost to the student is £500
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Architecture MArch (ARB/RIBA Part 2)
Bartlett graduates are amongst the most sought-after employees by leading and emerging practices including Foster + Partners, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Make, Arup, Zaha Hadid Architects, HOK, and Heatherwick Studio. Other graduates have formed their own practices or forged successful careers in parallel practices such as time-based media, exhibitions and events, urban design, and furniture design and/or film-making.
Recent career destinations for this degree
Employability
This combination of networks, knowledge and technical expertise makes our graduates some of the most highly valued in the world, with 95% securing employment within six months of graduation. Some choose to progress to further study and teaching, many go on to roles in design and the built environment and with some of the world's top architecture practices.
Careers data is taken from the ‘Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education’ survey undertaken by HESA looking at the destinations of UK and EU students in the 2013–2015 graduating cohorts six months after graduation.
The UCL Bartlett is the UK's largest multidisciplinary Faculty of the Built Environment, bringing together scientific and professional specialisms required to research, understand, design, construct and operate the buildings and urban environments of the future.
The Bartlett has a substantial number of international students from all parts of the world, providing a dynamic global exchange of ideas, views and knowledge. Our research, partnerships, enterprise and knowledge-sharing activities similarly address all kinds of the built environment - from internal spaces, building systems and virtual environments to rural areas, from landscapes and towns to mega-cities. The school has repeatedly been voted "best architectural school in the UK" in The Architects' Journal, AJ100 poll. Over the past 20 years Bartlett nominees for the RIBA President's Medals have won more student awards than any other school.
Located in London, we are at the heart of the world's largest cluster of creative architects and engineering firms, next to the UK's seat of government and finance and with all the resources of a world city to hand.
Successful completion of the programme leads to UCL’s Architecture MArch and, in addition, exemption from Part 2 of the ARB/RIBA examinations.
Study at The Bartlett School of Architecture is enriched by the vibrant community of specialist consultants, partners and research associates who provide valuable contact with industry and academia. Many of our staff are themselves in practice. Our students benefit from the most advanced and broad suite of facilities available in any similar faculty in the EU.
Accreditation:
RIBA/ARB Part 2 is awarded upon successful completion of the MArch Architecture programme.
Overseas students who do not have Part 1 upon commencing the programme and are seeking professional registration in the UK must contact the Architects Registration Board separately in order to gain ARB Part 1.
The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.
The following REF score was awarded to the department: Bartlett School of Architecture
81% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)
Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.
The MArch Master of Architecture at AUB explores the possibilities of architectural practices that conceive and articulate diverse processes of community development and transformation.
The MArch course is for you if you are looking for something different and fresh in your route to becoming an architect in a changing world.
Our course explores the possibilities of new architectural practices that make, innovate and collaborate, exploring diverse processes of community development and transformation.
MArch aims to produce: performative, projective enablers and architecture, cutting into societies deepest darkest myths; building interventions in the utopias and dystopias past, present and future; and launching architectural careers and journeys via its laboratory practice, where the body and somatic practice is at the fore.
The periphery is important geographically, as from there you can see the centre. Both the urban region, the rural and the coast has a a great surface for interventions. Join the eclectic global and local, MArch student body, be ready to catch a big one from the Piers and the Portland Stone cliffs or disappear into the New Forest (Mirkwood) to live like a hobbit.
The urban density of the AUB campus has seen the insertion of an amazing Drawing Studio by visiting professor, honorary fellow and alumni Professor Sir Peter Cook. The RIBA award winning building was opened by Zaha Hadid. Her practice is now closely involved with the development of Pavilion Gardens in Bournemouth, the MArch is shadowing this work.
At AUB, our studios work in a way that mirrors industry, with students working together in a high-energy environment. You’ll work in our recently renovated studios and have access to 3D workshops with manual and digital manufacturing equipment.
You’ll also be able to make use of our makers lab – a shared creative space also used by Modelmaking students – and designed to give the the space to create.
The AUB Workshop is situated on campus and can be accessed by any student. Onsite technicians are on hand to help students make use of the fantastic facilities such as:
You’ll also be welcome to use the printmaking room – located with the Fine Art studios. Where, the University has gained a number of traditional presses, including letter press, etching, relief, lithography and silk screen printing. There are dedicated areas for exposure, screen washing and acid etching – and new presses are added all the time.
This is a two-year programme that takes graduates to an advanced level of architectural design. It satisfies Part 2 of the UK professional qualification for architects, and is approved by the RIBA and the Architects Registration Board (ARB).
