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Composite photo representing an architectural model

Architecture RIBA Part 2 MArch

  • Intro
  • Course
    content
  • Careers
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Intro

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.

Take a look at our architecture and interior architecture blog which features student work from across our architecture courses.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Moulsecoomb

Full-time 2 years
Part-time 3 or 4 years

Apply online

Please make sure that you meet the entry requirements before applying. If you have any questions the course team will be happy to help.

Apply now for your place

Course content

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.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through our applicant portal.

 

Curtain wall

Year 1: Strategy

We see the first year of the course as an evolution of your current skill set to embrace a critical engagement with design and develop a research-based approach to your work. The design laboratories will ask you to engage with a research-based approach to the generation of design strategies and architectural proposals, and to critically reflect upon your developing conclusions.

An understanding of the possibilities of digital and analogue production techniques will be built through the technology thread of the course. The design and construction of a 1:1 component will then embrace testing, learning through making and innovation.

In architectural humanities you will be asked to position your own work in relation to significant contemporary positions in architectural design practice and theory, building an awareness of the political, disciplinary and professional concerns and agendas that drive it.

Architecture MArch student work

Year 2: Integration

A self-directed research-based design thesis develops throughout the whole of the final year of the course. This offers you the opportunity to deeply explore your own architectural position informed by your studio laboratory’s research agenda.

Visual, oral and written media will be used to test, analyse, critically appraise and explain the final design proposal. You will be assisted in developing an integrated and independent approach to tectonic and technical design as the technology thread of the course becomes embedded within your design work. Further testing of the proposal by regulatory, financial and professional controls will build on your skills, knowledge and understanding of professional practice. This will enable you to critically examine the future role of the architect and future forms of architectural practice.

You will also be encouraged to integrate historical, theoretical and critical enquiry into your wider architectural practice in the form of an Architectural Humanities Research Study. This aspect of the course will assist you in developing an understanding of the nature and scope of architectural research at the intersections of architectural, other creative practices and humanities-based enquiry, whilst gaining experience of conducting and managing research-intensive projects.

Architecture MArch student work

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. 

Architecture MArch student work

Staff profile

Dr Sarah Stevens

Course leader

Dr Sarah Stevens is a registered architect, full-time academic and fellow of the Higher Education Academy, having worked in practice in London, Oxford and Sussex. She previously taught at Oxford Brookes University, and has been a design examiner for the RIBA Office Based Exams and an external critic at various schools including The Bartlett and Westminster.

Students taught by Sarah have been awarded RIBA South and South East awards, shortlisted for the RIBA Presidents Medals, and widely published in the architectural and design press, for example in Blueprint, RIBA Journal, Architects Journal and Building Design. Her pedagogic research has concerns rooted in the student experience and actively informs her own teaching practice. 

Sarah's PhD, sponsored by Ove Arup, explored responsive architecture. Her research has continued in this area and underlies the ethos of Studio Laboratory 3, focusing on time-sensitive design through an agenda of sustainability. Her pedagogic research has concerns rooted in the student experience and this actively informs her own teaching practice. 

Student views

Bella Kotak

"After completing my undergraduate degree in architecture, at another university, the freshness and reputation of the University of Brighton appealed to me. It is a creative and friendly environment.

"Brighton is fun, diverse and has a culture that inspires and encourages independent art and businesses. I often feel like I have the best bits of this country's culture, with the added bonus that it has easy access to London and is on the seaside!

"What I really like about the university is the excellent communication between tutors and students, the comfortable studio culture and the interdisciplinary nature of our projects. Many of us have come here from different universities with our own graphical and design approaches. You end up learning a lot from your peers and the tutors are always there to help us along."

Irene Klokkari 

"Coming from a different university, this course gave me the opportunity to meet new people, a new environment and explore different design approaches. The tutors establish close relationships with the students and create an engaging studio environment.  

“During my final year, my dissertation was nominated for the RIBA President's Medals, and received a commendation. This was a great opportunity to meet architects and professors and discuss ideas to further develop my research." 

Irene Papayianni 

“This course has given me the opportunity to develop my own architectural individuality. The academic tutors and staff on the course were extremely supportive and helpful. The course structure was a combination of modules that make it artistic, technical and philosophical. 

“Throughout my studies I have managed to develop skills in both designing and detailing, which has made the transition from university to practice easier. On the course you will have the opportunity to meet and demonstrate your work to globally recognised professionals.”

Bella KotakBella Kotak

studios

Overview 

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.

See examples of work and read more about the research areas of the individual studio laboratories currently running on the tabs above.

