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Architectural and Interdisciplinary Studies BSc

2021 entry | 2020 entry

This innovative programme addresses architectural space from an interdisciplinary perspective and explores alternative approaches to design and to creative practice. The flexible nature of the degree enables students to tailor a programme of study suited to their interests both within and outside the built environment.

Covid-19 programme updates

Due to COVID-19, there may have been updates to this programme for the 2020 academic year. Where there has been an update, these are indicated with a red alert and a link which will provide further information.

Key Information

Programme starts

September 2020
UCAS code
K102
Duration
Full-time: 3 years
Application deadline
15 January 2020
Location
London, Bloomsbury

Entry requirements

A Levels

Grades
AAB
Subjects
No specific subjects. Comprehensive portfolio of creative work required upon invitation, at application stage.
At least two A level subjects should be taken from UCL's list of preferred A level subjects.
GCSEs
English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 5. For UK-based students, a grade C or 5 or equivalent in a foreign language (other than Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew or Latin) is required. UCL provides opportunities to meet the foreign language requirement following enrolment, further details at: www.ucl.ac.uk/ug-reqs

Contextual offer

Grades
BBB (more about contextual offers)
Subjects
No specific subjects. Comprehensive portfolio of creative work required upon invitation, at application stage.
GCSEs
English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 5. For UK-based students, a grade C or 5 or equivalent in a foreign language (other than Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew or Latin) is required. UCL provides opportunities to meet the foreign language requirement following enrolment, further details at: www.ucl.ac.uk/ug-reqs

IB Diploma

Points
36
Subjects
A score of 17 points in three higher level subjects, with no score lower than 5. No specific subjects are required but a comprehensive portfolio of creative work is required upon invitation, at application stage.

Contextual offer

Points
32 (more about contextual offers)
Subjects
A score of 15 points in three higher level subjects, with no score lower than 5.

UK applicants qualifications

For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:

Equivalent qualification

BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (QCF) or BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (RQF - teaching from 2016) with Distinction, Distinction, Distinction.

Pass in Access to HE Diploma, with a minimum of 18 credits awarded with Distinction in the Level 3 units, the remainder of the Level 3 units awarded with Merit.

D3,D3,M1 in three Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects. No specific subjects are required but a comprehensive art portfolio is required at interview stage.

A,A,B at Advanced Highers (or A,A at Advanced Higher and B,B,B at Higher). No specific subjects are required but a comprehensive art portfolio is required at interview stage.

Successful completion of the WBQ Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate plus 2 GCE A-Levels at grades AAB. No specific subjects are required but a portfolio of creative work is required at interview stage.

International applications

In addition to A level and International Baccalaureate, UCL considers a wide range of international qualifications for entry to its undergraduate degree programmes.

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. Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.

The English language level for this programme is: Standard

A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education.

Degree benefits

  • Consistently at the forefront of architectural debate, The Bartlett School of Architecture is renowned for its innovative and experimental research in architecture which includes design, history and theory, and technology. 

  • This programme offers an interdisciplinary education with a specialisation in architecture, an emphasis on design and creative practice, and operates without the constraints of the professional (Royal Institute of British Architects) requirements.

  • You will develop the necessary intellectual and practical skills to engage with architecture and the city in an increasingly globalised age.

  • All students participate in The Bartlett's annual Summer Show, a major exhibition at the end of the academic year which attracts over 7,000 visitors.

Degree structure

In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

This programme will allow you to customise your own programme with a wide choice of optional modules taken in other disciplines at UCL. In addition to modules at The Bartlett, UCL's Faculty of the Built Environment, you may select from topics in other disciplines including anthropology, archaeology, art history, cultural studies, economics, languages, and management. 

This programme is unique in that it offers its own research, design and creative practice modules throughout. This will allow you to develop a wide range of practical and research skills. Other distinct features include its emphasis upon activity-based learning, supported by study visits and field trips.

