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Architectural Technology BSc(Hons)

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    Overview

    Our Architectural Technology BSc(Hons) course is your first step to becoming a qualified architectural technologist.

    The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists and the Chartered Association of Building Engineers and it has been developed to work alongside our Architecture BA(Hons) and courses in Construction Project Management and Quantity Surveying. This helps you develop a strong understanding of professionalism and multidisciplinary within the construction industry. Our practice-led course introduces you to aspects of building technology and digital detailing, as well as design and construction process improvement.

    This Architectural Technology course takes a rigorous approach to conventional building technologies and architectural detailing.

    You’ll be encouraged to develop skills aligned to the state-of-the-art in industry, with an emphasis on enterprise and continuing professional development. You could have the opportunity to work in a range of architectural and construction-related areas, while becoming prepared for further study and research. Following this course, you could go on to become a practitioner, through a thorough understanding of how context, climate, culture, materials and building systems influence architectural technology. You’ll acquire expertise in the latest construction digitalisation strategies, such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), and on strategies to improve value and reduce waste through Lean Construction.

    Why study Architectural Technology BSc(Hons)

    On this course, you’ll develop the skills to become a creative architectural technologist, capable of managing the progress of a construction project, whilst understanding the materials, components, structural systems, and environments behind the world’s best buildings.

    You’ll also have the chance to undertake a work placement in the UK or abroad, helping to prepare you for your future career. On campus, you’ll learn in our state-of-the-art £30-million Barbara Hepworth Building, which provides access to 3D printers, virtual reality and motion tracking sensors, studio space, and more.

    Thanks to successful completion of architectural courses like this one, you may wish to explore roles within surveying, construction, and architecture. Alternatively, you may pursue further education, focusing on your specific skills and interests within architectural technology.

    Entry requirements

    To find out if you’re eligible to start this course in September 2025 and get more information on how to apply, please see our Clearing pages or call our Clearing Helpline on 0333 987 9000.

    If you’re interested in studying this course in September 2026, please view the 2026-27 course information.

    Course Detail

    Core modules:

    Construction Business and Law

    This module will introduce the overall construction business to you. The content is structured into three distinctive, but interrelated areas, namely, business at industry level, business at project level and business at individual level.

    Design and Construction Practice

    This module aims at introducing students to practices in the design and construction of facilities in the Built Environment. It focuses on the practical application of materials, components and systems to small-scale structures and buildings. It also provides you with an opportunity to apply technology to the design process along with developing understanding of the importance of architectural detailing in conjunction with appropriate construction methods. The module will facilitate the development of presentation skills in all forms from spoken presentations at tutorials to the preparation of suitable drawings and models of carefully detailed components. You will be encouraged to integrate practical, technical and theoretical skills from adjacent modules.

    Building Technology and Digital Communication

    The aim of this module is to provide an introduction to the principles and practices of building technology, digital technologies, communication and representation in the context of architecture and construction. This module consists of four parallel strands: Structures; Buildings Fabric Design; Environmental Design and Digital Communication.

    Core modules:

    Collaborative Project Built Environment

    The aim of the module is to provide you with an opportunity to work in multi-disciplinary teams and enable you to perform tasks in the context of a team-based project. It offers you the experience of team working and the multi-disciplinary nature of Built Environment (BE) projects. The project will allow you to practise and further develop both discipline-specific and generic key skills required by a Built Environment professional and encourage self-reflection and enable you to further develop a personal development plan that aligns your learning needs and career aspirations and the requirements of professional institutions.

    Applied Architectural Technology

    This module aims to provide you with an opportunity to develop your understanding of architectural technology and construction techniques and aims to provide an integrated approach to design with particular emphasis on the relationship between forms, structures, building fabric and environmental science. The project-based nature of the module provides you with an opportunity to explore construction law, regulations and procurement options along with the related contractual arrangements. You will appreciate the influence of different client priorities on the construction procurement process and will also observe the roles, responsibilities and contractual obligations of the stakeholders of the construction industry, and related legislative frameworks. The module also introduces you to the relationship between cost and specifications through an examination of industry’s standard method of measurement, and how to specify materials for tender and construction purposes. The module takes an analytical approach towards the production and communication of production information.

    Building Technology and Digital Detailing

    In this module, you will be given an introduction to the legal framework and approaches associated with the conservation of buildings. The module will introduce the causes and nature of building defects likely to occur in a range of contemporary and traditional buildings. Supplemented by a substantial amount of background reading, you will develop the skills needed to understand problematic material-based issues that arise in various types of construction.

    School of Art and Humanities Placement

    You will normally spend a total of 48 weeks (36 weeks minimum) between the end of year two and the beginning of your final year in a managed work experience. You will be encouraged to obtain a placement activity relevant to your area of specialism, however a wide range of placements will be regarded as suitable. The placement will be monitored and you will be assessed on completion.

    Core modules:

    Professional Practice

    In this module you will consolidate the prior learning in technical, professional and managerial subjects to attain a level of preparedness for professional practice and career development. In part, this is a response to the requirements of built environment professional institutions where the future practitioners are expected to have a fuller understanding and awareness of business and commercial matters and the enterprise characteristics of their chosen profession.