At the Welsh School of Architecture, we provide a fully accredited route to becoming a professional architect in the UK. This MArch programme is the second stage (Part 2) of this route and is intended for those who wish to continue their education towards becoming a qualified architect. The course is approved by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Architects Registration Board (ARB). If you do not already have a Part 1 qualification, please take a look at our BSc Architectural Studies.
Our MArch is a two year programme which is studied on a full-time basis. It is unique in that in the first year of study, you will predominantly be based in an architectural practice, undertaking a combination of practice-based and academic work. In your second year, you will be based in the School of Architecture’s new studio for graduate students at Friary House, in Cardiff city centre. This is within 5-10 minutes’ walk of our other site, Bute Building.
Throughout the course, we explore the full range of skills required to be an architect and enable you to develop your personal and professional experience. To prepare you for the demands of the architectural profession, we build on and extend your existing knowledge to include the design of more complex buildings and the demands of urban design. We also study the professional and legal aspects of an architect’s work. We also encourage you to pursue knowledge in a specialist area through a written dissertation project.
Distinctive features
The first year of the MArch – the year of education in practice – is spent predominantly in architectural practice. It includes three short courses held in the School and has a modular structure of coursework.
The second year of the MArch is spent full-time in the School and takes students to an advanced level of architectural design. It offers an intense and lively forum for the exploration and discussion of issues in contemporary architecture. It involves a ‘Design Thesis’, a written dissertation and a module in practice management and economics.
Project work is a major component in the second year and includes a comprehensive design for a building or group of buildings selected by yourself and supervised by an appropriate member of staff. You will also complete a dissertation which allows you to pursue and specialise in an area of interest to you. Current areas you can choose from include architectural science and technology, history and theory of architecture, social issues in architecture, and professional and management studies.
The majority of our graduates proceed to a career in architectural practice, and are found in many of the top practices in the UK and across the world.
However, career paths for our graduates also include urban design, teaching and research as well as architectural practice. Other employers of our graduates include architects’ practices, building energy consultants, town planning departments, construction companies and some universities. Some graduates proceed to higher research degrees such as MPhils or PhDs.
After completing our MArch in Architecture and gaining further experience in practice, you may wish to undertake a Part 3 qualification [link to PGDip/MA in Professional Studies if possible], successful completion of which will enable you to register with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and therefore use the title ‘architect’ in the UK.
The Architectural Design MArch is a 12-month programme concentrating on advanced design. It encourages the individual to discover his or her individual expression. Students on this programme benefit from continuous discussion of work via tutorials and reviews and the opportunity to study at an internationally renowned centre for innovative design.
The programme aims to develop the student's interest and knowledge of architectural and adjacent design fields, with the emphasis on the latest technological and scientific advances, particularly advanced research on computation and robotics. In so doing it promotes cutting-edge approaches to architecture and design in the wider context of society.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
Students are introduced to the theoretical concepts which underpin the MArch programme through lectures and initial design projects. Students then undertake a thesis project, a report and work in specialist teaching groups. Modules are design-based with specialist lecture input.
Core modules
Optional modules
Research project/design project
The programme culminates with students undertaking a major design project, the 'Architectural Design Final Project' in combination with an individual written submission, the 'Design Thesis Report'.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, site visits and workshops, and incorporates both individual and group working. Assessment is through coursework assignments, essays, presentations and portfolio examinations.
Fieldwork
There is one field trip (optional) annually as part of the programme.
The maximum cost to the student is £500.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Architectural Design MArch
Graduates have been very successful in gaining subsequent employment. There is a growing demand for our graduates from a wide range of both public and private employers. While the main source of employment remains local government and central government planning and planning-related consultancy, graduates are also employed in the housing and transport sectors; planning, urban regeneration and environmental agencies; utility companies and teaching and research.
Recent career destinations for this degree
Careers data is taken from the ‘Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education’ survey undertaken by HESA looking at the destinations of UK and EU students in the 2013–2015 graduating cohorts six months after graduation.
The UCL Bartlett is the UK's largest multidisciplinary built environment faculty, bringing together scientific and professional specialisms required to research, understand, design, construct and operate the buildings and urban environments of the future.
Located in London, it is at the heart of a large cluster of creative architects and engineering firms, next to the UK's seat of government and finance and has all the resources of a world city to hand.
The new architecture coming out of the UCL Bartlett is characterised by a high level of invention and creativity, and our graduates receive many prizes and awards.
The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.
The following REF score was awarded to the department: Bartlett School of Architecture
81% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)
Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.
The PgDip in Advanced Architectural Design is for UK/EU architecture graduates seeking Part 2 professional qualification. International students should apply for the MArch Architectural Design (International).
This two year course gives you the opportunity to explore architecture in a broad-based manner through theoretical and practical work. It demands a high level of design ability and self-motivation while giving you the chance to explore and develop projects related to your own interests.