The emphasis in this programme is on the constant production of small assignments for seminars/tutorials, which will build up to a larger portfolio. There is also an emphasis on group critiques where you will learn to explain your work, listen to feedback and evaluate it as well. 

Modules

An indicative guide to the structure of this programme, year by year.

Core or compulsory module(s)

You will be expected to take 75 credits of modules from within The Bartlett Schools of Architecture, Planning and Construction & Project Management. The School of Architecture modules  normally include:

  • Architectural Research I
  • Making Cities: Production of the Built Environment
  • Media Studies: Looking, Making and Communicating
  • Design and Creative Practice I
  • The Historical and Cultural Production of Cities and their Architecture

Optional modules

The remaining 45 credits of modules are selected from a wide range within both The Bartlett and more widely across UCL (e.g. in Anthropology, Archaeology, History of Art, Economics, Philosophy, Psychology, and from the School of European Languages, Culture & Society).

Core or compulsory module(s)

You will be expected to take 75 credits of modules from within The Bartlett Schools of Architecture, Planning and Construction & Project Management. The School of Architecture modules normally include:

  • Architectural Research II
  • Computing for Design and Creative Practice
  • History and Theory of Architecture
  • Design and Creative Practice II

Optional modules

The remaining 45 credits of modules are selected from a wide range within both The Bartlett and more widely across UCL.

Core or compulsory module(s)

You will be expected to take 75 credits of modules from within The Bartlett Schools of Architecture, Planning and Construction & Project Management. The School of Architecture third-year modules must include: 

  • Project X: Design and Creative Practice 3 and/or Dissertation in Architectural Research III.

Other modules normally taken include:

  • History and Theory of Architecture

Optional modules

The remaining 45 credits of modules are selected from a wide range within both The Bartlett and more widely across UCL 

Further details on Design & Creative Practice and this degree programme are available on the degree programme website.


Covid-19 module updates
Due to COVID-19, there may be updates to the modules for your chosen programme of study this year. Some modules may not be available or may need to be moved to a later term or year of study. These updates are relevant for 2020-21 academic year only.  The full list of modules will be available in the module catalogue from late August.  From the first week of September, you will be invited to complete module selection from Portico, our student record system. There may need to be additional updates or changes to modules during the academic year to allow for new guidance from the UK Government and Public Health England. Your department shall keep you updated of these changes as they become available

Your learning

The programme is delivered through a mixture of lectures, small-group seminars, tutorials, workshops, demonstrations from experts, critiques (where individual students present to a group of experts in the field), group work, presentations, study and site visits, and field trips.

Covid-19 field trip updates
Due to COVID-19 updates, there may need to be changes to planned field trips for this programme. This will depend on travel restrictions, social distancing measures, and the availability of the relevant venues. Your department will keep you updated if field trips are able to occur and/or any alternative options available. 
Covid-19 practical component updates
Due to COVID-19, there may be changes to the availability of the practical components for your chosen programme. Any updates relate only to the 20/21 academic year and may not apply to all students across the programme depending on your year of study.  Your department will keep you updated if the practical component of your programme is able to occur and/or any alternative options available.   There may need to be additional updates or changes to the practical component during the academic year to allow for new guidance from the UK Government and/or Public Health England. Your department shall keep you updated of these changes as they become available. 
Covid-19 contact hours on campus
In Term One, while campus will be open, all the learning activity for the core content of your modules will take place online – including lectures, tutorials, seminars and assessments. By “core content” we mean everything you need to learn to complete the module successfully. In addition to these online contact hours, we will be offering some face-to-face educational activities for students on campus, and we will provide alternative online activities for those students unable to join us on campus. These activities, which will include contact with academic staff, will be relevant to your programme of study may include seminars, academic and employability skills workshops, small-group or individual tutorials, lab and practice-based teaching. UK Government safety guidelines will limit the amount of ‘in person’ activity we can offer and while it will vary from programme to programme, is likely to be no more than 1-2 hours per week. This will vary across departments, particularly if your programme includes laboratory/practical/studio/workshop sessions. You will be updated with more specific details as they are available and your timetable will indicate which sessions will be on campus and which will be available online.
Communicating further Covid-19 mitigation plans
We are continuing to follow UK Government guidance, as well as the expertise of our researchers, including specialists in health, education, human behaviour and infection prevention, to make sure UCL is as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. If it becomes necessary to make further changes to your programme as a result of new guidance/regulations, UCL and your department will communicate these as soon as this becomes clear. We will keep you up-to-date with our plans throughout term one, so you have the information you need to be able to take decisions that are right for your circumstances. Please ensure that you keep in touch with your department by regularly checking your UCL emails, Moodle courses, the Coronavirus FAQs for Students page and any UCL online groups or social media you follow.

