Masters Degrees (March)

The MArch is designed to equip you with the skills you need to succeed in your chosen career. Critical thinking, independent learning, imaginative solutions and the rigorous justification of design decisions are at the heart of our course.

The architectural profession is rapidly developing through the influence of new technologies, emerging markets and political and ecological drivers. You will develop the tools to respond flexibly to authentic situations and possibilities, to deal with contingency and complexity.

This course can also be taken part time - for more information, please view the web-page: https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/courses/architecture-march-pt-dupaht1/

Accreditation

-Accredited by the Architects Registration Board (ARB) for the purpose of a Part 2 qualification.
-Validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) at Part 2 level for the purpose of eligibility for membership of the RIBA.

The skills you will acquire are transferrable and focus upon: autonomous learning; authentic and analytical methods of inquiry; critical curiosity; social responsibility; and design and communication skills via a comprehensive mix of manual and digital methods.

Learn From The Best

You will learn from staff with a wide range of expertise, research and scholarship. An acclaimed, award-winning, teaching team comprising outstanding architects and academics will offer guidance, support and expertise throughout your course. Collectively, this team has designed and built award-winning buildings, both nationally and internationally, as well as publishing world-leading research.

The research-informed teaching methods used in the MArch focuses on industry and practice-based inquiry; this is reinforced by using real projects, often collaborating with professional practice and real clients, and importantly using regional sites. This approach has been recognised as being outstanding by national and international authorities, external examiners and professional bodies, and has led to unmatched levels of student satisfaction and employability.

Teaching And Assessment

A supportive studio design culture ensures that you will learn as part of an educational community, sharing knowledge, precedents and techniques in replicating architectural practice. You will be encouraged to make extensive use of the department’s design studios, workshops, and computing laboratories to develop knowledge, skills, techniques and understanding. Your interaction in this respect is regarded as a critically important factor in the learning process. Assessment is by design project portfolio and assignment.

Architecture is a design-led discipline, and at least half of your study time will be focused upon the development of key architectural design skills, via the use of real-life studio design projects. The design modules are supported by taught modules (including history and theory, technology and environment, manual and digital communications, and practice, management and law).

Module Overview
Year One
KA6006 - Cultural Context (NC, 20 Credits)
KA6007 - Authentic Design Inquiry (NC, 60 Credits)
KA6008 - Practice Management and Law (NC, 20 Credits)
KA6016 - Architectural Research Methods (NC, 20 Credits)

Year Two
KA7011 - Design Project 3: Analysis and Proposal (NC, 40 Credits)
KA7012 - Design Project 4 - Realisation (NC, 50 Credits)
KA7013 - Student Selected Investigation (NC, 30 Credits)

Learning Environment

Whatever your aspirations in architecture and the built environment, you’ll find the latest technologies to support you in our dedicated laboratories and studios. Throughout your course you will be able to survey, visualise, model and take your ideas out of the department and into the world around you.

Your studies are supported by some of the best studio and workshop facilities in the country, including state-of-the-art 2&3D rapid prototyping machines and associated computer software. You are encouraged to use the full suite of technology enhanced learning (TEL) opportunities available to you as part of our modern curriculum.

Research-Rich Learning

Research-rich methods are embedded within the learning, teaching and assessment strategy of the MArch course. You will build upon research-based knowledge to develop your critical curiosity, informed judgement and ability to evaluate proposals. Assessment methods encourage critical and deep approaches to learning, including your use of focused research inquiries specific to design processes.

Architecture and Built Environment is a top 30 research department with 50% of our outputs ranked world-leading or internationally excellent according to the latest UK-wide research assessment exercise (REF2014, UoA16).

Give Your Career An Edge

The high employability rates of Northumbria architecture graduates are a testament to our approach. By aligning the course with the General Criteria and the Desired Graduate Attributes of the professional bodies (the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Architects Registration Board), the skills and knowledge expected of Part II graduates are intrinsic to the teaching, learning and assessment strategies. Consequently, you will be fully equipped to enter the profession and practice at the required levels expected on completing the course.

Our department functions within an expansive network of employers and contacts at local, national and international level, all aware of the course’s reputation for academic and professional excellence and eager to connect and collaborate with you on graduation.

Your Future

The MArch course fulfils the ARB/RIBA Part II requirements for professional accreditation, and will enable you to develop the higher level skills of design and research needed to support self-directed architectural design projects, and to shape your future career. The majority of MArch graduates secure positions in national and international design-led architectural practices.

Many of the skills developed through the programme are transferrable, including autonomous learning, critical curiosity, social responsibility and both manual and digital communication skills. The skills acquired through the course have enabled our graduates to diversify into such fields as construction, BIM, visualisation, property development, urban design, set design, project management and housing, as well as to continue into doctoral studies.

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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

• Study in one of the top schools of architecture in the UK.
• Accredited by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Architects Registration Board (ARB) at Part 2 level.
• Available as a two year full-time course with the first year mainly spent in an architectural practice.
• Learn from our academic staff and experienced tutors from leading UK architectural practices who have specialisms in a wide range of areas.

Structure

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.

Core modules:

Design in Practice
Research Preparation
Reflective Practice
Design Thesis
Dissertation
Practice, Management and Economics

Teaching

The methods of teaching we employ will vary from module to module, as appropriate depending on the subject matter and the method of assessment. We teach using a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops, study visits, project work, and group tutorials.

In lectures and workshops we aim to make appropriate use of audio-visual support to aid learning and development of subject-specific skills. You will be given access to relevant teaching materials through the University’s virtual learning environment, Learning Central.

