Start date
22 September 2025
Duration
The course is of three years duration with direct entry available to Year 2.
Places available (subject to change)
70
About the course
Reasons to study
- State of the Art Facilities - You'll learn in the state of the art £30m Barbara Hepworth Building with collaborative studios, photography studios and exhibition space.
- Professional Links - This course is prescribed by the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
- Award winning graduates - Our graduates have gone on to win prestigious awards within the industry, such as the RIBA Dissertation medal.
Successful completion of this RIBA validated course provides exemption from Part 2 of the ARB prescribed Examination in Architecture.
As part of the process of becoming a professionally-qualified Architect in the UK, graduates are required to complete a period of supervised ‘practical training’, 12 months of which (commonly referred-to as the ‘Year Out’) is normally undertaken before commencing full-time academic study at Master’s level. This period of practical training constitutes Year 1 of the University of Huddersfield MArch course.
Therefore, students who have not previously completed a satisfactory period of practical training are urged to join the course in Year 1, but may also apply to join Year 2 after a portfolio interview. Students who have already completed a satisfactory period of practical training should apply to join the course in Year 2.
Years 2 and Year 3 of the course are design-centred and intended to enable you to thoughtfully and creatively explore the architectural and urban implications of environmental change and technological developments, as well as architecture's own inherent complexities and transformations. It is also important that students should develop a critical appreciation of the context - both physical and cultural - within which design work is undertaken. All this enables you to establish your own theoretical position, through which you will be expected to develop a high degree of sensitivity to the contexts and transformations within which design work is undertaken in geographical, cultural, social and technical terms.
All design projects explore applications of sustainability and encourage a wide and plural outlook appropriate for both developed and developing countries. In this global worldview, understanding of progressive theories of design and the application of advanced construction methods co-exist with concern for the implementation of appropriate sustainable technologies, awareness of regional development issues and respect for appropriate building practices as well as advanced construction technologies.
The rationale and definition of ‘International’ both builds upon the studies undertaken as part of the Architecture (International) BA(Hons) degree awarded by the University of Huddersfield and acknowledges the reality of rapidly changing architectural practice in a fast moving, global context. Our course aims to prepare you for new and emerging forms of practice through the development of your personal learning skills and a deep understanding of the need for flexibility, adaptability, innovation and enterprise in your career.
Course detail
Intermediate Course In Architecture Practice
The aim of this module is to enable you to obtain maximum benefit from a period of practical experience and/or personal and professional development following completion of your RIBA Part 1 studies. This is commonly known as the ‘Year Out’. The year in practice forms part of a module that supports you in your professional practical experience through regular contact with your professional studies advisor, who is able to help you to maintain the professional body requirements for you to complete your Professional Experience Development Record (PEDR). In addition you are asked to report on a Case Study that you are engaged with in practice, prepare a Personal Evaluation and update and improve your professional portfolio. The module is not graded, but successful completion leads to progression onto the 2-Year full-time element of the course.
Integrated Urban Design and Architecture
Cities are changing in dynamic, complex ways. In the long term, the urban fabric and urban form will continue to be re-shaped: by unpredictable patterns of climate change; by rapid changes in various technologies of movement and communication; by shifts in geo-political relations and cultural centres of gravity; by erratic swings in real-estate investment trends and in the very concept of value; and by demographic surges and large-scale migration patterns. As importantly, city-making is shaped by us – our visions as stakeholders and designers who seize their right to reimagine the city after their own desires. This module gives you the opportunity to explore visions of urban futures for urban settlements in the UK North and/or beyond in well-considered phases. You will carry out a survey and analytical study of an existing urban context and prepare strategic proposals for the further development and/or regeneration of the site in relationship to broader social, economic, technological and environmental issues. You will then develop an urban design project at an appropriate scale for further exploration and resolution of a group of buildings and/or public spaces.