    Advanced Digital Detailing and Sustainability

    Accordingly, this module will aim to further develop your skills and knowledge of digital technology and develop detailed designs that comprehensively recognise the principles of sustainability in construction and the application of digital tools in design and construction.

    Procurement and Contract Administration

    Advice on construction procurement and contract administration is a major responsibility that comes under the job profile of Quantity Surveyors. At the same time, procurement systems and contractual arrangements often have major influences over the strategies used to design and manage a given construction project. As such, it is important that the future Quantity Surveyors, Building Surveyors and Construction Project Managers have a deep insight of various construction procurement systems and standard form of contracts (JCT and NEC forms of contracts). Accordingly, this module introduces the principal types of procurement systems and associated standard form of contracts used in the UK construction market and internationally. In addition, it explores the fundamental procedures related to construction contract administration using the commonly used standard form of contracts.

    Major Project Dissertation

    This module provides you with an opportunity to lead an investigation into an area of the Built Environment that is of interest to you. You will choose and define the topic, research relevant information (either primary or secondary), set that information in the context of an appropriate intellectual framework, draw relevant conclusions, and write up and submit the project in an approved format. A support lecture programme and an individual research supervisor are provided.

    You will be taught through a series of lectures and tutorials and your assessment will include coursework, presentations and exams.

    On average, 20.5%* of the study time on this course is spent in lectures, tutorials, design studios etc.

    *based on 23/24 programme specifications.

    Your module specification/course handbook will provide full details of the assessment criteria applying to your course.

    Feedback (usually written) 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.

    You will be taught through a series of lectures and tutorials and your assessment will include coursework, presentations and exams.

    Further information

    The teaching year normally starts in September with breaks at Christmas and Easter, finishing with a main examination/assessment period around May/June. Timetables are normally available one month before registration.

    Your course is made up of modules and each module is worth a number of credits. Each year you study modules to the value of 120 credits, adding up to 360 credits in total for a bachelor’s qualification. These credits can come from a combination of core, compulsory and optional modules but please note that optional modules may not run if we do not have enough students interested.

    If you achieve 120 credits for the current stage you are at, you may progress to the next stage of your course, subject to any professional, statutory or regulatory body guidelines.

    1. The University of Huddersfield has been rated Gold in all three aspects of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023. We were the only university in Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West to achieve Gold ratings in all three aspects of the TEF among those announced in September 2023. In fact only 13 Universities, out of the 96 that were announced in September 2023, were Gold in all three ratings.

    2. Our teaching staff rank first in England for the proportion with higher degrees and teaching qualifications, as well as being top five for those holding doctorates (HESA 2025). So you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.

    3. We are second in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 24 since 2008 (2025 data).

    4. 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).

    Visit ‘Our experts’ page where you’ll find in-depth profiles of all our academic staff

    At Huddersfield, you'll study the Global Professional Award (GPA) alongside your degree* so that you gain valuable qualities and experiences that could help you to get the career you want, no matter what your field of study is. On completion of the Award, you'll receive a GPA certificate from the University of Huddersfield, alongside the specialist subject skills and knowledge you gain as part of your degree, which may help to set you apart from other graduates.

    Giving students access to the Global Professional Award is one of the reasons the University won ‘Best University Employability Strategy’ award at the National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2021. Find out more on the Global Professional Award webpage.

    *full-time, undergraduate first degrees with a minimum duration of three years. This does not include postgraduate, foundation, top-up, accelerated or apprenticeship degrees.

    Placements

    The course offers an optional one-year (36 weeks minimum) work placement after the second year, in the UK or abroad. This will give you the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience, insight into your chosen career and open up your graduate employment prospects. Our Placement Unit and academic staff have links with industry and can support you in applying for and finding your placement(s), as well as during your placement year.

    You can find out more information on placements here.

    In my placement at Michael Dyson Associates Ltd, I've gained real-world experience with the theories we are taught in the classroom. Technical aspects and strategies that may seem abstract in the classroom, are made real as I’m able to see how they are applied. 

    Porfile image of placement student Tariq Nazir

    Tariq Nazir, Architectural Technology BSc(Hons), current student

    A gallery of work by our Architectural Technology BSc(Hons) students and graduates. Click on each image to find out more.

    Canalside view of the Barbara Hepworth Building
    Create Lab
    Architectural Technology studio space

    Discover more about the course

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    Professional links and accreditation

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    Student Support

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    Further Study

    Learn about pursuing a Master’s or PhD at Huddersfield.

    Research Excellence

    See how our innovative research shapes what you'll learn.

    Important information

    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 if you are unhappy with the change 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 being unable to teach due to illness, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to pandemics, other disasters (such as fire, flood or war) or changes made by the government.

    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 consult with affected groups of students and any changes would only be made in accordance with our regulations. 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 let us know before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for any additional tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so and you may be eligible for an exit award depending on how far through your course you are.

    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.

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