PMARCTEC - MA Architecture

This course builds upon the established strengths of the School of Architecture and CASS Faculty, the common interest in architectural design and a critical theoretical framework. It is open to architects and is taught in parallel with the Professional Diploma in Architecture, offering a rare opportunity for high-level joint study. The different elements are coherent and testing. The course is design-based and research-orientated. It will enable you to focus your skills and develop excellence in your work. The coursework provides a strong platform from which you can develop your thesis creatively and intellectually. The main subject areas are in design, history and theory, and a range of specialisms, taught through a wide choice of tutors, studios and interest groups with a strong emphasis on self-directed study.

The overall aims of the course are to:

• Identify a field of personal interest through research and creative thinking;
• Plan and execute an appropriate thesis programme;
• Synthesise the outcomes in the production of a theoretically grounded thesis.

The course addresses the needs of graduates from architectural and related backgrounds, where traditional roles are increasingly blurred and design skills may be needed in a variety of guises. It emphasises generic and transferable skills in design of the built environment, and locates the subject in this broader context to encourage its graduates to seek and create opportunities for the practice of their discipline.

The more specific aims of the course are to develop:
Design ability;
• Provide a design education of excellence that advances a broad range of conceptual and practical design skills and acknowledges the value of research;
Theoretical understanding;
• Provide a programme of study that encourages students to explore the theoretical frameworks of their work within its cultural and professional contexts;
Professional skills;
• Develop professional skills in developing and delivering work that meets with high standards of communication; is sensitive to the needs and expectations of its intended recipients and the larger social context; is responsible towards its ethical, environmental and legal frameworks;
Student development;
• Encourage students to know and expand their own capabilities and see themselves as life-long learners; to critically reflect on their experiences and take steps to consolidate their self-presentation; to encourage them to contribute to the cultural debate and articulate these debates within the community at large;
Specialisation;
• Provide a programme of learning that will encourage students to develop specialist skills and interests;
European/ Internationalism;
• Foster interest, understanding and knowledge of European design, architecture, culture and urbanism within a wider international context.

11.a Knowledge and Understanding
By the end of the course, the student is expected to:

1. Have knowledge of, understand and utilise processes of investigative and speculative research and design methodologies drawn from multidisciplinary sources within the built environment.
2. Acquire a deeper knowledge and critical understanding of historical and theoretical frameworks and complex cultural traditions relevant to the discipline of architecture, and the various and diverse forms of architectural practice
3. Acquire and develop a specific set of interests in the built environment that can be described as 'specialist'. The vehicle for these specialisms is the focus of the design unit and includes some of the following for example; community regeneration; urbanism and the suburbs; landscape and housing infrastructures; third world development + sustainability; architectural materiality; and occupation and use of buildings.

11.b Cognitive Skills/ Intellectual Skills
By the end of the course, the student is expected to develop higher order skills that are reflected in their ability to:

1. Develop design ability through an iterative process that tests, communicates and negotiates ideas and propositions through critical and self-reflective processes of evaluation.
2. Formulate and communicate clear and well-founded conceptual frameworks that underpin design proposals.
3. Construct effective design processes that can be used to test concepts against practical and theoretical criteria relevant to the built environment.
4. Critically reflect on implications of design propositions.
5. Advocate a design scheme that responds convincingly to complex cultural conditions; that navigates a route through ethical issues whether environmental, cultural or economic.
6. Clearly formulate a critical framework of ideas through appropriate models of representation or written argument.

11.c Practical Skills
By the end of the course, the student is expected to:

1. Collate, document and present sophisticated and complex research material to produce cogent schemes/documents
2. Direct and manage a design process to achieve a convincing and well-worked proposition.
3. Communicate in an ambitious and effective way, the ideas and intentions behind a design proposal through an appropriate range of representational techniques; drawing, CAD, model making, collage, diagrams etc.
4. Give verbal presentations of the above to an appropriate standard.
5. Produce a cogent document of professional interest.
6. Express oneself effectively in prose
7. Develop effective means of group or team working

11.d Key/Transferable Skills
By the end of the course, the student is expected to:

1. Communicate effectively in writing and representational drawn techniques and in oral presentation of complex design concepts and propositions.
2. Apply research and design skills appropriately and be able to transfer techniques from one field of architecture to another.
3. Work as a member of a team.
4. Manage time and resources.
5. Learn independently, with open mindedness and in the spirit of critical enquiry.