Theories of Contemporary Architecture Urbanism and Landscape Architecture
In this module you will examine a range of contemporary currents in architecture theory, including: modern and postmodern theories; deconstruction; critical regionalism and its critiques; form-finding, computation and the digital turn; post-humanism and post-Anthropocene; post-colonialism; and environmental concerns and their implications for architecture. The module addresses issues of representation as formative of one’s conceptual thinking process; its agenda involves graphic exercises to practice the formulation of ideas through different media. Through this focus on contemporary movements and ideas, you would revisit historical works and movements that shaped the built environment across multiple scales, from the architectural detail (e.g. a building corner) to the large-scale urban intervention (e.g. an urban block or a high-rise). This broad coverage positions architecture at the intersection of social, cultural and environmental influences on one hand, and architecture’s own inherent motivations as a discipline and its own principles as an artefact on the other hand. Besides offering this overview of contemporary architectural thought, the module probes in depth the focused themes of your interest. All this provides an informed background against which your own theoretical approach to design and your own position on contemporary socio-cultural and conceptual issues can further develop.
Advanced Architectural Technologies
This module prepares students for the practical application of advanced building technologies as well as issues of ecology, sustainability and the ethical use of resources. It investigates the integration of different technologies: environmental, material, structural and construction systems, into creative design strategies. The module explores emerging, advanced technologies in context of their historical and cultural developments and philosophical associations. It balances the exploration of hi-tech systems with appropriate applications of building technologies. The module examines how sustainable and advanced construction technology can reduce the effects of global warming, resource depletion, building-related health issues, and air, land and water pollution, through careful design. Students gain an understanding of how buildings and occupants interact and how occupants’ needs for comfort can be satisfied. It enables understanding and application of concepts from first principles and how to make design decisions on use of both passive and active technologies and techniques, to produce buildings of high quality and functional capability. Students are expected to develop analytical skills to understand the impacts of design decisions and subsequently to utilise those skills in designing buildings and their surroundings, and to evaluate the outcome critically and self-reflectively. This module is closely integrated with module TMA1896 Advanced Architectural Design.
Architectural Practice Management and Law
The aim of this module is to enable you to enhance your understanding and knowledge of: the organisation and administration of architectural practice; the responsibilities and obligations of an architect to clients and other parties involved in the building design and construction process; collaboration, information management and Building Information Modelling (BIM); building control and planning legislation; the legal and contractual procedures involved in building procurement; estimating and cost control of the construction process; the personal and team management skills appropriate to architectural practice; and the responsibility of the architect towards the health and safety of those employed in the construction industry, the well-being of building users and the effect of building development upon society at large. This module is closely integrated with module TMA1896 Advanced Architectural Design.
Advanced Architectural Design
In this module, you address a complex problem for an architectural project or building, to produce an integrated solution with a high standard of design based on a sound theoretical approach. You will consider building systems and construction technologies as generators of creative design ideas (spatial, formal, tectonic, etc.) as well as their realisation. Building systems and construction technologies will be explored. The module will also enable you to explore in depth and critically a design philosophy – both in theory and in practice – that is empathetic to your own ideals and aspirations.
Master of Architecture Dissertation
The module comprises the production of a 10,000 word (equivalent) dissertation on an architectural subject of your own choice. The study is self-directed, once you have negotiated and agreed a topic with the Module Tutor. Most research will be from secondary sources, but you are expected to pursue primary sources whenever the opportunity presents itself. The module explores design-research processes as well as analytical and interpretive research methodologies.
Master of Architecture Design Thesis Preliminary Studies
The aim of this module is to be a preliminary to the Design Thesis and involves the collection of all the background briefing and contextual information necessary from which to work. The range of investigative studies includes contextual and social investigation, site analysis; functional and managerial analysis; precedent and typological studies; client and governance model studies; programme studies; a series of design tests including form-finding and related/required skillsets; consideration of technological and energy issues and any other topics specific to the project.
Master of Architecture Design Thesis
The aim of this module is for you to undertake a comprehensive architectural design project of your own choice but which must be agreed with the Module Tutor and must be at a level of complexity and depth of resolution comparable to that which pertains in architectural practice. Upon your own initiative you will select a location in the UK or a European Region, and develop a design proposal which is responsive and appropriate to the cultural and environmental context of your chosen location, whilst identifying and responding to the heritage and cultural traditions as evident in the context. Your proposal may be speculative and visionary while grounded in environmental, technological and/or contextual issues. As such your final design should assert an architectural narrative, explore building typology, satisfy predetermined user requirements, resolve spatial organisation, and be made manifest by considered deployment of appropriate technologies.