You’ll appraise current theoretical approaches to architecture and urban design then assess and show their relevance in existing and proposed contexts. You’ll also develop and demonstrate formal and technical architectural ability.
If you complete all diploma work to a satisfactory standard you may have the opportunity to convert your diploma into a MArch. This requires an extra three months of study.
As well as the areas of study you'll:
This year is centred on consolidating your architectural design skills. You’ll also be introduced to the idea of architecture as a responsive solution to fundamental social issues. You’ll choose an area of personal interest that you’ll research for your dissertation.
You’ll undertake an architectural project. This requires you to take a viewpoint on contemporary architectural issues and choose a theme that reflects your own interests and creative ambitions. As well as studio-based activities you’ll follow your chosen theme through project work and optional classes. You’ll also attend a taught course in professional studies and a series of guest lectures.
Study trips provide opportunities for intensive examinations of the culture and built fabric in a variety of urban and rural locations both in the UK and overseas. Recent trips include Barcelona, Rome, Paris and Venice and the less familiar Gdansk, Toledo and Monte Caruso.
You’ll have the opportunity to study abroad (subject to academic performance). The department has the most expansive international exchange programme in the UK. We have agreements with 22 institutions across Europe, Canada, the Far East and South America.
Studios
There are two fully-networked design studios; one dedicated to student self-study, the other to interactive design teaching.
Library
In addition to the main University library, we have our own, on-site, reference library. Our collection is developed in direct response to the teaching delivered in the department.
Workshop
A full range of hand and portable power tools are available (complete with instruction).
We offer plotter printing, scanning and laser cutting services.
Find out more about the full range of facilities we have to offer.
Validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) (Part 2).
Accredited by the Architect’s Registration Board (ARB) for the purpose of eligibility for registration with that body.
We’ve an extensive programme of student awards provided by professional bodies, including:
Our students have been successful in many prestigious competitions including:
Each part of the course allows you to explore and develop projects related to your own interests in contemporary architecture.
The course is made up of studio design work, lectures, special projects and workshops.
The focus of study is on design project work including the analysis, synthesis and appraisal of design ideas. You’ll show your understanding of these ideas through drawings, physical and digital models, written and graphic work.
The March degree normally requires further assessment over the summer semester. This will be on an aspect of the diploma project that is explored to a greater level of detail.
You’ll have exams in semesters 1 and 2 on all aspects of the course and are expected to present a complete academic portfolio based on advanced design study.
Career opportunities for Architecture graduates range from working in large multidisciplinary practices to smaller specialist firms.
Many of our graduates are employed by highly respected practices throughout the world, while others have set up their own businesses.
The Department has a growing reputation for developing entrepreneurial graduates who go on to make their mark in the sector independently in practices such as Page and Park, Tog Studio and Lateral North.
The Master of Architecture (MArch) RIBA Part II course is a highly creative, research-led and professional two-year masters rooted in studio laboratories and driven by individual enquiry. The MArch course is prescribed by the ARB and validated by RIBA, giving exemption from RIBA Part II.
We are part of the vibrant range of arts and humanities courses that the university has to offer. Our distinct research-led approach filters through all aspects of this course, with rigorous inquiry fusing innovation, regulation and social commentary. This student-focused approach offers the opportunity for you to investigate your personal architectural agenda, developing your own critical position and design language prior to entry into the profession.
The studio laboratories are driven by tutors’ personal research agendas and all staff are actively engaged within this field of enquiry as academics or practitioners. The stimulating mix of practitioners and academics across the course builds conversations, with visiting lecturers and critics further feeding the dialogue. Recent visiting lecturers have included Neil Denari, Perry Kulper, Chris Thurlbourne, Michael Jemtrud, and our close links with practice ensure stimulating review panels. We place critical thought at our core and look forward to you joining the conversation.
We want you to emerge from the course as an assured designer, confident in your approach, ideals and aspirations and with the ability to communicate this to the wider world. Over the two years you will be challenged to define your own critical position, and evolve your personal language of design and representation. The course will assist you in this through a gradual deepening of understanding, and by providing you with the tools with which to critically reflect upon design strategies and to navigate the wider contemporary debate on architecture.
The design laboratories form the backbone to the course. The other individual elements of the course increasingly intertwine with this over the two years to provide a final systematic understanding of architecture as a holistic entity.
Year 1: Strategy
There are four elements of the course (modules) covered in the first year and these are organised such that you will only ever address two at any one time. Design forms the backbone of the year and is divided into two elements that run consecutively across the whole year. The third element, or module, is technology and this runs through the first half of the year and is then replaced by Humanities and Design Theory in the second half of the year.
