Architecture Degrees Online

Use your Post Graduate Diploma. Now you can top-up your PGDip to a Masters award with specialised study in:
Design and Theory
Urban Design
Intervention Architecture
Architectural Journalism
Structural Design
Architectural Studies
Course Content

The course offers:

Study organised to ensure:
an understanding of the key knowledge and skills needed for the specialism
a critical appreciation of the ideas, theories and debates that inform that area, and their application
the opportunity for personal development and specialisation through a dissertation or major project

Skill Development
The ability to deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences
The ability to demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level
The opportunity to develop and enhance understanding of particular aspects of architecture via areas of specialised studies
An awareness of the impact of their specialist area of study on different places and people

Teaching Methods
Teaching methods include: design studios, design based tutorials, seminars, lectures, design workshops, demonstrations, case studies. Contributions from visiting tutors who are practicing architects, designers or construction based professionals.

Course Content

The professional practice course, which is run in association with West Midlands RIBA CPD, is structured to address key areas of both job and practice management.

The course is assembled as a thematic series of lectures and seminars delivered over a period of eight days in total. To assist candidates in practice, the eight day course is arranged in two separate blocks, each of three days’ duration, and a further single block of two days. The eight days can be taken in sequence either as

March 3 days
September 3 days
October 2 days

or

September 3 days
March 3 days
April 2 days

The grouping of the course dates in the calendar is arranged to enable two separate examination sittings to be held in any one twelve-month period, but the eight day course must be taken in full as part of the examination sequence. Attendance at the respective course dates should be agreed individually by candidates with the course director.

The course is presented by a range of external speakers, often specialists in their own fields. The core content is in the following modules :
The context for practice
Practice management and business administration
Construction management

The course concludes with an afternoon session with the examiners to take the candidates through their reasoning of the previous examination papers.

The lectures and seminars are delivered at the level of ordinary competence, and as such the course is promoted to, and attended by, local practitioners who wish to augment their continuing professional development programmes.

Course Content

You will be provided with the professional, practical and business skills an Architectural Technologist needs to analyse, synthesise and evaluate design requirements to produce design solutions which will satisfy performance, production and procurement criteria.

This will be achieved through the design, selection and specification of material, components and assembly and the management, coordination, communication, presentation and monitoring of solutions which perform to the agreed brief and standards in terms of time, cost and quality.

The Technologist will then be equipped to manage the implementation of these on site through to the completion of construction work matching all client, regulatory and use requirements.

The course follows three main themes:

Technology – this provides an in depth appreciation of the different technologies used in the UK. This will include the key elements of buildings and their performance requirements.

Design and Development – this will focus on integrating technology with legal, regulatory, health and safety, client and use requirements producing buildings suitable for intended use and takes account of sustainability and other contemporary issues. This will also equip you to manage other parties in the development process, including the business elements of a development.

Design Skills – providing training and practice of key practical skills. You will learn to physically survey, measure and gather data about the proposed building site and the surrounding environment. You will be aware of the structure and format of drawings normally found in the built environment. You will be taught how to manually and electronically produce drawings using three dimensional computer aided design (CAD) and animated design solutions. You will also learn how to place design solutions in context with their surroundings using geographical information system (GIS) software.

Full-time students will attend classes for three days per week, while part-time students will attend for one full day per week and part of the same evening. You will also be expected to complete private study and preparation in your own time.

Assessment
Assessment of modules is made during and at the end of each level either through examination, coursework or a combination of both.

Course Content

This modular course is structured into design projects and subject groups in an increasing level of complexity.
Level Four (first year of full-time study) is a foundation which introduces students to the subjects of architectural history, design theory, environmental design and technology, communication skills and design practice.
Level Five explores and develops wider issues and emphasises design process and design through history, theory, technology and professional practice studies.
Level Six includes design projects which emphasise independent judgement to define issues and set and resolve problems with competence and conviction. It also includes the Special Study which is a major illustrated piece of research into an architectural subject. Architectural history, theory and technology studies inform the design studio.

The majority of learning is through project work and assignments, supported by lectures, seminars, independent study, visits and specialist events. A wide variety of study visits are offered in course programmes.

Study Commitment (Part-Time)
Attendance is on one day with one evening per week. Transfer to or from the full-time mode is possible at any point in the course by negotiation.

Assessment
There are assignments and course work in subjects. Project work is assessed by portfolio review both periodically and in summary at each year end.