Assessment

Taught and project-based modules are assessed in a variety of different ways depending on the module content and learning outcomes (found in the module descriptions). We use class tests, course work (both written assignments and oral presentations or critical assessments/crits), and project work, or a combination of these to assess your progress on the module.

You will also be assessed on a dissertation project, which you will complete in year two. The dissertation is a written report on a piece of research which you have carried out in an agreed subject area under supervision.

Career Prospects

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.

Placements

The first year of this course is spent in practice. Students are expected to find a suitable placement in an architectural practice themselves. Our students have an excellent record in obtaining placements and many of our past graduates have taken the opportunity of the year of education in practice to spend time in practice abroad. Students should keep in contact with the School during this time and we will send a representative from the School to visit you. Your placement should last for at least 9 months.

Fieldwork

Project work in the second year of the course is based around units, which are frequently combined with study trips in the UK and/or in Europe. In the past, students have travelled to Barcelona, Venice, Rome and the Ruhr Valley, amongst other places.

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The Manchester School of Architecture (MSA) is well integrated with the vibrant architectural community of a culturally diverse city, a powerful regional profession and an extensive and active array of international partners. The Master of Architecture (MArch) programme at MSA is highly respected for the capability of its graduates who succeed in the transglobal setting of research and practice in architecture.

The MArch is a lively student centred environment, where peer-to-peer learning, practice based research and live events projects connect students, expert academics, design professionals and wider communities. Internationally recognised study tour research and access to the exchange programmes, connects the MArch with other leading Schools of Architecture. The extensive MSAplus alumni network, Manchester Society of Architects and Digital Innovation, are examples of a vibrant academic and professional context, where students are supported to develop their own links and approaches to architecture. Students can access sports clubs, societies and activities available at both Manchester and the University of Manchester.

The course is for students who have completed RIBA Part One for example a BA (Hons) Architecture course. The Master of Architecture (MArch) programme is a professionally recognised award (prescribed at Part 2 level by the Architects Registration Board and validated at Part 2 level by the Royal Institute of British Architects) leading towards a career as a professional architect. The MArch course is an opportunity to complete the academic components of architecture education and develop a portfolio suited to employment opportunities in contemporary professional practice at one of the most popular and highly regarded architecture schools in the UK. The award is jointly conferred by Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester and students benefit from access to the physical and intellectual resources of both institutions.

The content, duration and structure of the programme are defined by regulatory requirements in the EU and the particular arrangements for student finance that apply in the UK context of architecture education. Within this framework Full-time, Hybrid and Part-time routes are offered to promote choice that reflects individual ambitions and particular circumstances, to qualify as architects or pursue further postgraduate study.

Special Features

-Manchester School of Architecture is a unique collaboration between Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester.
-Consistently ranked as one of the best schools of Architecture in the UK.
-Engaged and responsive design teaching, working with expert, research active academic staff and leading design professionals.
Students actively take part in the research culture of the school.
-Opportunities for study exchange in Europe through the Erasmus programme.

Our RIBA award winning Manchester School of Art building gives high quality environments:
-Open Studio: Managed and organized by MSA students for model making, digital and analogue drawing, supporting collaborative peer groups.
-Review Studio: Used for formal discussion and review of work.
-Workshops: High quality making supported by large well-equipped specialist workshops and trained technical staff at Manchester Metropolitan and the University of Manchester.
-Lecture: Digitally equipped lecture theatres across both university estates support delivery of formal and open lectures and events.
-Library: Excellent 24/7 library resources, supported by specialist architectural librarians, enable access to a vast amount of recently published and archival material. IT systems support working away from the main Studios when appropriate.

Course Content

This course is for students who have completed a RIBA Part One course in Architecture. The course comprises of studio, research methods, dissertation and professional studies units, delivered through a diverse range of research driven ateliers and workshops. Each group approaches architecture from a different specialised position, offering expertise, skills and knowledge that respond to contemporary events and issues. Course units are delivered through studio days, workshops, seminars and lectures, made available digitally for distance learning. Students vote at the beginning of each academic year from a selection of ateliers and workshops. Student projects connect with research-based design, contemporary investigative methods and live workshops, aligned with strong areas of research activity and professional practice undertaken by the academic team within the wider cultural context.

Studio units centre on face to face discourse, focused on the creative and exploratory design thesis. Units are aligned (e.g. Methods and Dissertation) to capitalise on research themes and methodologies located in both theory and studio practice and delivered through lectures, seminars and talks. Professional Studies combines the benefits of employment contexts and academic environments to deliver technologically and professionally responsive design projects and case studies. Blending digital communication and live discourse, Professional Studies also facilitates distance learning as a part of the Hybrid route.

Study tours and international collaborations with other leading Schools and organisations take place each year and there is the possibility for exchange under the Erasmus programme.

All students will be required to make a number of different submissions, including detailed examinations of building proposals, 12000-word dissertation, annotated reports, methods exploration and a design thesis.

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Why take this course?

The Master of Architecture provides a vibrant, challenging and expansive programme aimed at equipping you with the professional and creative skills for a successful career as an architect and leads to Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Part 2 exemption. Through the design studios you will be exposed to a range of related architectural interests, including urbanism, landscape, practice, sustainability and culture, providing a cross-disciplinary learning environment that is appropriate in today’s professionally complex architectural world. We can also provide all incoming, full-time MArch students with funding toward a Course field trip.

What will I experience?