Year 2: Integration
Year two is also formed of four elements (modules). Design encompasses the whole year in the form of the master thesis, with the technology and professional studies elements of the course plugging into this as the year progresses. Architectural humanities runs in the first term in the form of the Humanities Research Project. Once this is completed technology then takes its place in the course diagram and runs through to the end of the year integrating itself into the design proposal.
Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through our applicant portal.
The course is centred around the studio and through this aims to reflect the nature of architectural practice. Teaching is rooted in problem-based learning, such as through critical studio briefs, and a research-based approach to problem solving. You will therefore be asked to critically engage with and reflect upon the subject matter, and to learn through your own research and enquiry. One-to-one tutorials, group discussions, seminars as well as lectures by academic staff and visiting practitioners all act to assist in evolving your ideas.
The studio laboratories are derived from the tutors’ own field of enquiry as academics or practitioners. You are given the opportunity to apply for the studio laboratory of your choice at the start of each academic year.
There are a range of studio laboratories to choose from each year, all of which explore different contemporary design research fields informed by the studio tutors’ current research. Each studio laboratory is supported by two tutors and has a dedicated studio space within which to conduct your explorations alongside fellow students from both years of the course.
On successful completion of the course you will have formed a systematic understanding of architecture, a critical awareness of current problems and a comprehensive understanding of techniques, methodologies and practice. This rigorous and critically engaged basis will form a solid foundation upon which to build your professional architectural career.
MArch Architecture is for students who have completed BA (Hons) Architecture and, typically, spent a year in practice.
The course comprises studio (with integrated technology), a dissertation and professional studies, and is ideal if you're interested in exploring a range of perspectives in relation to contemporary architecture and urbanism, and looking to pursue a career in roles associated with the development of sustainable urban spaces.
The studio element of the course is delivered through research-driven clusters called ateliers that align strong areas of research activity and mutual interests via trios of staff. This will enable you to develop ideological positions that are critically underpinned by seminars, workshops and symposiums.
MArch Architecture has continued to maintain a diverse range of ateliers and expertise, which enables us to provide a series of distinct and significant areas of focus with respect to the future of architecture and urbanism in a wider cultural context. At the beginning of each academic year you will choose from a range of the School's ateliers. You would normally expect to spend a year studying with a particular atelier.
This course is jointly accredited by The University of Manchester (UoM) and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), with cross-disciplinary connections between UoM's School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED), and MMU's Manchester Institute for Research and Innovation in Art and Design.
Find out more at the Manchester School of Architecture website .
Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: [email protected]
The Urban Design MArch is a design-oriented and project-based programme, with a strong research component, which aims to enhance the quality of our cities by bringing innovative design into a new relationship with the latest theoretical research on the special structure of urban form.
The programme aims to bridge the gap between architecture and urbanism, and has a strong emphasis on physical design and radical experimentation, combined with rigorous analysis and state-of-the-art theories and methodologies. Students explore design decisions at both a strategic level and the more detailed level of urban regeneration.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of four core modules (105 credits) and an urban design final project (75 credits).
A Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits, full-time nine months) is offered.
Core modules
Optional modules
Research project/design project
The programme culminates with students undertaking a major design project, the 'Urban Design Final Project' in combination with an individual written submission, the 'Design Thesis Report'.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, case-study presentations, site visits and field trips. As a project-orientated programme, all theoretical research work and experimental design exploration culminates in physical design propositions for specific design projects. Assessment is through design portfolio, essays, oral presentations and a written design report.
Fieldwork
There is one field trip (optional) annually as part of the programme.
The maximum cost to the student is £500
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Urban Design MArch
UCL Bartlett graduates have been very successful in gaining subsequent employment. At present there is a growing demand for our Master's graduates from a wide range of both public and private employers. Graduates of the programme have gone on to work principally in the field of urban design, architecture and urban regeneration.
Recent career destinations for this degree
Employability
Study at the UCL Bartlett is enriched by the vibrant community of specialist consultants, partners and research associates who provide valuable contact with industry and academia. Many of our staff are themselves in practice. Our students benefit from the most advanced and broad suite of facilities available in any such faculty in the EU. This combination of networks, knowledge and technical expertise makes our graduates some of the most sought after in the world. Some choose to continue with academic research and others go on to roles in architecture, urban design and the built environment.
The UCL Bartlett is the UK's largest multidisciplinary built environment faculty, bringing together scientific and professional specialisms required to research, understand, design, construct and operate the buildings and urban environments of the future.
Located in London, we are at the heart of a large cluster of creative architects and engineering firms, next to the UK's seat of government and finance and with all the resources of a world city to hand.
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