View our previous yearbooks

  • 2014-15 yearbook
  • 2013-14 yearbook
Architecture mechanical parts

Studio 01 

Studio 01 is a design laboratory, a ‘think and do tank’.  We are dealing with a set of sustainable objectives which we explore each year in different urban or peri-urban contexts. Using the concept of Continues Productive Urban Landscapes as a way of envisioning sustainable and resilient futures we introduce the following ideas to facilitate specific architectural responses such as close Loops and natural energy systems, local interdependencies and collaborations between unlikely partners.

Our specific research agenda evolves every year, and the studio produces a variety of projects clearly lead by students drawing on the strong research basis which is the core of our work. Studio programmes are run within the UK and internationally, often working with live projects or competitions. In the past students have the chance to meet and work with experts in the sustainable and designs spheres, participating in workshops in Cuba, Berlin and Iceland.

In advancing work we encourage an iterative approach exploiting an interplay between thinking, making and drawing.  We value work that draws on a firm “external” knowledge base including environmental and social data and that understands how these can provide the basis for a qualitatively rich architecture.

  • Architecture studio 1
  • Architecture studio 1
  • Magdalena
  • Architecture studio 1
  • Architecture studio 1
  • Final portfolio
  • Studio 1 Magdalena
  • Architecture studio 1
  • Studio 1 Magdalena
  • Magdalena 10
‹ ›

Studio 02 

Each year Studio 2 will follow a series of parallel investigations, learning and developing an appreciation of the ability (or inability) for propositional architecture to assist in the initial development, growth, support and sustainability of new communities, their immediate neighbourhood and the wider regions. Our primary tools here are the ability to read and work with a landscape, both socially and environmentally - aiming to understand and appreciate the eccentric character and sensitivity which may be revealed to us. We are interested in such things as the concepts of time depth, biophilic materials, the new ‘cult' of environmentalism and mans love of dogs.

The Studio proposes year long investigations through a single, evolving project, starting with a simple proposition, such as our physical and spiritual refuge which later becomes a vessel for the development of a unique brief, which in turn will come from the development of a new individual skill learnt by each student, from which the conceptual community is born.

  • Architecture studio close
  • Architectural plans close
  • CAD design close
  • Architectural detail close
  • 3D landscape close
  • Studio 06 close
  • Moulded structure close
  • Nine views of a sculpted structure close
  • Design on three levels close
  • Architecture studio 2
‹ ›

Studio 03 

We slip through the fissures of our constructed world, questioning truths and interrogating perceptions of reality to become the promoters of the forgotten, overlooked, misrepresented or neglected. The studio is concerned with a critical approach to design, which takes each individual’s reaction to the site as its starting point to determine individual territories and research questions.

Drawing on the tutors own research and interests in the fields of experiential and time sensitive architectures, the studio explores rich, poetic, temporal architectures evolved through to material and detail.

  • Architecture studio 3
  • Architecture studio 3
  • Architecture studio 3
  • Architecture studio 3
  • Architecture studio 3
  • Architecture studio 3
  • Architecture studio 3
  • Architecture RIBA
  • Stuart Wickett Architecture
  • Architecture studio 3
‹ ›

Studio 04 

Studio 4 is interested in the urban condition and its variety of inhabited grounds and varied building envelopes. Developing architectures through working on building typologies that expand on cultural sensibilities, institutions and infrastructure as a way to develop new architectures that make up the City. We would argue that they are those that allow and foster the local culture to expand through its spatial generosity, which offers a ‘place’ to be used by the civic community at large.

Studio 4’s research aims continue to be aimed at the exploration, experimentation and use of the primary architectural elements of the Building Envelope & the Ground. With the intent of these elements to actuate a new position on heterogeneous space and culturally, socially and environmentally sustainable built environments. This research is bound with material and spatial performance. Performance defined by the interaction of the four domains of active agency: spatial organization, material organization, the human subject, and the human environment.

  • Architecture studio 4
  • Architecture RIBA
  • Architecture studio 4
  • Architecture studio 4
  • Architecture RIBA
  • Architecture studio 4
  • Architecture studio 4
  • Architecture studio 4
  • Architecture studio 4
  • Architecture studio 4
‹ ›

Careers

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.

Architecture MArch student work

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Applications are competitive and considered on an individual basis through a process of portfolio review and interview. Practice experience is recommended and there is a minimum requirement of a lower second class undergraduate degree in architecture or a closely related subject such as interior architecture. RIBA Part 1 is not a prerequisite for entry on to the course.