On this course you will undertake studio-based design projects, with opportunities to:

Engage with current collaborative projects with academic institutions in other countries – in the past these have included Turkey, Spain, Denmark and Australia
Work on projects with 'live' clients through our RIBA registered Project Office practice
Opt to study at a choice of European universities through the ERASMUS exchange scheme

What opportunities might it lead to?

This course is professionally accredited by the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). It is structured to ensure the integration and synthesis of contextual, technical and professional complexities inherent within the design process, helping you to engage with the prescribed ARB/RIBA criteria, and attain RIBA Part 2 exemption.

Module Details

The design curriculum is delivered through studios, each having a distinct research topic relating to the research and practice of the studio tutors. The studio topics and pedagogy provide a framework and guidance for student projects in Year One and support in Year Two as you develop your particular thesis questions into design propositions. Studios topics change annually in response to current issues in practice and society, challenging the architectural profession, and offering variety in scale,content and context in the UK and abroad.

Please see our proposed 2016/17 MArch studios below. You can find more information on our course blog and see output in our MArch Gallery.

MArch Studios 2016-17*

Latent Culture- Exploring the Reading, Mapping and Making of Place: Mapping, reading and drawing out, Studio 1 will explore cartography, archaeology, memory, narrative and material of place. Through a series of thematic studies – text and making based – the studio will bring together an understanding of place using artefacts, films, maps and narratives.

Littoral Landscapes: Change Labs for Coastal Experimentation: This studio will experiment with the ‘seeds’ of transformation, focussing on littoral landscapes – coastal villages, towns and cities in the UK and abroad. The studio is the Lab, the seeds are about speculation, growth, invention and entrepreneurialism - small changes which can lead to revolutions.

Urban Futures. Cities constantly change in response to changes in society: Today, major environmental and economic challenges we are facing require new models for the built environment that are capable to be resource efficient, adaptable to environmental modifications and designed to facilitate placemaking.

The Emergent Studio: Architecture of, on and around the Edge: The Emergent Studio explores the idea of making architecture within cultural contexts that are not ‘our own’; always in a location that in some way exemplifies an edge condition. Our theoretical platform for exploring these conditions has been, and continues to be, rooted within phenomenology, drawing from the writings of the humane Nordic modernist tradition, in informing our methodologies of interrogation and design.

Portsmouth: The Anatomy of "The Island City”: This studio continues our reflections on Portsmouth's response to climate change induced rise in sea levels adding an analysis of infrastructures and their impact on developing Urban & Architectural visions for the city.

Tactical Urbanism: Tactical Urbanism will investigate, in a radical and provocative way, how a university environment will change in the future and create alternative and hypothetical social scenarios as starting point for your design project. The aim is not to create a futuristic environment but to challenge the current paradigms and try to address the real problems and issues that our society will face in a near 2050 future.

Coastal Latent Dynamics: Material Voids: This new studio will frame the architectural process, starting with a close up of the Micro (the detail, the material qualities of place, prototyping), continuing to a wide shot of the Macro (the notion of municipality in a coastal context) and then zooming into the Meso (dealing with the opportunities of voids, empty buildings and their environs).

*Please note: studio offers may change due to staff and student numbers.

Programme Assessment

You will be taught through a combination of individual and group tutorials in your selected studio, while year-wide units are lecture-based, complemented by seminars and workshops. Our studio-teaching method will mean that you will be working with tutors with professional and academic experience in their field and all unit programmes are complemented by contributions from external professionals.

Studio programmes will often entail shared sessions with European and, sometimes, other overseas institutions, in countries such as Denmark, Turkey, Morocco, Italy and Spain. Representatives of local public and private bodies and agencies frequently contribute to studio tutorials and crits. All this helps to ensure that your learning and studio research outputs can have regional impact and global reach.

Design assessment is through studio review (crit) as work progresses and portfolio assessment at the end of the academic year. ‘Taught’ units, in support of the design curriculum, are assessed through various forms of illustrated written coursework – both individual and group, such as reports and the Dissertation.

Student Destinations

Careers in architecture are demanding ever-increasing specialism and professional competence.

The unique learning experience we offer on this course will enable you to develop as an expansive, creative and professional individual capable of success in a range of creative and professional environments. The breadth of engagement with the discipline and range of studios ensures that you will become confident in responding to the demands of the profession. The regional, national and international destinations of the School’s alumni are testament to this, as are our graduate employment take-up statistics.

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Why this course?

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.

See the website https://www.strath.ac.uk/courses/postgraduatetaught/advancedarchitecturaldesign/

What you'll study

As well as the areas of study you'll:
- complete comprehensive building design projects
- write a dissertation
- demonstrate awareness of management procedures relevant to design practice
- carry out a detailed examination of an issue or issues of particular architectural significance

Year 1

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.

Year 2

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.

Study abroad

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.

Facilities

- 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.

Accreditation

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.

Student competitions

We’ve an extensive programme of student awards provided by professional bodies, including:
- The RIAS Silver Medal: the premier Scottish award for student achievement
- The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) President's Medals
- The City of Glasgow- Eimear Kelt- Silver Medal: awarded annually by a panel of professional judges on behalf of Glasgow City Council.

Our students have been successful in many prestigious competitions including:
- ARCHIPRIX
- Building Design ‘Top 6’ UK
- APS
- RSA Awards
- A+DS and RIAS
- SEDA

Guest lectures

We run an exciting programme of guest lectures and recent speakers include:
- Joan Callis, Benedetta Tagliabue EMBT, Architects to the Scottish Parliament
- Prof Neil Spiller, Professor of Architecture and Digital Theory,
- Gordon Benson, Benson and Forsyth, Museum of Scotland, National Museum of Ireland

Learning & teaching

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.

Assessment

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.

Careers

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.

How much will I earn?

If you become an architect you can expect a starting salary of £15,000 to £20,000 after Part 1 (first degree qualification).*
Typical salaries after Part 2 (second degree or diploma) range from £20,000 to £26,000.*
The range of typical salaries after Part 3 (final exam leading to registration as an architect) or for those with experience rises to £26,000 to £35,000.*

*Information is intended only as a guide.

Find information on Scholarships here http://www.strath.ac.uk/search/scholarships/

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The study of architecture requires an enquiring and imaginative mind, to analyse and consider new possibilities for buildings that will improve people’s quality of life.

It embodies many issues and challenges: the creation of better places to live, work, and relax; designing buildings and cities that recognise the cultural diversity of the population; proposing ideas that contribute socially and economically to the community; and using imagination and innovation to do all this more responsibly and efficiently for a world with finite resources.

Our MArch Architecture course, which is accredited by the RIBA and ARB, will provide you with the professional and creative skills required for a successful career in architecture. The taught course is complemented by a year's practical experience, allowing you to gain valuable experience of architectural practice. You will also have the fantastic opportunity to travel, whether on study trips to look at the very best of international design or on student exchanges in a partnership institution for 1 semester.

See the website http://www.rgu.ac.uk/architecture-construction-and-surveying/study-options/postgraduate-taught-full-time/architecture

Course detail

At Robert Gordon University Part 1 of professional accreditation is awarded after Year 3, more information can be found in Placements and Accreditations.

Typical Masters unit themed content on the Scott Sutherland blog:
•Masters Unit 1 - Prof Gokay Deveci
•Masters Unit 2 - Prof Alan Dunlop
•Masters Unit 3 - Prof Neil Gillespie

Year 4
•Professional Experience Year (salaried employment)

Year 5
•History and Cultural Context
•Masters Studio 1
•Masters Studio 2
•Research Methods
•Dissertation OR an Erasmus exchange for 1 Semester

Year 6
•Masters Studio 3
•Advanced Building Technology
•Masters Studio 4
•Professional Practice and Management
•Elective

Placements and accreditation

- Study Abroad
You will have the opportunity to follow an exchange programme of study with a partner institution (for one semester in year 5 of the course).

- Professional Accreditation
The MArch Architecture course is accredited by the Royal Institute of British Architects. Our RIBA accreditation is renewed on a 4 year cycle and this was unconditionally renewed in 2013.

The course is also accredited by the Architects Registration Board and the Association of Building Engineers.

Careers

This course enables you to progress to the final professional examination (RIBA Part 3) following a period in practical training. Successful completion of this allows you to become a Registered Architect. Exciting career opportunities exist in architectural practices across the world, in both the private and public sectors. Previous graduates have established their own architectural practices, while others hold senior positions in distinguished design firms and multidisciplinary organisations.

How to apply

All course applications for the MArch at Robert Gordon University must be made through UCAS at http://www.ucas.com/apply

Funding

For information on funding, including loans, scholarships and Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) please click the following link: http://www.rgu.ac.uk/future-students/finance-and-scholarships/financial-support/uk-students/postgraduate-students/postgraduate-students/

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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.

Course structure

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.

Teaching

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.

Studios

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. Find out more:

https://www.brighton.ac.uk/courses/study/architecture-riba-part-2-march.aspx

Careers and employability

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.

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The MArch Master of Architecture is a two year full-time or three year part-time programme leading to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) part 2 professional award. The course emphasises design as a central activity underpinned by research, with complementary lecture based studies in History and Theory, Technology, Arts and Media, and Professional Management.

The programme encourages debate and enquiry about contemporary culture, the postmodern city, and relationships between urban and landscape conditions through diverse and considered responses to the architectural design project, and critical research expressed in extended, structured writing.

You'll build on analytical design skills and professional competences established at undergraduate level, with a focus on innovation in design, construction, and resource efficient technology. Working in vertical design studios, students will develop an understanding of, and methods relevant to contemporary professional practice, together with an ability to produce complex and diverse design proposals.

The course introduces critical intellectual frameworks and engages with the conceptual, constructional, and environmental context in which the entire architectural design process operates.

The course satisfies the criteria held jointly by the RIBA and ARB for part 2 courses in architecture.

Studio structure

Central to the LSBU concept of postgraduate architecture education is the studio system, operating across part and full-time courses. The studios provide a framework for a range of relevant intellectual and practical specialisms to inform design work, underpinning and contributing to the academic rigour of the architecture programme. For information on the studios' thematic interests and working styles please visit the website via the link below

http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/courses/course-finder/architecture-march#course_tab_overview

Modules

Year 1

Design 401 (20 credits)
Design 402: Arts, media and digital design (20 credits)
Design 403 (20 credits)
History and theory: critical thinking (20 credits)
Energy and resource efficiency in design (20 credits)
Professional practice and design economics (20 credits)

Year 2

Design 501 (20 credits)
Design 502: Arts, media and digital design (20 credits)
Design 503 (40 credits)
Architecture and theory: dissertation (20 credits)
Technology 5: technical thesis (20 credits)

Assessment

Lecture based modules are generally assessed by written and/or drawn submissions.

Teaching and learning

At LSBU there are comprehensive on-campus workshops capable of transforming a broad range of materials. You'll be taught by staff who are experienced industry professionals, having worked for some of the top architectural practices. The studio structure allows you to specialise in an area that matches their research interests and explore highly topical themes exploring ideas about architecture, urban design, social theory, and politics.

Placements

Field trips

There is emphasis on the first-hand observation and generation of alternative models for the city. This is developed through field trips to destinations such as Beijing, Berlin, Delhi, Dubai, Havana, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Jaipur, Las Vegas, Marrakech, Moscow, Paris, Seoul, St Petersburg, Tokyo, and Yokohama.

Professional links

The course is unconditionally validated by RIBA and offers the professional award of RIBA part 2 on successful completion. The regular validation cycle ensures that your work is carefully sampled by peer reviewers to ensure course content and outputs retain close relevance to professional practice. The course and qualification is also prescribed by the Architects Registration Board.

Employability

The course is well connected to key practices in London; many LSBU graduates also choose to work abroad. You may also use your qualifications outside architecture to enter careers such as journalism, project management, writing, teaching, research, or software and gaming design.

In addition to offering the university award of MArch: Master of Architecture (and RIBA part 2), the course is also a preparation for the second period of practical training. The first period of practical training is usually, but not exclusively, undertaken following completion of the first degree in architecture (RIBA part 1).

To be eligible for admission to the RIBA part 3 Professional Practice Examination, you must have successfully undertaken a recognised RIBA part 1 and part 2 qualification – and have completed a minimum of 24 months eligible practical training.

The Professional Practice and Design Economics module explains the need for a business-oriented and professional attitude to work, and emphasises the need for forward planning of projects.

Graduates from the Postgraduate Diploma in Architecture are employed at Foster and Partners, Niall McLaughlin Architects, Stanton Williams, Wilkinson Eyre, and Zaha Hadid Architects among many other globally recognised practices.

LSBU Employability Services

LSBU is committed to supporting you develop your employability and succeed in getting a job after you have graduated. Your qualification will certainly help, but in a competitive market you also need to work on your employability, and on your career search. Our Employability Service will support you in developing your skills, finding a job, interview techniques, work experience or an internship, and will help you assess what you need to do to get the job you want at the end of your course. LSBU offers a comprehensive Employability Service, with a range of initiatives to complement your studies, including:

• Direct engagement from employers who come in to interview and talk to students
• Job Shop and on-campus recruitment agencies to help your job search
• Mentoring and work shadowing schemes.

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The Master of Architecture (MArch) Programme at the Leicester School of Architecture (LSA) offers a professional level architectural education. Graduates are able to progress to professional registration examinations allowing access to the legal title of ‘architect’ and to markets, in the UK, EU or other legal jurisdictions. Graduates also progress in Higher Education to taught-courses offering specialized professional interests, or research.

The MArch course challenges emerging professionals to develop a personal stake in the globalised architectural world. Current issues in architectural thought, practices and processes are studied through foundations in historical and philosophical thought, contemporary states of urban inhabitation, challenges to a sustainable ecology, the ramifications of modern technology, legal and economic contexts, and the state of the profession.

Central to the course is a series of advanced design studios that are integrated with studies in the Humanities, Technology and
Environment, Digital Computation and Fabrication, and Professional Studies. In this environment you learn from a mix of leading practitioners, academic educators, visiting professors and your peers, who collectively offer a wide variety of architectural experience and engagement. A degree of flexibility is built into the programme to allow specialised interests to develop in ancillary studies, supported by published and research active academic staff in the Architecture Research Group with concentrations in History and Philosophy, Sustainability (Ethics and Technology), Digital Computation and Fabrication, Housing and a practice based research wing (LSA Atelier). Your academic and professional growth is further supported by the LSA’s extra curricular activities, such as visiting lecturers, symposia, multimedia exhibitions, interdisciplinary engagement in a Faculty that hosts Fashion, Product Design, the Arts and Humanities. International exchange and study abroad options are available in MArch Year 1.

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The Architecture MArch is a two-year full-time Master's degree which, in addition, leads to exemption from 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.

Degree information

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). There are no optional modules for this programme.

Year Four
-Advanced Architectural Design I
-Design Realisation (Technology and Professional Practice)
-Advanced Architectural Studies (History and Theory)
-Advanced Architectural Design 2*
-Advanced Architectural Thesis*
*Year Five modules

Dissertation/report
Not applicable.

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, thesis and an interview with an external examiner in Year Five.

Fieldwork
There is one field trip (optional) annually as part of the programme. Maximum cost to student is £500.

Careers

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.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Architect's Assistant, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
-Architectural Assistant, Foster + Partners
-Architectural Assistant, Haptic Architects
-Architectural Assistant, Níall McLaughlin Architects
-Designer, Heatherwick Studio

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.

Why study this degree at UCL?

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, it is 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 has 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.

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The Master of Architecture (MArch) course focuses on design innovation and current theories of architecture and urbanism to challenge your thinking and prepare you for practice. The studios, workshops and CAD suites at UCLan are among the UK’s best and you will receive regular one-to-one tutorial support from a team who are leading thinkers and practitioners in their field. In addition, opportunities for international study and lively discussion with a variety of visiting speakers will enrich your experience and inspire your creativity.

The MArch course provides progression for Part 1 Architecture graduates to a Part 2 course (which is a requirement for professional membership).

INDUSTRY LINKS

The course has excellent links with the ARB, RIBA and local practices throughout the North West region of the UK, and the UK more generally.

Our Associate Year Out programme currently has a number of students currently employed by both Architecture and Design practices across the country.

The Architectural Studies Unit at UCLan have an Advisory Board composed of experts from industry and lay people who are informing the development and fine-tuning of our courses to ensure our graduates are employable and sought after in the market. The Professional Studies module also allows students to strengthen their knowledge of the architect’s role in the process of building via frequent interaction with architectural practitioners in the classroom, in the office and on site.

We also invite local practitioners to attend our regular design reviews or to be guest speakers.

PROFESSIONAL ACCREDITATION

The Master of Architecture at UCLan is prescribed by the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and Royal Institute of Architects (RIBA) leading to Part 2 recognition, which allows you to proceed on a path to become a registered architect and ARB member.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The MArch course builds on knowledge acquired in undergraduate courses, yet it establishes a clear distinction between Part 1 and 2 levels by enabling students to progress their design work and critical thinking skills further to position themselves within contemporary architecture discourse. The course is informed by a dynamic and challenging regional need, specifically in areas such as urban and rural contextual issues, food production, regeneration, post-industrial landscapes, heritage protection, and sustainable urbanism.

In Year 1, this is achieved through a series of guided complex urban and rural design projects, which consider the professional context and technological strategies early in design process to derive creative solutions to the challenges of sustainability in architecture and urbanism.

Theoretical modules such as Critical and Cultural Contexts, Innovation and Realisation, Research Methods, and Professional Studies allow students to expand and deepen their critical understanding of architecture, its context and practice.

The final year modules - research methods, dissertation and design thesis - offer a platform for students to apply and celebrate the culmination of their acquired knowledge and skills via their selected design thesis project, developing independence and preparing for practice. Each module must be passed to achieve the final award, though modules are weighted to allow you to focus on design, discourse and production.

These curriculum themes focus on regional challenges, but are inspired by study of international solutions and emerging global concepts and strategies for future urbanism in a climate of change. Students will have the opportunity to travel to Europe and beyond to visit practices, sites and buildings in order to enhance their learning. The School is also in the process of establishing academic and exchange links for Architecture through the ERASMUS programme.

The School has established, and continues to support, collaborative projects with local schools, practices and architectural societies such as the North Lancashire Society of Architects (NLSA).

Issues in architectural and urban design practice are also explored extensively through dialogue with an array of multidisciplinary practitioners via the Associate Year Out programme, interdisciplinary design collaboration and live design projects. By maintaining and strengthening our links with renowned architectural practices, the course gears students towards a focus on employment and industry needs as stipulated by professional bodies, and in line with the University’s mission to maximise student employability.

Our courses are popular with overseas students and benefit from one of the most diverse and active student communities. This is matched by an equally diverse tutor team from across the globe whose teaching and research interests reflect a wide-ranging professional and academic agenda.

The University has, and continues to commit high levels of investment in its architecture courses. The level of teaching support is enviable with staff to student ratios unparalleled in the UK. Preston is the home town of the innovative Building Design Partnership (founded by George Grenfell Baines) who built Preston Bus Station, one of the most important modern buildings in Britain. But it is our students who are our greatest asset. We look forward to welcoming you.

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The MArch at AUB explores the possibilities of architectural practices that conceive and articulate diverse processes of community development and transformation.

The “construction” of the “sites” of our interventions in the public sphere includes involvement with other institutions, governmental agencies and other actors at a local, regional, national, and global level.

Where are the options?

What is at stake?

Are there really options?

How should we choose?

The MArch at AUB program is structured around the idea of architectural intervention, interrogated in relationship to its duration and effects in and around the community where it takes place – indeed, in its potential to create community.

The notion that there is any singular definition of the architectural profession is, at least on the margins, continuously questioned. But the ‘middle’ is strong, and the very fact that a multiplicity of ‘other’ agendas and their attendant methodologies are marginalised attests to this strength.

So looking for something different and fresh in your route to becoming an architect in a changing world. The new MArch at AUB (RIBA*/ARB Part2) aims to produce: performative, projective enablers and architecture, cutting into societies deepest darkest myths; building interventions in the utopias and distopias past, present and future; and launching architectural careers and journey’s via its laboratory practice, where the body and somatic practice is at the fore.

Travel with MArch at AUB and @inspiredAUB, the arts campus and its cross disciplinary docks, on the ride of a lifetime with your new highly decorative AUB baggage. Join the eclectic global and local, MArch student body, be ready to catch a big one from the Portland Stone cliffs or disappear into the Mirkwood to live like a hobbit. The AUB MArch has the arts centre in Sway by the architect, Tony Fretton as a part of its portfolio of spaces AUB to the main campus and its multiple workshops, studios and laboratories. Although the course is new there is a fascinating history of drawing and representation. In former lives architects Michael Hopkins and Peter Cook were educated in Bournemouth with bright lights and late night inflatables on the beach. The emerging, social, political, and architectural in its many frightening forms, are being professionally dissected, compressed, crafted and beaten, by brave bodies in the embryonic laboratory practice ‘ROOM 101’, based in the Enterprise Pavilion.

From the first graduating cohort there many fascinating stories – ecological strategies from Haiti, Delhi and Wessex. They are now working and researching from the local practice and making/fabricating to teaching (on the BA Hons), to developing the ‘fablab’ in AUB’s workshop. They all came from different schools and found AUB & the MArch very welcoming and encouraging. The [email protected] broadens the architect’s range of activities, and empowers its community through its members’ ability to actually make a difference.

Ed Frith, Architect, MArch Course Leader & Prof Oren Liebermann, Dean of the Faculty of Art & Design

If you would like to discuss any aspect of this course, or details on the application process, please contact Astrid MacKellar on: [email protected] or 01202 363384.

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Why this course?

This two-year course is for international students who are looking for a challenging programme of study that meets the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Part 2 educational criteria.

The course runs parallel to the MArch/Pg Diploma in Advanced Architectural Design. It shares the same curriculum so you’ll join students on this course in an exciting and challenging environment.