Knowledge & understanding

11a1 Have knowledge of, understand and utilise processes of investigative and speculative research and design methodologies drawn from multidisciplinary sources within the built environment:

AR7016 Design Research
AR7027 Energy Comfort Buildings or AR7047 Digital Design Techniques or AR7043N Advanced Digital Design Techniques

11a2 Acquire a deeper knowledge and critical understanding of historical and theoretical frameworks and complex cultural traditions relevant to the discipline of architecture, and the various and diverse forms of architectural practice :

AR7016 Design Research
AR7001 Histories or AR002 Theories or AR7003 Interpretation or AR7004 Cinema and the City or AR7006 Forgetting of Air or AR7045 Concepts of Space or AR7049 The Problem of Irony or AR7061 the Soundscape of Modernity or AR7037 Changing Places or AR7044 Critical Transformations or AR7059 Architectural Publication & Journalism or AR7060 Media Voices

11a3 Acquire and develop a specific set of interests in the built environment that can be described as 'specialist'. The vehicle for these specialisms is the focus of the design unit and includes some of the following for example; community regeneration; urbanism and the suburbs; landscape and housing infrastructures; third world development + sustainability; architectural materiality; and occupation and use of buildings:

AR7001 Histories or AR7002 Theories or AR7003 Interpretation or AR7004 Cinema and the City or AR7006 Forgetting of Air or AR7045 Concepts of Space or AR7049 The Problem of Irony or AR7061 the Soundscape of Modernity or
AR7027 Energy Comfort Buildings or AR7047 Digital Design Techniques or AR7043 Advanced Digital Design Techniques or AR7037 Changing Places or AR7044 Critical Transformations or AR7059 Architectural Publication & Journalism or AR7060 Media Voices or DN7010 Interior Contexts

Cognitive and intellectual skills

11b1 Develop design ability through an iterative process that tests, communicates and negotiates ideas and propositions through critical and self-reflective processes of evaluation:

AR7016 Design Research
AR7017 Design Concept and Proposition

11b2 Formulate and communicate clear and well-founded conceptual frameworks that underpin design proposals:

AR7017 Design Concept and Proposition

11b3 Construct effective design processes that can be used to test concepts against practical and theoretical criteria relevant to the built environment:

AR7017 Design Concept and Proposition

11b4 Critically reflect on implications of design propositions:

AR7017 Design Concept and Proposition

11b5 Advocate a design scheme that responds convincingly to complex cultural conditions; that navigates a route through ethical issues whether environmental, cultural or economic:

ADP017N Design Concept and Proposition

11b6 Clearly formulate a critical framework of ideas through appropriate models of representation or written argument:

ADP017N Design Concept and Proposition
AR7001 Histories or AR7002 Theories or AR7003 Interpretation or AR7004 Cinema and the City or AR7006 Forgetting of Air or AR7045 Concepts of Space or AR7049 The Problem of Irony or AR7061 the Soundscape of Modernity or
AR7027 Energy Comfort Buildings or AR7047 Digital Design Techniques or AR7043 Advanced Digital Design Techniques or AR7037 Changing Places or AR7044 Critical Transformations or AR7059 Architectural Publication & Journalism or AR7060 Media Voices or DN7010 Interior Contexts

Practical skills

11c1 Collate, document and present sophisticated and complex research material to produce cogent schemes/documents:

AR7P18 Design Thesis

11c2 Direct and manage a design process to achieve a convincing and well-worked proposition:

AR7017 Design Concept and Proposition

11c3 Communicate in an ambitious and effective way, the ideas and intentions behind a design proposal through an appropriate range of representational techniques; drawing, CAD, model making, collage, diagrams etc:

AR7017 Design Concept and Proposition AR7P18 Design Thesis

11c4 Give verbal presentations of the above to an appropriate standard:

AR7016 Design Research
AR7017 Design Concept and Proposition

11c5 Produce a cogent document of professional interest:

AR7P18 Design Thesis

11c6 Express oneself effectively in prose:

AR7P18 Design Thesis
AR7001 Histories or AR7002 Theories or AR7003 Interpretation or AR7004 Cinema and the City or AR7006 Forgetting of Air or AR7045 Concepts of Space or AR7049 The Problem of Irony or AR7061 the Soundscape of Modernity or
AR7027 Energy Comfort Buildings or AR7047 Digital Design Techniques or AR7043 Advanced Digital Design Techniques or AR7039 Changing Places or AR7044 Critical Transformations or AR7059 Architectural Publication & Journalism or AR7060 Media Voices or DN7010 Interior Contexts

11c7 Develop effective means of group or team working:

AR7016 Design Research

Transferrable skills

11d1 Communicate effectively in writing and representational drawn techniques and in oral presentation of complex design concepts and propositions:

AR7016 Design Research
AR7017 Design Concept and Proposition
AR7P18 Design Thesis
AR7027 Energy Comfort Buildings or AR7047 Digital Design Techniques or AR7043 Advanced Digital Design Techniques

11d2 Apply research and design skills appropriately and be able to transfer techniques from one field of architecture to another:

AR7P18 Design Thesis

11d3 Work as a member of a team:

AR7016 Design Research

11d4 Manage time and resources:

AR7P18 Design Thesis

11d5 Learn independently, with open mindedness and in the spirit of critical enquiry:

AR7P18 Design Thesis
AR7001 Histories or AR7002 Theories or AR7003 Interpretation or AR7004 Cinema and the City or AR7006 Forgetting of Air or AR7045 Concepts of Space or AR7049 The Problem of Irony or AR7061 the Soundscape of Modernity

QAA Masters Degree characteristics

QAA Honours Degree Benchmark Statements:
Architecture (2010)

Design projects are assessed through an end-of-year portfolio presentation. History and Theory coursework is assessed through a written dissertation. Optional modules are assessed according to the nature of the module. The format of the thesis submission is a bound document but the format and layout should be appropriate to the topic.

All modules are passed on aggregate

Assessment Strategies:
Knowledge and Understanding:
• coursework submitted upon completion of the relevant modules, comprising a 4-5000 word essay.
• presentation of a portfolio of research and design work made in response to the detailed programme of a studio project. It will involve systematic collection and collation of primary and secondary data relevant to the field of research and a clearly communicated design concept and design production process that is perceptive in its analysis of key issues and agendas, identifying the range and relevance of the criteria involved.
• submission of the 10-15000 word Thesis.

Cognitive Skills/ Intellectual Skills:
• the presentation of a portfolio of research and design work, made in response to the detailed programme of a studio project. It will involve a clearly communicated design concept and design production process that illustrates the above.
• submission of the 10-15000 word Thesis.

Practical Skills:
• submission of a portfolio of design work that should be well presented and well communicated. The ability to make oral presentation of this work is also considered.

Key/Transferable Skills:
• submission of a portfolio of design work which is well presented and well communicated to be accessible to members of staff and of the wider profession.

Work based learning is embedded within the course through engagement in live projects and exhibitions, where students are required to take on organisational and entrepreneurial activities to support the marketing and presentation of their own practice or a collaborative venture.

The course will undertake a formal academic review of student performance at the end of each semester. Students performing below threshold standard will be recommended and/or required to revise their programme of study.

Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits):
Design Research (40) or Design Concept and Proposition (40) plus one module from Autumn or Spring options (20)

Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits):
Design Research (40), Design Concept and Proposition (40) plus one module from Autumn options (20) and one module from Spring options (20)

The course provides a practical and theoretical understanding of both architecture and interior design. Graduates generally work within architecture and interior design and in fields allied to both. Students wishing to develop their research are encouraged to apply to undertake a PhD within the department.

You should have:

• A good Honours degree in Architecture, Interior Design or a closely related subject.
• Your personal statement in the application form should articulate your academic and professional interests and ambition.
• Applicants are required to demonstrate design talent, ability and motivation through presentation of a portfolio.

All applicants must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Applicants who require a Tier 4 student visa may need to provide a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. For more information about English qualifications please see our English language requirements.

Non-UK based students, who are unable to attend an interview, must submit a portfolio of their architecture and/or design work along with their application form.