To register as an architect with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) in the UK, RIBA Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 are required. Those without RIBA Part 1 would therefore need to undertake this independently in order to proceed towards registration. Further details regarding this process, the ARB Prescribed Examination for Part 1 and registering as an architect in the UK can be found on the ARB website.

For non-native speakers of English
One of the following:

  • IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements
  • Cambridge CAE B2 score 58 with a borderline pass in each component
  • Pearson (PTE) 61 with no less than 51 in each component
  • Trinity ISE III with a pass in each component.

International requirements

International requirements by country
 
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language institute

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Fees

Fees

UK/EU (full-time)9,250 GBP

International (full-time)14,460 GBP

Please note that if you are a UK/EU student and started your Architecture BA(Hons) (RIBA Part 1) before 2012, you will be charged the lower fee of £3,465.

Make Award for Excellence in Architecture

The £500 Make Award for Excellence in Architecture is given to a final-year MArch student in recognition of their consistent excellence throughout the masters programme. Tutors nominate students who they feel are deserving of the prize.

Perkins+Will Thesis Prize for Architecture

The £250 Perkins+Will Thesis Prize for Architecture is open to final-year students of the Architecture RIBA Part 2 MArch. It rewards work that exhibits strong design principles and that shows concern for sustainability, social responsibility, diversity, wellness and innovation.

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2019–20.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK/EU students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location

Location

About Brighton

The city of Brighton & Hove is a forward-thinking place which leads the way in the arts, technology, sustainability and creativity. You'll find living here plays a key role in your learning experience.

Brighton is a leading centre for creative media technology, recently named the startup capital of the UK.

The city is home to a national 5G testbed and over 1,000 tech businesses. The digital sector is worth over £1bn a year to the local economy - as much as tourism.

All of our full-time undergraduate courses involve work-based learning - this could be through placements, live briefs and guest lectures. Many of these opportunities are provided by local businesses and organisations.

You can also enhance your experience by getting involved with city festivals and events such as the Brighton Festival, the Fringe, Brighton Digital Festival, Brighton Science Festival, Pride, the London to Brighton bike ride, the Brighton Marathon, and the Great Escape festival of new music to name but a few.

Brighton North Laine
Brighton Beach sunset

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Two miles north of Brighton seafront, Moulsecoomb is our largest campus. Subjects taught here include architecture, business, computing, construction, engineering, geography, product design, law and pharmacy.

On campus you will find professional-standard facilities including a flight simulator, trading room, design and digital media suites and specialist research laboratories, alongside the library, student centre, a nursery, fitness facilities and Students’ Union. There are excellent public transport links.

The Big Build
A major transformation of our Moulsecoomb campus began in summer 2018. By the time the Big Build is complete, there’ll be new halls of residence, academic building, and Students’ Union and fitness facilities – all created with sustainability, inclusivity and community in mind.

As the development grows it will provide many exciting learning opportunities for our students, ranging from live projects, placements and internships with the companies involved to guest lectures and site visits. Find out more...

 

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The Big Build

Accommodation

Brighton: Moulsecoomb

All eligible 2019-entry applicants are guaranteed an offer of university-managed accommodation.

Halls of residence
We have halls of residence across Brighton at Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

  • You'll be prioritised for accommodation in the halls that are linked to your teaching base, subject to availability.
  • Moulsecoomb campus is linked to Varley Park and Moulsecoomb Place halls
    • Varley Park offers a mix of room and catering options. Varley Park is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre. Public transport in the city is excellent, and there’s a shuttle bus between our Brighton campuses during term time.
    • Moulsecoomb Place halls are all catered and are located right on campus.
    • Find out more about our halls at Varley Park and Moulsecoomb Place.

Unihomes and unilets
Unihomes and unilets are student houses that we let to our students on behalf of private landlords. This option can work particularly well when you’re balancing learning with placements and other commitments. We have unihomes and unilet properties at locations across the city.

Find out more about our accommodation and confirm your eligibility.

Private renting
There's plenty of support if you opt for private rented accommodation. This is an option which offers choice and flexibility – enabling you to choose where you live and who with. We manage our own studenthomes database of properties. This lists accommodation offered by landlords who have signed up to our code of standards. Every summer we provide online events and resources, as well as other advice services, for students looking for a place to live and people to share with.

Modern accommodation at nearby Varley Halls

Modern accommodation at nearby Varley Halls

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Students eating at the Hub

Students eating at the Hub

Maps

house Accommodation
campus University building

Moulsecoomb campus map

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01273 644644
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