You’ll develop skills in advanced design, analysis and architectural critique designing complex buildings in a variety of contexts and addressing social, cultural and environmental issues.

This course demands a high level of design ability and self-motivation.

See the website https://www.strath.ac.uk/courses/postgraduatetaught/architecturaldesigninternational/

You’ll study

- Year 1
The first year of study is centred on consolidating your architectural design skills.
You’ll be introduced to the idea of architecture as a responsive solution to fundamental social issues.
You'll take a subject class in an area of expertise aligned to the research in the department and research and produce a dissertation on a topic of personal interest related to design.

- Year 2
You’ll undertake a significant architectural project on which you're required to take a standpoint on contemporary architectural issues. This is developed through a theme that reflects your own interests and creative ambitions and is supported by subject classes.
You’ll also attend a taught course in professional studies and a series of guest lectures.
Students progressing from the Diploma to Masters undertake an additional semester of study to pursue an aspect of the thesis project to a greater level of detail.
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.

Study abroad

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've agreements with 22 institutions across Europe, Canada, the Far East and South America.

Facilities

- 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.

Student competitions

We’ve an extensive programme of student awards provided by professional bodies, including:
- The RIAS Silver Medal: the premier Scottish award for student achievement
- The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) President's Medals
- The City of Glasgow- Eimear Kelt- Silver Medal: awarded annually by a panel of professional judges on behalf of Glasgow City Council. This is for the best project submitted by a student either at the Glasgow School of Art or the Department of Architecture at the University of Strathclyde

Our students have been successful in many prestigious competitions including:
- ARCHIPRIX
- Building Design ‘Top 6’ UK
- APS
- RSA Awards
- A+DS
- SEDA

Guest lectures

We run an exciting programme of guest lectures and recent speakers include:
- Joan Callis, Benedetta Tagliabue EMBT, Architects to the Scottish Parliament
- Prof Neil Spiller, Professor of Architecture and Digital Theory
- Gordon Benson, Benson and Forsyth, Museum of Scotland, National Museum of Ireland

Accreditation

The Masters in Architectural Design International is validated by the RIBA at Part 2.

Pre-Masters preparation course

The Pre-Masters Programme is a preparation course for international students (non EU/UK) who do not meet the entry requirements for a Masters degree at University of Strathclyde. The Pre-Masters programme provides progression to a number of degree options.

To find out more about the courses and opportunities on offer visit isc.strath.ac.uk or call today on +44 (0) 1273 339333 and discuss your education future. You can also complete the online application form. To ask a question please fill in the enquiry form and talk to one of our multi-lingual Student Enrolment Advisers today.

Learning & teaching

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 then show your understanding of these ideas through drawings, physical and digital models, written and graphic work.
Each part of the course allows you to explore and develop projects related to your own interests in contemporary architecture.

Assessment

Full-time students are examined over Years 1 and 2 on all aspects of the course.
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.

Careers

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.

How much will I earn?

If you become an architect you can expect a starting salary of £15,000 to £20,000 after Part 1 (first degree qualification).*
Typical salaries after Part 2 (second degree or diploma) range from £20,000 to £26,000.*
The range of typical salaries after Part 3 (final exam leading to registration as an architect) or for those with experience rises to £26,000 to £35,000.*

*Information is intended only as a guide.

Find information on Scholarships here http://www.strath.ac.uk/search/scholarships/

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Our Master of Architecture (MArch) is centred on studio work that is intended to stretch the boundaries of your design imagination. It is a modular course based on design project work, supported by lectures and seminars that examine the theoretical, practical and material dimensions of architecture.

This course is designed to help you define the kind of architect you want to be. You can tailor your portfolio towards the practices in which you want to work or areas in which you want to demonstrate your expertise. Our School Gallery has examples of our student's work and images from our Degree Shows and publications.

Design projects in the first year (Stage 5) are based on a visit to a major European city. Your work focuses on the urban scale and the detail scale with studios exposed to a diversity of design approaches. In the second year (Stage 6), you choose from a range of thematic studios on offer to pursue a self-led design thesis.

Alongside design, you can choose from a range of modules. These include the stimulating 'Tools for Thinking About Architecture' which leads either to a dissertation, a live build project or research work with a member of staff. Alternatively, you can opt to pursue modules from another of our Masters' programmes – Urban Design, Town Planning, or Design and Emergence – and students who take these modules are also eligible for an accelerated route onto one of these programmes after the MArch.

The whole school 'Conversations with Practice' lecture series introduces new ideas from prominent practitioners and academics.

Through the programme you will:
-Develop an appreciation of design as a collective cultural endeavour involving the acquisition and exercise of complex knowledge and skills
-Learn to think and act critically, thinking harder and deeper about architecture, what it can achieve and what you can do with it
-Define the kind of architect you want to be and tailor your portfolio towards the practices in which you want to work or areas in which you want to demonstrate expertise
-Develop the knowledge and skills necessary to work in the architectural profession with an independent, research-led attitude towards design

Our Erasmus and international exchange programmes provide opportunities to study abroad for one or two semesters in Stage 5. Exchange partners include The University of Sydney and KTH Stockholm.

Accreditation

This course is Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Part II professionally accredited and will give you a sound preparation for a career in the architectural profession.

Facilities

You will have access to a well-equipped graduate studio space and, in the second year (Stage 6), a personal workspace within one of two 'Atelier' spaces. We have a fully equipped workshop set-up for timber and metalwork including laser-cutting and 3D-printing facilities. Our computing resources include print and plot, and video-editing facilities.

Studio spaces in the School are supplemented as social spaces with the student-run coffee bar.

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It is expected that applicants from the field of architecture will already possess an accredited graduate diploma or postgraduate degree in architecture (UK), a professional master's in architecture (US), or the international equivalent.

The MArch course is an experimentally minded design studio. You will be working with students from all over the world to generate design proposals that explore the edges of architectural thought.

There is an emphasis not only on the materials and techniques of construction but also elements such as air, heat, water, sound, smell and lights as materials too. This exploration will involve visits to factories and workshops where materials are manipulated in a variety of unusual ways, and also practical experimentation and testing in the studio environment.

This programme offers the opportunity to explore ideas in great detail, resulting in a thesis that might take the form of a video, set of drawings or physical model. The portfolio generated alongside the thesis will act as a curated record of your findings.

Why choose this course?

Oxford Brookes University is unusual in offering this design-based speculative research course in architecture that builds on its excellent reputation for architectural courses at postgraduate and undergraduate level. Brookes' School of Architecture is recognised as one of the country's leading schools and is consistently ranked by The Architects' Journal as one of the five best schools in the UK.
Students from the school figure regularly in national and international prizes and awards, and go on to work for many of the best-known practices in the country. We have an international reputation in research, in areas ranging from sustainable design to modular buildings and from design for well-being to vernacular architecture.

Staff in the school regularly secure research funding from the UK's research councils and the European Union as well as industry, with an annual research grant income averaging £1,000,000 in recent years. This research expertise feeds directly into the teaching programme at all levels, from undergraduate to PhD. The School of Architecture has dedicated studio space and postgraduate facilities.

This course in detail

The Advanced Architectural Design Modules (50+30 credits) represent the core of the learning experience. Project–based learning is used in a studio environment to individually and collectively explore architectural design problems. The design studio tutors will set the specific design problem and methodology employed. It is envisaged that several parallel studios may be established, numbers permitting, each led by separate studio tutors with different agendas, programmes and methodologies. However, the learning outcomes will be common. Initially, there will be only one studio which will be organised as follows:

The first semester is always a rigid organised fabric of reviews, workshops, tutorials and deadlines with students working both individually and in groups. Within this framework students engage in two strands of investigation: A. an in-depth research into the tectonic possibilities of a new material/s and B. the analysis of a real site with the aim of generating a series of questions that demand an architectural response. By the end of the semester each student is expected to present to a jury of invited critics a catalogue both conceptual and material, from which they will make a project, in a coherent manner using appropriate media. This jury provides formative feedback for students on their learning.

The first semester design studio is complimented by a series of challenging, group and individual based workshops, Urban Cultures, on drawing, model making and movie making, run by the tutors. Students are expected to engage in questioning and debate with the lecturers and are required to produce a series of responses in drawn and written forms, which contribute to their design portfolio, around a theme related to the lecture series.

Spread over the second semester there is a further series of lectures on Architecture and the City given by external academics and practitioners. Students are expected to engage in questioning and debate with the lecturers and are required to produce a series of responses in drawn and written forms to exercises set by the visiting lecturer. The results are to be bound into a book, which contributes to and supports their design portfolio, around a theme related to the lecture series.

The second semester design studio focuses on the architectural implications of bringing the two apparently dissimilar strands of the first semester’s investigation into surprising conjunctions. Students are asked to approach the possibilities created by these apparently disconnected procedures in an entirely logical way.
At this stage the studio places emphasis on the importance of developing students’ ability to demonstrate conceptual clarity, to locate their ideas in the spectrum of current and past architecture and to maintain a strong link between concept and product.

Students are also encouraged to explore a wide range of media and technique and to develop a rationale for selecting appropriate techniques for the representation of particular kinds of architectural ideas. Students are required to present their design projects to an invited group of invited critics close to the end of the semester.

This proves formative feedback for students. The final Module mark is generated from a portfolio-based assessment held at the end of the second semester involving a panel internal staff. This system will ensure a parity of marking when the module consists of multiple design studios.

Students also undertake a Research Methods Module in the second semester that prepares them for their dissertation project. A set of generic postgraduate school-wide lectures on research paradigms, methodology and research tools is followed by Masters specific seminars in which students develop a synopsis for their dissertation’. The module is assessed by means of a review of a relevant past Masters dissertation and a synopsis proposal.

The MArch programme concludes with the Dissertation Project in which individual students work with a supervisor on projects that have developed from the work of the design studio. Students are expected to produce original, relevant and valid projects. The dissertation can take a written or design based form. In the latter case a written commentary is expected as part of the dissertation submission. Students submit their dissertation projects at the end of the summer vacation and are expected to hold an exhibition of their work in the Department or elsewhere as agreed.

Students who have qualified for the award of MA are encouraged to apply to continue to the PhD degree programme in the School if they so wish. A Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Architectural Design can be gained by students who complete 120 credits but do not complete the full master's programme.

Teaching and learning

Studio research is complemented by a series of challenging talks by visiting academics and practitioners at every stage of the process as well as a consistent programme of individual discussions and workshops with your tutors.

You will work both in groups and individually, exploring a new kind of architecture. The methods of exploration include techniques primarily associated with the movie industry, such as the making of collages, optical composites, physical models and drawings both by hand and computer. The tutors act as guides to reveal areas of interest so that you develop an individual approach to the brief, the programme and the realisation of a project.

Teaching is heavily design-studio based, with project-based learning in a studio environment. Several parallel studies may operate, offering different methodologies but with common learning outcomes. The design studio will be complemented by a series of lectures, reviews, tutorials and site visits.

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