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Architectural Design MA

2025-26 (also available for 2024-25)

How to apply Order a prospectusPostgraduate Open Days
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This course is eligible for Master's loan funding. Find out more.

Start date

22 September 2025

12 January 2026

Duration

1 year full-time

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About the course

The Architectural Design MA is part of the School of Art and Humanities MA Art & Design Suite, an innovative approach to postgraduate taught education that brings together disciplines from across art and design to produce a collaborative programme of courses that foreground the shared practices, processes and values of art and design in the 21st century.

This course has a practical application of 3D Design and encourages you to turn concepts into forms, and forms into real-world objects.

You will develop a greater understanding of design practice, learn more about research methodologies and have the opportunity to explore advance design techniques and emerging digital technologies to enhance your skillset. You will also have routes to improve your knowledge of user interface design, enterprise, collaborative design, advanced 3D CAD application, digital visualisation, branding, commercial retail design, material innovation.

The aims of the course are to:

  • Encourage your confidence in your academic and creative potential through mastering core 3D Design knowledge and understanding through practice at the forefront of your discipline.
  • Develop innovative and imaginative approaches to materials, processes and methodologies in 3D Design, and rigorously test these ideas against current trends within the creative industries.
  • Experiment, expand and encourage progressive and ethical thinking in the practices of 3D Design to meet future industrial and commercial demands.
  • Provide a postgraduate teaching and learning experience exploring the opportunities and challenges of 3D Design in the contemporary world, based on the professional and research strengths of the School's highly qualified and experienced staff.
  • Evidence awareness and relevance of your practice and skills in relation to professional standards in interior design such as responding to changing demographics, the experience economy, new technologies, sustainable design and social responsibility.

The course enables you to develop knowledge and understanding in critically appraising the importance of social, technological and cultural dimensions of Architectural design as applied to your own and others practice, including its emerging and future trends as relates to the construction of interior environments and experiences in everyday life. You will develop skills to plan, negotiate, and implement the creation of coherent outputs underpinned by advanced practice and research in Architectural Design

Course detail

Research Methods and Project Proposal

On this module you will be encouraged to explore how different research methods underpin all kinds of creative practices. The module introduces you to current research themes in art and design. In the past we have explored topics such as: developing concepts through thinking and making, using archives in creative practice, working with objects of material culture, analysing digital transformations, practising psychogeography in the urban environment, tackling the anthropocene and environmental issues of the twenty-first century. As thinkers and practitioners you will work to develop an understanding of the different research approaches you might design and use to enhance and transform your ideas. You will be introduced to a range of practice-led research methods which may include: creative and design thinking, user-centered methods, practice-led approaches, cultural analysis, historical/archival research and market-driven data capture and analysis. The module helps to equip you with a tool kit of research skills to guide you in the development of a project proposal or working brief for your Master's study. The module is made up of lectures, guided seminars and small group tutorials which will support you in building a solid foundation to lead you through your studies.

Creative Innovation and Entrepreneurship

This module aims to introduce you to key features of innovation and entrepreneurship within the context of the cultural and creative industries. Depending on your future aspirations we will help you to build your knowledge and understanding of different approaches to creative innovation (social, ethical and sustainable aspects), provide guidance on business start-ups, and assist you in your professional skills development (commercial awareness, self-management, problem-solving, team working, communication strategies), including searching for marketing, promotion, consultancy and funding opportunities specific to your subject. The module involves lectures, seminars and practical projects where you will experiment with the tools and techniques of creative innovation. There will be opportunities for group projects and cross-disciplinary working on this module.

Creative Studio

This module enables you to explore a range of advanced creative concepts and practices across Art and Design working alongside other students in a mixed-discipline cohort encompassing Art and Communication, 3D Design and Fashion and Textiles. You will identify starting points for your studio practice through supported and scheduled access and interaction with a range of specialist workshop facilities and digital making processes which in turn inform the potential of material investigation as a core part of your refocused enquiry-led practice. The module comprises three discrete but interlinked phases of development: Conceptual Direction, Creative Contexts, Critical Processes.

Advanced 3D Digital Design

Working alongside other students within 3D Design, this module is intended to prepare you for the practical application of advanced digital capture and manipulation technology as well as the techniques of visualisation and immersive representation. As 3D design utilises more immersive forms of product development and testing it is vital that designers are familiar with advanced techniques that facilitate the integration of fully digital workflow through the use of virtual and augmented capabilities. The module will utilise the advanced digital capture and visualisation technologies available within the Department utilising 3D scanning, photogrammetry, motion capture, 3d modelling software and the CAVE. It will examine various approaches to the capture and manipulation of real-world data within a virtual / augmented environment and look at how these can be manipulated as part of a wider design strategy. Specialising in your chosen area of practice, you will work to develop personal interests through the acquisition of advanced skills in design software, fabrication and representation that will further enhance your abilities as a 3D designer.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for this course are normally:

  • An Honours degree (2:2 or above) in a relevant subject or an equivalent professional qualification.
  • Alternative qualifications and/or significant experience may be accepted, subject to approval.
  • International students with qualifications in 'creative' or ‘practice' subjects should submit a portfolio of work with their application.
  • All suitably qualified applicants are normally interviewed or considered for admittance under alternative arrangements. Interview will be by portfolio of practice based and/or theoretical work and a statement of intent.

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, 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)

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.

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

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

Changes to option modules:

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes:

We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment, or pandemics.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.