Course Content
Whilst the course places an increased emphasis in the RIBA/ARB criteria, it has been designed with the student experience very much in mind. There is a strong desire to make the course feel like it is personally yours. We hope to achieve this by providing you with various opportunities to steer your learning towards issues you are interested in or which you feel are particularly relevant, and in effect use the course as a stepping stone to their career ahead.

The diploma course is focused on the key areas of theory, design, technology, and the real practice of architecture, and provides a dynamic, stimulating, and contemporary approach to postgraduate architectural education. It is arranged in a series of ‘Clusters’, taught principally in design studio, which promote the notion of integrated learning and working, particularly in the areas of theory, urban design, and design and technology, so hopefully you won’t feel as if you are doing something for the sake of it! This focused programme has only seven projects, namely; Theory and Experimentation, Design and technology, Professional Studies, Dissertation, Options project, Urban Design, and Thesis Design project.

This streamlining of the curriculum affords students the freedom to speculate, more time to concentrate on chosen specific areas or to explore other opportunities such as teaching in the degree school or developing specialist areas created by the suite of Masters courses.

The course has a diverse range of participating students; graduates from the school itself, graduates from other Schools of Architecture, visiting Erasmus exchange students, and a significant number of part-time students who are working in practice. The reputation and suitability of the course draws students from as far a field as Liverpool and Kent for the one-day a week study programme. In fact, the school also places a strong emphasis on its part-time students. The Diploma course is written and operates on the premise that the part-time student experience very closely matches that of the full-time student. The work part-time students do on a day-to-day basis is recognised and appreciated, as is their effort and commitment to the course.

The School also strives to involve other notable practitioners such as eminent Architects as Visiting Professors, world-renowned consultants, and external examiners with impressive reputations whether in practice or academia. Currently our list of external examiners includes Ken Shuttleworth of MAKE (ex Foster & Partners), and Birmingham City Council’s Design Adviser, Philip Singleton.

The school also offers a very exciting suite of MA courses which are responses to the current profession of Architecture, but also to maximise on the skills of our staff team. These include ‘top up’ MA’s, some of which are unique, which are linked to the Diploma course in Design and Theory, Urban Design, Intervention Architecture, and Architectural Journalism. Each of these involve a particular route through the Diploma. Full-time students taking this MA route only need complete three extra months of self-led study, and part-time students one extra year of predominantly correspondence studying. Fees for both options are based on four modules which currently costs just £640 in total.

Aside from formally undertaking one of these pathways, students completing only the Diploma course can enter into one of these specialised areas of study during the Options Project, which can be linked to several of the design clusters. It may also be used to investigate other areas of personal interest or relevance to the student’s career path. Alternatively, students may choose to work as a teaching assistant in the School’s undergraduate programme, in whichever year is most suited to them. Other ‘one-off’ opportunities are possible via negotiation with the course team.

The Diploma operates with a strong and diverse staff team that encompasses both full-time staff and numerous visiting tutors, principally from local practice. This relationship with the local practice is undergoing a renaissance, particularly through the school’s pool of visiting critics, which encourages enthusiastic architects to become involved with the school on a volunteer basis at various times throughout the year.

The Diploma course traditionally runs a study trip to the United States each spring. This trip is normally generously sponsored by Ibstock Bricks, with each student receiving a bursary towards the cost of the trip. This trip is often extended to another US city such as Chicago. The School also encourages educational exchange programmes, primarily through the Erasmus programme, which also sees European students coming into the school for a year’s study.

The course is for students wishing to continue their landscape architecture studies through to full professional membership of the Landscape Institute.

The course offers:
Landscape Institute accreditation for Associate Membership via PG Diploma award
Extensive staff research and practice background
Opportunities to study topics of individual student’s interest in landscape architecture
Dedicated studio teaching space and extensive IT facilities

Course Content
The postgraduate diploma is designed around the Major Design Project, an extensive four module piece of work based on student selected project sites. This is augmented by four modules in
professional practice
sustainable urban fringe landscape planning and design
conceptual design studio
project resolution and technology

An MA Landscape Architecture is awarded on completion of a Dissertation equivalent to four modules.The course seeks to develop students’ creative and critical abilities as well as their professional expertise.

Staff are drawn from across the School of Architecture and Landscape and there is a strong emphasis on staff research and publication in such areas as D