Or
Master of Architecture (International) Design Thesis
The aim of this module is for you to undertake a comprehensive architectural design project of your own choice but which must agree with the Module Leader and must be at a level of complexity and depth of resolution comparable to that which pertains in architectural practice. Upon your own initiative you will select a location in a non-UK and non-European Region, and develop a design proposal which is responsive and appropriate to the cultural and environmental context of your chosen location, whilst identifying and responding to the challenges and pressures that exist in procuring architecture within an increasingly globalised economy. Your proposal may be speculative and visionary while grounded in environmental, technological and/or contextual issues. As such your final design should assert an architectural narrative, explore building typology, satisfy predetermined user requirements, resolve spatial organisation, and be made manifest by considered deployment of appropriate technologies.
The course is of three years duration with direct entry available to Year 2.
Year 1 is a ‘practical training’ year (commonly referred-to as the ‘Year Out’) normally undertaken by Part 1 graduates as part of the practical training requirements for Registration as an Architect in the UK. For further information about entry to Year 1, please contact our Part 2 Admissions Tutor .
Applicants who have already completed a satisfactory period of professional training may be considered for direct entry to Year 2 of the course and undertake 2 years full-time study, starting in September. Application to join Year 2 after a portfolio interview is also possible. Students may be admitted to the MArch course with accreditation for prior learning (APL) and/or accreditation for prior experiential learning (APEL). Direct entry at Year 3 will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.
The course is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, practical workshops and a programme of design projects.
Your module specification/course handbook will provide full details of the assessment criteria applying to your course.
Feedback (either written and/or verbal) is normally provided on all coursework submissions within three term time weeks – unless the submission was made towards the end of the session in which case feedback would be available on request after the formal publication of results. Feedback on exam performance/final coursework is available on request after the publication of results.
Further information
The teaching year normally starts in September with breaks at Christmas and Easter, finishing with a main assessment period around May/June.
Full-time or part-time study
This course is only available for study on a full-time basis.
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Triple proof of teaching excellence: our staff rank in the top three in England for the proportion who hold doctorates, who have higher degrees, and hold teaching qualifications (HESA 2024). So, you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.
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We are joint first in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 23 since 2008 (2024 data).
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We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).
Read more about academic staff at the University of Huddersfield
Entry requirements
There are two entry points into the Master of Architecture / Master of Architecture (International) programme:
Entry to Year 1: You should possess an undergraduate degree in Architecture. You will have normally passed, or be exempt from, Part I of the RIBA examination in Architecture, but have not yet completed a period of practical experience. If you are progressing from University of Huddersfield’s BA(Hons) Architecture/Architecture (International) programme you should be ready to join the programme at this point. Should you be progressing from other institutions, you will be asked to attend a portfolio interview to determine your readiness to join this programme.
Entry to Year 2: You should possess an undergraduate degree in Architecture. You will have normally passed, or be exempt from, Part I of the RIBA examination in Architecture, and will normally have completed a period of practical experience. If you are progressing from University of Huddersfield’s BA(Hons) Architecture/Architecture (International) programme but have not undertaken year one or you are progressing from another institution, you will be asked to attend a portfolio interview to determine your readiness to join the programme at this level.
Direct entry to year 3 will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.
You may be admitted to the M.Arch course with accreditation for prior learning (APL) and/or accreditation for prior experiential learning (APEL).
If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, (a minimum of TOEFL 550 (Computer Based Toefl 213) score) or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.
What can I research?
Research plays an important role in informing all our teaching and learning activities. Through research our staff remain up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, which means you have the opportunity to benefit and develop knowledge and skills that are current and highly relevant.
Research Centres
Centre for Urban Design, Architecture, and Sustainability (CUDAS)
Centre for Cultural Ecologies in Art, Design and Architecture (CEADA)
Facilities
Student Work
A gallery of work by our students and graduates, from our Master of Architecture course. Click on each image to find out more.
Student support
At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.
On the MArch course, each student is assigned a Personal Tutor with whom they may discuss personal issues alongside academic progress. Personal support sessions occur several times throughout the academic year. Additionally, weekly feedback studio sessions offer opportunities for informal support and discussion of student concerns in conjunction with academic instruction.
Important information
Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons