BA (Hons) Architecture

Advice from graduate Mikaella Theofanopoulou: 

"Τhe truth is that becoming an architect takes a lot of commitment, desire, and passion. It is a job that is constantly evolving with regards to building technology, design ideas, fashion, programming, construction methods etc. Architecture is never static and the industry requires discipline and motivation.

If architecture and design is the line of work you are hoping to follow in your life and you are interested in succeeding, then you should have high ambitions and make specific and controllable actions in order to reach them. Small and considered steps can have a positive impact on your professional life and make a big difference to your life in general. Even if you consider that these steps are too small, they will still be one step closer to achieving your goals.

During your university years, you should listen to your tutors... they have a great experience as supervisors, they have seen a great amount of students' work, and they can absolutely support, inspire, and direct you positively."

Read more from Mikaella in her case study.

Career opportunities

• Careers and employability - advice and guidance

• Join the fastest rising school of architecture in the Guardian League tables. Our school was described as ‘charged’ by the Architects’ Journal.
• 87 per cent of students said staff have made the subject interesting and 90 per cent of students in employment six months after the course were in a professional/managerial job (source: 2016 NSS and 2016 DLHE survey results available on Unistats*).
• Gain professional accreditation from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The course is also prescribed by the Architects Registration Board (ARB). If you complete the degree successfully, you'll be exempt from RIBA Part 1 automatically.
• Get creative with our amazing facilities and resources. You’ll be based in our eye-catching Faculty of Arts building in the heart of the campus, with students and staff from other arts courses to bounce ideas off and collaborate with.
• Benefit from assessment by coursework only – there are no exams.
• Graduate ready for the workplace with our focus on professional development. You'll work on ‘live’ studio design projects, and we have strong links with Plymouth City Council and other regional community projects.
• Learn from tutors with industry experience and interdisciplinary research interests.
• Enrich your learning with field trips each year to project sites, European study trips, exchange study opportunities abroad and at home, and overseas summer schools. Previous destinations have included Barcelona, Berlin, Bilbao, Copenhagen, Paris, Porto, Rotterdam, Rome, Stockholm and Venice.
• Join the Plymouth Architecture and Design Society (PADS), one of the most respected and active student architectural societies in the UK, with fortnightly lectures that bring architects, engineers and designers into the school to showcase and discuss their work with you.
• Gain insights into the field with talks from leading practitioners and theorists. Our Cross Professional Dialogue programme is a forum for discussion between architects, builders and others in the building industry. We also hold the annual ‘State of the Profession’ symposium with noted professionals, such as RIBA President Stephen Hodder, to discuss key issues in architecture today.

• Year 1
• In your first year, you’ll gain an awareness of your creativity through drawing, model making, writing and verbal discussion, and develop your skills and critical understanding of architecture by working on design projects within the design studio. You’ll work as part of a team on a live interdisciplinary project with fellow students. You’ll also get the opportunity to go on a study trip; in previous years this has included visits to European cities.

  Core modules

  • ARC407 Architecture 4.1

    This module introduces students to architectural design, as informed by a vocabulary responsive to people, place and tectonics, with an emphasis on tectonics. This will include exploration of basic building construction (including materiality and assembly) and historical and contemporary fundamental sensibilities of architectural design. This introduction is underpinned by an engagement with creative / critical thinking, and exploration of basic graphic and three-dimensional representation skills as a means of inquiry and presentation, pursued through short projects of increasing size and complexity.

  • ARC408 Architecture 4.2

    This module continues students' introduction to architectural design, as informed by a vocabulary responsive to people, place and tectonics, with an emphasis on people. This will include exploration of constructs of inhabitation and body movement, basic building construction, and historical and contemporary fundamental sensibilities of architectural design. This introduction is underpinned by an engagement with creative / critical thinking, and exploration of basic graphic and three-dimensional representation skills as a means of inquiry and presentation, pursued through short projects of increasing size and complexity.

  • ARC409 Architecture 4.3

    This module continues students' introduction to architectural design, as informed by a vocabulary responsive to people, place and tectonics, with an emphasis on place. This will include exploration of constructs of physical geography, cultural landscape and environment, basic building construction, and historical and contemporary fundamental sensibilities of architectural design. This introduction is underpinned by an engagement with creative / critical thinking including through writing, exploration of basic graphic and three-dimensional representation skills as a means of inquiry and presentation, pursued through short projects of increasing size and complexity.

  • ARC410PP Architecture 4.4 / Plymouth Plus

    This module enables students' to continue their examination of architectural design, as informed by a vocabulary responsive to people, place and tectonics, concurrent with developing their representational skills across a range of media. This will include exploration of constructs of visual culture and representation. This work will be underpinned by an engagement with creative / critical thinking, and multi-disciplinary working, pursued through one key project of challenging size and complexity.

  • ARC411 Architecture 4.5

    This module enables students' to continue their examination of architectural design, as informed by a vocabulary responsive to people, place and tectonics, concurrent with developing their critical understanding of historical and contemporary architectural discourse. This will include exploration of constructs of architectural theory and their relation to the making, inhabitation and interpretation of architecture. This work will be underpinned by an engagement with creative / critical thinking including through writing, and exploration of graphic and three-dimensional representation skills as a means of inquiry and presentation, pursued through one key design project and the writing of a critical essay.

  • ARC412 Architecture 4.6

    This module enables students' to continue their examination of architectural design, as informed by a vocabulary responsive to people, place and tectonics, concurrent with developing their understanding of sustainability, basic building construction and building physics. This work will be underpinned by an engagement with creative / critical thinking including, and exploration of graphic and three-dimensional representation skills as a means of inquiry and presentation, pursued through one key design project and the a broad technical study of that design proposal.