Assessment

Assessment is varied. In addition to academic essays and examinations, design and creative practice modules are assessed by portfolios, which may include text, images/photographs, drawings, and which can take a range of forms. Research modules are also assessed by portfolios.

Covid-19 assessment updates
There may be changes to the format of assessments for modules in this programme due to COVID-19. These will be summarised for each module on the module catalogue from 17 August 2020.   If any changes to assessments need to be made during the academic year due to updates in government guidance, these will be communicated to you as soon as possible from your department.    

Detailed course descriptions are available on the department website: Architectural and Interdisciplinary Studies BSc.

Careers

You will develop the ability to think critically about the built environment and to argue speculatively. You will learn key tools and techniques of architectural research, design and fabrication. Our aim is for our graduates to be independent-minded and culturally sensitive, equipped to problemsolve in complex environments of all kinds.

Students pursue careers in the fields of art, design, film, media, and curatorship or related fields such as planning or project management.

UCL is commited to helping you get the best start after graduation. Read more about how UCL Careers and UCL Innovation and Enterprise can help you find employment or learn about entrepreneurship.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2020/21 academic year. The UK/EU fees shown are for the first year of the programme at UCL only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase. The Overseas fees shown are the fees that will be charged to 2020/21 entrants for each year of study on the programme, unless otherwise indicated below.

UK/EU students
£9,250 (2020/21)
Overseas students
£26,540 (2020/21)

Full details of UCL's tuition fees, tuition fee policy and potential increases to fees can be found on the UCL Students website.

Additional costs

If you are concerned by potential additional costs for books, equipment, etc. on this programme, please get in touch with the Programme Administrator, Ms Pani Fanai-Danesh, by e-mailing p.fanai-danesh@ucl.ac.uk or telephoning +44 (0)20 3108 6519.

Funding

Various funding options are available, including student loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students whose household income falls below a certain level may also be eligible for a non-repayable bursary or for certain scholarships. Please see the Fees and funding pages for more details.

Funding may be available from the Bartlett School of Architecture or Bartlett Faculty Office.

Departmental scholarships

Funding opportunities relevant to the department may appear in this section when they are available. Please check carefully or confirm with the programme contact to ensure they apply to this degree programme.

The Bartlett Promise Scholarship

Deadline
Deadline: Friday, 3 July 2020
Value
Tuition fees plus £15,364 maintenance per annum
Eligibility
UK, EU
Criteria

The Scholarships and Funding website lists scholarships and funding schemes available to UCL students. These may be open to all students, or restricted to specific nationalities, regions or academic department.

Application and next steps

Your application

We are looking for highly motivated and passionate individuals with a strong interest in design and creative practice. Students should be interested in studying the architectural space in an interdisciplinary way, willing to explore alternative approaches to architectural design, and willing to engage critically with the cultural and social life of architecture.

How to apply

Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.

Application deadline: 15 January 2020



Selection

Please do not include a portfolio of design with your application: we will ask you for this once we have established that you meet (or are predicted to meet) our entry requirements.

We may also invite you for interview, to be held at the Bartlett School of Architecture or by Skype.

For further information on UCL's selection process see: Selection of students.


Page last modified on 12 March 2020


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