Architecture
The BA Hons in Architecture is a studio-based, full-time course delivered over three academic years. There is an exit qualification of an Associated Bachelors (AB) after successful completion of two academic years, with a further one academic year for BA Hons completion.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor at UK Level 6 |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | |
| Awarding Body | Ulster University |
| NFQ Level |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor at UK Level 6 | Ulster University |
Duration
3 years
Attendance
The BA Hons in Architecture is offered in full time mode over three academic years.
An average week comprises of two days dedicated for SuperStudio work, which includes individual tutorial time, reviews, workshops and independent project work. Other days are lecture-based days which include year-specific seminars, practical work and site visits. The University designates Wednesday afternoon for sports and recreational activities.
Since the University has generous purpose-built provision for the Architecture course, all students have their own dedicated work areas within their studio which will be their base throughout the academic year.
Entry Requirements
Irish Leaving Certificate
112 UCAS tariff points to include a minimum of five subjects (four of which must be at higher level) to include English and Maths at H6 if studied at Higher level or O4 if studied at Ordinary Level.
Careers / Further progression
Graduate employers
Graduates from this course are now working for:
• Allies & Morrison
• Andrea Caputo
• Faulkner Browns
• Hall Black Douglas Architects
• McGarry Moon
• Office Metropolitan Architecture
• White Ink Architects
Job roles
With this degree you could become:
• Architectural Assistant
• Architectural Intern
• Building Control Assistant
• Trainee architect
• Part 1 Architectural Assistant
Career options
At Ulster University students are taught to understand architecture as a response to complex social, cultural and environmental contexts and develop the design skills to improve those situations. Therefore, architecture crosses the traditional boundaries between art and science, which means that you are equipped to enter a wide range of careers.
After achieving the award of BA (Hons) Architecture, graduates can:
• continue on to complete a further period in professional practice and a further period of full-time study at Ulster University to become fully qualified architects recognised and licensed by UK professional bodies.
• be involved in constructing new buildings and renovating existing ones as well as collaborate on the design and planning of public spaces, rural developments and new cities.
• work with clients, members of the broader public, local government and statutory agencies as well as many parallel disciplines engaged in the built environment; including surveyors, project managers, construction and civil engineers and building services engineers as well as landscape architects and artists.
Further information
Start date: September 2024
Deadlines for on-time applications
2024 entry application deadlines
For courses starting in 2024 (and for deferred applications), your application should be with us at UCAS by one of these dates – depending on what courses you apply for. If your completed application – including all your personal details and your academic reference – is submitted by the deadline, it is guaranteed to be considered.
16 October 2023 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – any course at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, or for most courses in medicine, veterinary medicine/science, and dentistry. You can add choices with a different deadline later, but don’t forget you can only have five choices in total.
31 January 2024 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – for the majority of courses.
Some course providers require additional admissions tests to be taken alongside the UCAS application, and these may have a deadline. Find out more about these tests at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/admissions-tests
Check course information in the search tool to see which deadline applies to you at the application weblink below.
Apply as soon as possible: Student funding arrangements mean that as offers are made and places fill up, some courses may only have vacancies for students from certain locations. It’s therefore really important that you apply for your chosen courses by the appropriate deadlines mentioned above, as not all courses will have places for all students.
All applications received after 30 June are entered into Clearing - find out more about Clearing at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/clearing-and-results-day/what-clearing
Overview
Architecture: The Best of Both Worlds - where science meets art.
Summary
The BA Hons in Architecture is a studio-based, full-time course delivered over three years. There is an exit qualification of an Associated Bachelors (AB) after successful completion of two years, with a further one academic year for BA Hons completion.
The BA course is validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects and is prescribed by the Architects Registration Board. Successful completion of the course (BA Hons) offers exception from RIBA Part 1 examinations.
About
The Belfast School of Architecture is unique in the UK and Ireland in that it is in a Faculty with the School of Built Environment on one side and the School of Art and Design on the other. These alignments and adjacencies inform our teaching and research.
The BA (Hons) in Architecture at Ulster engages in the complex and changing context of architecture, urbanism and landscape and the transformations taking place in society. Important aspects of this engagement are with the wider issues facing the profession and the provision of a creative context to investigate, challenge preconceptions, explore and fully engage the role of the architect in society.
In order to qualify and practice as an architect it is necessary to acquire a core group of skills that are necessary for a professional working life. In addition it is necessary for you to demonstrate the intellectual skills and the knowledge, judgement and understanding expected at bachelor degree level.
The course is based on a Vertical Studio structure across two semesters also known as the SuperStudio. The Vertical Studio approach is one in which all students are taught together across all year groups, including Masters students, in distinctly themed Studios. The resulting cross-cohort model replicates the dynamics, opportunities and challenges inherent in an architectural practice.
The course curriculum leads to professional recognition and is guided by the Criteria for Validation set down by the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Prescription of Qualifications established by the Architects Registration Board. These criteria set out the minimum levels of awareness, knowledge, understanding and ability of architecture that you must acquire at key stages for RIBA/ARB Part 1 exemption in the process of qualifying as an architect.
The BA Hons Architecture degree at Ulster gives exemption from the RIBA/ARB Part 1 Examination.
Modules
Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.
Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.
Year 1
Design 1A
Architectural Technology & Environment 1
Design Theory + Communication 1 (Elements).
Visual Culture
Year 2
Professional Context 1
Architectural Technology & Environment 2
Design Theory and Communication 2 (Building)
Design 2
Year 3
International Academic Studies - Optional
Year 4
Professional Context 2
Design 3
Architectural Technology & Environment 3
Design Theory and Communication 3 (Context)
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.
Award: Bachelor of Arts with Honours
Associate awards
Diploma in International Academic Studies DIAS
Professional recognition
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
Validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) at Part 1 level for the purpose of eligibility for membership of the RIBA.
Architects Registration Board (ARB)
Accredited by the Architects Registration Board (ARB) for the purpose of a Part 1 qualification.
Work placement / study abroad
There are opportunities within the BA (Hons) course for students to take a year-long placement to an associated architecture school internationally as part of the Erasmus programme.
Ulster University,
2-24 York Street,
Belfast
BT15 1AP
T: 02870 123 456