• Year 2
• In your second year, you’ll explore architectural ideas and architecture in context. You’ll focus on ideas and production, sustainable technologies, materials and building performance and continue with the study of the history and theories of 20th-century architecture. You’ll also have the opportunity for an Erasmus exchange with our overseas partner institutions.

  Core modules

  • ARC501A Design Praxis and Critical Context 5.1

    This module introduces students to exploratory, analytical and cultural studies of a series of architectural design projects to gain an understanding of and developing creative thinking (i.e., design). The module has an emphasis on the theoretical architectural discourse of the twentieth century to inform the practice and production of architecture in the environment, the critique of architecture, and its conceptual possibilities.

  • ARC502A Design Praxis and Communication 5.1

    This module introduces students to issues of site and context leading to an architectural design project (a public/semi-public building). This module is the focus for considering how site investigation and design criteria are to be considered during the development of a design, with an emphasis on an introduction to digital and analogue representational and production techniques and understand cultural values of those methodologies..

  • ARC503A Design Praxis and Technology 5.1

    This module introduce students to exploratory, analytical and cultural studies of a series of architectural design projects to gain an understanding of, and develop, a creative thinking (i.e., design) framework with an emphasis on issues in constructional, environmental and structural systems, and building physics. Students will develop their knowledge and understanding of these through lectures and precedent studies to inform given studio design projects.

  • ARC504A Design Praxis and Critical Context 5.2

    This module introduces students to exploratory, analytical and cultural studies of a series of architectural design projects to gain an understanding of and developing creative thinking (i.e., design). The module has an emphasis on the theoretical architectural discourse of the twentieth century to inform the practice and production of architecture in the environment, the critique of architecture, and its conceptual possibilities.

  • ARC505A Design Praxis and Communication 5.2

    This module introduce students to exploratory, analytical and cultural studies of a series of architectural design projects to gain an understanding of and developing creative thinking (i.e., design) framework with an emphasis on issues in digital and analogue representational techniques to provide a coherent level of communication to inform given studio design projects

  • ARC506A Design Praxis and Technology 5.2

    This module introduces students issues of site and context leading to an architectural design project (a public/semi-public building) is the focus for considering how site investigation and design criteria to be considered during the development of a design are achieved, with an emphasis on issues in constructional, environmental and structural systems, (building physics). Students will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of these through application to given studio design projects.

• Final year
• In your final year, you’ll build on themes explored in your second year, extending your work to examine, develop and articulate a personal approach to architecture. This will be reinforced by parallel work in history, theory and technology and a focus on your professional development.
  

  Core modules

  • ARC601A Design Praxis and Critical Context 6.1

    This module introduces students issues of site and context leading to an architectural design project (a public/semi-public building) is the focus for considering how site investigation and design criteria to be considered during the development of a design are achieved. This Module has an emphasis on an in depth study into either a theoretical, cultural and/ or historical architectural position that is informing both individual architectural interests and who that informs the production of an architectural proposition in design studio.

  • ARC603A Design Praxis and Technology 6.1

    This module introduces students issues of site and context leading to an architectural design project (a public/semi-public building) is the focus for considering how site investigation and design criteria to be considered during the development of a design are achieved, with an emphasis on issues in material consideration experiential tectonic construction, environmental and structural systems, (building physics). Students will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of these through application to given studio design projects.

  • ARC604A Design Praxis and Critical Context 6.2

    This module introduces students issues of site and context leading to an architectural design project (a public/semi-public building) is the focus for considering how site investigation and design criteria to be considered during the development of a design are achieved. This Module has an emphasis on an in depth study into either a theoretical, cultural and/ or historical architectural position that is informing both individual architectural interests and who that informs the production of an architectural proposition in design studio.

  • ARC605A Design Praxis and Communication 6.1

    This module introduces students issues of site and context leading to an architectural design project (a public/semi-public building) is the focus for considering how site investigation and design criteria to be considered during the development of a design are achieved, with an emphasis on issues introducing the context of architectural practice, and how buildings are procured and delivered within this context. It explores the principles of business management and how businesses operate in relation to professional and personal ethics.

  • ARC606A Design Praxis and Technology 6.2

    This module introduces students issues of site and context leading to an architectural design project (a public/semi-public building) is the focus for considering how site investigation and design criteria to be considered during the development of a design are achieved, with an emphasis on issues in material consideration experiential tectonic construction, environmental and structural systems, specification writing and costings. Students will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of these through application to given studio design projects.

Every undergraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the course aims, the course structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

The following programme specification represents the latest course structure and may be subject to change:

BA Hons Architecture 0114

The modules shown for this course are those currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new modules. Please note that programme structures and individual modules are subject to amendment from time to time as part of the University’s curriculum enrichment programme and in line with changes in the University’s policies and requirements.

UCAS tariff

128

A level
A minimum of 2 A levels, General Studies accepted. 

International Baccalaureate
32 points.

18 Unit BTEC National Diploma/QCF Extended Diploma
DDM (Distinction Distinction Merit).

BTEC National Diploma modules
If you hold a BTEC qualification it is vital that you provide our Admissions team with details of the exact modules you have studied as part of the BTEC. Without this information we may be unable to process your application quickly and you could experience significant delays in the progress of your application to study with us. Please explicitly state the full list of modules within your qualification at the time of application.

All access courses
Pass a named Access to Higher Education Diploma with at least 33 credits at merit and/or distinction.

GCSE
Five passes including Mathematics and English Language grade C.

Equivalent qualifications may be considered.

You will be required to submit a digital portfolio showing sufficient competence in arts/design. Get some advice on how to create and submit your portfolio.

English language requirements

For a full list of all acceptable qualifications please refer to our tariff glossary.