Architectural Design MA

About the course

The course draws on a wide range of research expertise within the Leicester School of Architecture, Art, Design and Humanities, and De Montfort University as a whole. This ranges from the history and philosophy of architecture and urban design to the integrated use of technology and sustainability.

The aim of the course is to establish a comprehensive understanding of architecture rooted in the humanities; mainly in history, which looks at how modern architecture has been shaped by the past; and in philosophy, which allows you to integrate knowledge of specialised disciplines into a unified and meaningful whole. It has been designed to allow you to work in small studio groups while encouraging you to engage with broader theoretical debates that are pertinent to contemporary practice.

The integrative nature of the investigations allows you to come to terms with the situational structure of architecture and can serve as a foundation for a more fully developed human ecology.

On successful completion of the Architectural Design MA, graduates holding Part 1 accreditation are given the opportunity to apply for a place in the final year of Architecture MArch (Part 2). Offers are subject to a portfolio review and interview.

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Key facts

Duration: One year full-time, two years part-time

Location: De Montfort University, Leicester

Start date: September 2013

Entry and admission criteria

You should have the equivalent of a 2:2 or above UK bachelor’s honours degree in architecture, or a related subject. You will normally be asked to submit a digital portfolio of work.

If you have no formal academic qualifications but have extensive industry experience, we will consider your application on an individual basis.

Portfolio

UK applicants with relevant qualifications should submit a portfolio of work (please see our Architectural Design portfolio advice| for full details).

Overseas applicants will be invited to send samples of their work. For further details check our Leicester School of Architecture portfolio advice for international students|.

International Students

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 or equivalent when you start the course is essential. English Language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching and learning seek to reflect the rationale, its aims and objectives, and engage the active participation of a professional, qualified and experienced group of students, while making appropriate demands of them.

Assessment is completed at the end of each design module in the form of a portfolio submission. Interim assessment and feedback is provided throughout the year in the form of tutorials, seminars and formal presentations or crits to internal and external critics.

In term one, the modules provide a foundation of knowledge and techniques, and require an active involvement in the process of learning as you make selective decisions to prepare the strategic, positional research statement within one of the Design Research Lab learning environments. Research Methods introduces systematic techniques required for research, analysis and synthesis in design and architecture. This is complemented by the first part of the Architectural Discourse module, which is seminar based and conveys an understanding of the theoretical architectural debate. You are required to use this background knowledge in the design context introduced in Design Lab 1.

Term two requires you to further apply knowledge and methods introduced in the second part of the Architectural Discourse module. The Design Lab 2 module is a vehicle through which you develop the strategic application of new ideas, synthesising knowledge from the earlier stages of the course.

The first two terms involve learning with substantial support from tutors. This provides the foundation for the Thesis Project module in term three. At this stage you will have established an individual academic agenda, translated into a design or propositional piece of work through the Design Lab modules.

The Leicester School of Architecture has an extensive national and international lecture series, attracting leading academics and professionals from around the world.

Course modules

Term one

• Research Methods – introduces systematic techniques required for research, analysis and synthesis in design and architecture. Establishes an understanding of the theoretical architectural debate
• Design Lab 1 – using the background knowledge gained in the design context

Term two

• Architectural Discourse – lectures examine phenomenology and its application to architectural design. Readings include the works of Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty
• Design Lab 2 – develop the strategic application of new ideas, synthesising knowledge from the earlier stages of the course

Term three

• Thesis Project

Academic expertise

Our staff include:

Ben Cowd| is a Senior Lecturer and Associate Head of School at Leicester School of Architecture. In 2012 he was awarded the ‘Grand Award for Architecture’ by the Royal Academy of Art for his work ‘Solar Topography in Rome’: a prize previously won by Lord Richard Rogers, Jan Kalicky and Eric Parry. His work has been widely published and exhibited internationally including exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Art, The Venice Biennale and the Museum of Art and Design in New York. He has lectured extensively about his research and in 2012 was Keynote speaker at the international conference ‘Conversations on Architecture’ Cape Town, South Africa. Ben is currently programme leader for the Architectural Design MA and Year Leader for 5th Year MArch. His students have won several international awards including a commendation in the RIBA Silver Medal, Winner RIBA Sergeant Award for Best Drawings 2012 and the TECU international student prize 2010. They have gone onto work in the offices of Lord Norman Foster, Nicholas Grimshaw, MAKE architects and Thomas Heatherwick.

Dean Hawkes studied at Manchester School of Architecture and Clare College, University of Cambridge. He combines practice, teaching and research. From 1965-1995 he taught and researched at the Department of Architecture at Cambridge University, where he was Director of the Martin Centre for Architectural and Urban Studies. He held the Chair of Architectural Design at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University from 1995-2002. He currently holds several visiting professorships and is emeritus fellow of Darwin College, University of Cambridge. Dean was in practice with Stephen Greenberg as Greenberg and Hawkes, and won the RIBA Annie Spink Award for Excellence in Architectural Education 2010. He has published numerous books and essays and is a regular contributor to the Architects' Journal and the Architectural Review.

Tim Martin| is Reader in Architecture and Cultural Theory. Tim is widely published on the intersection of psychoanalysis and the plastic arts. He is the author of the books The Essential Surrealists (1999) and the forthcoming Robert Smithson: Subject of Entropy (2010).

Graduate careers

You may either find employment with a leading architectural practice or progress onto professional qualification. You could also continue in research and study for a PhD.

Fees and funding

Fees and funding options for 2013/14 entry are still under review and are subject to change.

Full-time UK/EU Postgraduate courses fees £4,200 Students Equivalent or Lower Qualification Status* £5,000 International
Postgraduate courses fees £11,700 Part-time Part-time fees are charged on a credit basis, you will need to complete 180 credits over the course of an MA/MSc programme. 15 credits £350 Students Equivalent or Lower Qualification Status* 15 credits
£420 Continuation UK/EU Fee** £150 Continuation International Fee** £5000

For more information please take a look at our Funding|| section.

* ELQ Student definition - If you are a Home or EU status student and you already have a qualification at or above the level of the programme you wish to study from any country you will be considered as an Equivalent or Lower Qualification (ELQ) student. In 2008 the UK Government decided to stop funding universities for student in this situation and therefore the following fees will apply £5,000. Students from outside the EU are not affected by the policy.

** A fee that is charged on a periodic basis where Postgraduate or Research students need to extend their registration to complete the course.

Scholarships

Learn more about postgraduate funding and finance|

Facilities

The recently refurbished Wellesley Building, home to The School of Architecture, has excellent facilities support architecture students, including design studios with CAD software.