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The Bartlett School of Architecture

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Programme overview

Architecture MArch at The Bartlett is a leading professionally-accredited architecture programme that allows students to develop an advanced understanding of what architecture is and what it could be.

Key information

Programme starts

September 2021

Modes and duration

Full time: 2 years

Full-time students study for 37.5 hours per week during term time. Typically, lectures and seminars occur on two days per week.

Application dates

Full-time
Open: 9 November 2020
Close: 26 February 2021

Tuition fees (2021/22)

UK:
£9,250 (FT)
Overseas:
£25,800 (FT)


Note on fees: The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees. UK students who completed their Architecture BSc (ARB/RIBA Part 1) in the UK at pre-2012 rates (i.e. before the undergraduate tuition fee cap increased to £9,000) will be eligible for a lower fee of £3,465, as long as they have not taken more than three years out between completion of the BSc and embarking upon the MArch. It is the student's responsibility to prove their eligibility.

Fee deposit: All students are required to pay a fee deposit of £1,000 for this programme.

Accreditation:

RIBA/ARB Part 2 is awarded upon successful completion of the Architecture MArch programme. 

Overseas students who do not have Part 1 upon commencing the programme and are seeking professional registration in the UK must contact the Architects Registration Board separately in order to gain ARB Part 1.

Location: London, Bloomsbury

Entry requirements

A minimum of a second-class degree in architecture from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Corporate membership of the following UK professional institutions: Architects Registration Board (ARB); the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) would also meet the requirement. A design/creative portfolio is also expected. Applicants will be asked to submit a portfolio of their design work once their completed application has been received, and should not send or upload work until it has been requested. Although it is not a requirement, professional work experience taken after completing your undergraduate degree is also expected.

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Standard

Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level. International Preparation Courses

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

International students

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below.

Select your country:

About this degree

Students strengthen their core skills in design, technology, history and theory, and professional studies, working closely with world-class tutors, academics and practitioners. The majority of the programme is taught through design studios, in which teaching is structured into groups known as units, which run throughout both years of study. Although distinct from one another, units deliver a common set of principles with the support of a dedicated practice-based tutor. 

Students undertake five modules to the value of 240 credits.

The programme consists of five compulsory modules. In the first year, known as 'Year 4', students undertake three modules to the value of 120 credits. In the second year, known as 'Year 5', students undertake two modules to the value of 120 credts. 

Upon successful completion of 240 credits, you will be awarded a MArch (ARB/RIBA Part 2) in Architecture.

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Year Four

  • Advanced Architectural Design I (60 credits)
  • Design Realisation (30 credits)
  • Advanced Architectural Studies (30 credits)

Year Five

  • Advanced Architectural Design II (75 credits)
  • Advanced Architectural Thesis (45 credits)

Research project/design project

Students spend their final year undertaking Advanced Architectural Design II, a major design project, in combination with Advanced Architectural Thesis, a research project related to aspects of their design studio work. 

Fieldwork

The programme includes one optional field trip for each year of study.


Teaching and learning

The unit system of teaching is supported by lectures and seminars given by a diverse spectrum of leading practitioners and academics. Design work accounts for 65% of the programme, and assessment is through portfolio, essay, design realisation report, and thesis.

Additional costs

There are two optional field trips for this programme, one in each year of study, which cost students a maximum of £500 each and are subsidised by the school. We estimate that students spend between £500-£1000 per year on specialist architectural materials.

All students work differently so costs incurred depend on the approach they take to the brief given. The school encourages students to use recycled materials in their models and presentations – not only is it sustainable, but also cost effective and potentially innovative. The school also offers subsidies for exhibition costs. 

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.

Funding

Eligible full-time UK and EU students may be eligible for undergraduate student support from their funding provider for both RIBA Part 1 and RIBA Part 2. Read UCL's guidance on funding for RIBA Part 1 and RIBA Part 2 qualifications.

Currently the programme has three awards of £5000 per annum available to successful candidates. In addition it has one award that covers the full student fees per annum. The bursaries are awarded by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, KPF, Hawkins Brown and the WESLDE Trust.

UCL offers a range of financial awards aimed at assisting both prospective and current students with their studies.

Any additional funding available from the Bartlett School of Architecture and the Built Environment Faculty Office are advertised on the respective websites.

Scholarships relevant to this department are displayed below.

Bartlett Promise Scholarship - Master's

Note:
Deadline: 31 May 2021
Value:
Tuition fees plus £15,364 maintenance/yr (Duration of programme)
Eligibility:
UK
Criteria:
Based on financial need

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

Careers

Bartlett graduates are amongst the most sought-after employees by leading and emerging practices including Foster + Partners, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Make, Arup, Zaha Hadid Architects, HOK, and Heatherwick Studio. Other graduates have formed their own practices or forged successful careers in parallel practices such as time-based media, exhibitions and events, urban design, furniture design and/or film-making.

Employability

This combination of networks, knowledge and technical expertise makes our graduates some of the most highly valued in the world, with 95% securing employment within six months of graduation. Some choose to progress to further study and teaching, many go on to roles in design and the built environment and with some of the world's top architecture practices.

Why study this degree at UCL?

Architecture MArch at The Bartlett sees students taking speculative risks with ground-breaking ideas, testing the boundaries of what architecture is and how it is defined. 

The Bartlett School of Architecture enjoys an unrivalled reputation within the UK's architecture industry, having been voted the best architecture school by the Architects' Journal AJ100 for seventeen consecutive years. Our students enjoy networking opportunities, including Open Crits and the annual Summer Show of student work, to which influencers and industry leaders are invited. 

The school also enjoys an exceptional international reputation and is currently ranked first in the UK by the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020.

Architecture MArch is taught in the school's impressive Bloomsbury home - 22 Gordon Street in Bloomsbury,  the cultural and creative hub of central London. Students not only enjoy the school's studio spaces and culture, but also workshop and fabrication facilities unrivalled within London. 

Accreditation:

RIBA/ARB Part 2 is awarded upon successful completion of the Architecture MArch programme. 

Overseas students who do not have Part 1 upon commencing the programme and are seeking professional registration in the UK must contact the Architects Registration Board separately in order to gain ARB Part 1.

Department: Bartlett School of Architecture

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Application and next steps

Applications

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found in our How to apply section.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at: ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught/application.

Who can apply?

Students with a relevant undergraduate degree in architecture can apply. ARB/RIBA Part 1 is not needed to enter the programme and some offers are made to candidates without the Part 1 award from a previous degree, usually overseas applicants.

Application deadlines

Full-time
26 February 2021

All Architecture candidates are asked to present a portfolio of design work. Candidates will be contacted regarding their design work once their application has been received.


For more information see our Applications page.

Apply now

What are we looking for?

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Architecture at graduate level
  • why you want to study Architecture at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to the chosen programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Tier 4 Student Visa holders are advised to meet the English language proficiency of their offer no later than the end of June, in order to allow sufficient time to obtain a CAS number and visa.

To accept your offer, you must pay the non-refundable fee deposit within 6 weeks and decline any other offers for programmes at the Bartlett School of Architecture. If you do not respond within 6 weeks, your offer will be withdrawn.

Please note that the School of Architecture does not allow deferred entry to any of its postgraduate programmes. If you have an offer of admission but cannot take it up, you will not be able to defer it and will have to apply again for entry the following year. 

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.

Page last modified on 28 August 2021