糖心原创

Triangle

Course overview

This programme offers you the chance to earn while you learn, working an average of 4 days whilst gaining your MArch level qualification with us through active university-based learning. Build your practice experience in parallel with study, growing your portfolio of expertise and project experience whilst gaining both Part 2 and Part 3 qualifications with us.

We offer study centres in both central London as well as University Park in Nottingham, on a course run concurrently with our highly respected Level 7 (L7) apprenticeship programme, which has been established for six years, and is the largest national L7 Architect Apprenticeship in 2025-26.

Who is this course for?

  • Designed for architectural graduates who want to continue building practical skills and professional expertise alongside their studies
  • Helps bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world architectural practice
  • Offers an alternative route for those aged 21+ who had planned to pursue a Level 7 apprenticeship
  • Ideal for individuals affected by recent changes in government funding, keeping your career progression on track
  • Supports you in continuing your journey towards a successful career in architecture

The MArch Architecture with Collaborative Practice Research (ARB/RIBA Part 2) is a three-year in-practice programme in architecture, leading to an ARB and RIBA accredited degree.

What’s next?

  • Progress towards becoming a highly skilled, reflective architectural graduate, ready to meet the needs of industry
  • Take the next step in your professional journey by preparing for ARB/RIBA Part 3—the final stage of architectural qualification
  • Benefit from a course shaped by years of in-practice MArch-level teaching and continuous refinement
  • Gain the advantages of in-practice learning, combining academic study with real-world professional experience
  • Develop stronger professional competencies, practical experience and readiness for practice
  • Join graduates who have consistently outperformed full-time route peers at Part 3 in recent years

What knowledge will I gain?

  • Learn from industry-leading, award-winning academics and practitioners, applying your skills in real-world contexts
  • Be empowered to establish your own architectural passion and ethos
  • Develop critical thinking and research-led design, essential for innovation and design excellence
  • Explore your own architectural passion and ethos, tackling global challenges like the climate emergency and housing crisis
  • Progress to independent, student-led research in the final 18 months, culminating in a major design thesis on an area of interest to you
  • Gain professional insight through live projects with real clients and stakeholders, with a focus on ethical and responsible practice

RIBA award-winning academics and tutors

Across the course, you’ll work with our RIBA award-winning academics and tutors, bringing experience from leading design practices, including:

  • Witherford Watson Mann Architects, winners of the RIBA Stirling Prize 2013 / 2025,
  • Caruso St John Architects, winners of the RIBA Stirling Prize 2016
  • Practitioners from AHMM, Hawkins Brown and Cullinan Studio

Partnerships

We partner with a wide diversity of practice hosts, from recognised sectors leaders such as Foster and Partners, BDP, Heatherwick Studio, AHMM, EPR Architects, multi-disciplinary businesses including Atkins and AECOM, Ove Arups, to a wide range of smaller regional practices in both the Midlands region and South East of England.

  • Over 50% of new starters each year join through our established practice partnerships - highlighting the strength of our collaborative approach.
  • We continue to welcome new employers annually, expanding our network and opportunities.
  • We currently work with over 60 employers across the programme.

Why choose this course?

7th in the UK

for UK Architecture and Built Environment

8th in the UK

for architecture

Central London option

The only Russell Group University offering an in practice part time MArch degree in central London.

Practice experience

With 4 years’ work experience our in-practice Collaborative Practice graduates significantly outperform those coming from a full-time MArch pathway at Part 3.

Reduce graduate debt

by working an average of four days per week in the workplace through the whole programme

Develop your own

design interests and personality, culminating in your own significant thesis project

Course content

The programme offers a practice-based education with regular day-release for university study, aligned with the existing L7 Apprenticeship programme. The programme is delivered part-time over three years and involves the completion of 240 credits of assessed modules, equating to 80 credits per year.

Throughout the programme, you’ll be employed in practice, spending 80% of your working week gaining hands-on module experiences, alongside independent studying.

Each year, you’ll complete four modules (two per semester) within a clear, consistent structure each semester that makes it easier to balance your studies with your day-to-day work. Giving you the confidence to progress both academically and professionally.

Year one

You will develop core design research skills and sustainable practice, with a focus on regenerative design, working with existing buildings and global sustainable practice. Studio explores global culture and housing, whilst the spring sees the emphasis shift to working within existing buildings and regenerative design theory, tested through a large-scale mixed use urban project. The spring semester studio design runs in close parallel to the tectonic module, with the development of performative solutions being developed as part of a single integrated design alongside the design studio.

Year two

You will explore architectural theory and conceptual practice, including architecture’s performance on an urban scale, alongside historical and contemporary theories of architecture.

In the autumn, you’ll explore and test ideas through both design studio work and written research, with a focus on sustainable urban development and placemaking.

In the spring, the focus shifts to your individual interests, as you develop a self-directed design thesis that allows you to explore a topic you’re passionate about in depth.

Alongside this, you’ll study professional practice, examining key industry issues such as contracts, building safety and client relationships, often informed by insights from your host practice.

Year three

All students will pursue a 60-credit, year-long personal research-based design process. The autumn focusses on research and exploration of both thesis topic, site and strategic definition through design studio. This subsequently develops, through spring into a final design proposal. Design teaching is structured around design research themes grouped to support the various design projects being developed. This significant piece of independent study is accompanied by an exploration of contemporary ethical practice and business skills.

By the end of the course, you will have completed most of the required ARB Educational Competencies for qualification and become eligible to subsequently take our following Post Graduate Diploma in Professional Practice to complete all educational and professional requirement for entry to the Architects Register.

Modules

Practice Research by Design

This module is a design studio that aims to develop architectural design and critical thinking skills to an advanced level. The studio is project-based, and its activities follow a design process in which analytical investigations and research explorations of a particular theme, site, and research problem are applied to inform the development of architectural proposals. Recently the focus has been on the diversity of global domestic cultures and rituals, and their influence on place specific housing, with underpinning research informing the development of culturally-specific dwellings for migrant populations.

The focus of this project is to challenge standardisation by proposing culturally appropriate housing that recognises, supports and provides for the needs of specific communities. Through a process of detailed research, students generate diagram-based design guides, which frame specific spatial, atmospheric, and architectural requirements for their dwelling types relating to their clients' culture and needs. The process prioritises consideration of dwellings at a detailed, human scale.

This module studio workshop based supported by regularly weekly tutorials.

Building Case 糖心原创

This module promotes a positive enquiry led attitude to working with existing buildings, by challenging the students to re-imagine and test an existing building for re-use scenarios for a range of stakeholders. This module aims to develop practical knowledge, critical understanding and competent ability of the environmental and technological dimensions of architectural design. It is designed to support practical applications in the studio, reinforcing skills in the integrative nature of architectural design.

This module is lecture and workshop based.

Live Design Studio

This design studio aims to develop the student’s core design, critical thinking and application skills and ability to make judgements on complex aspects of urbanism, values of existing buildings to sites, and strategic re-use.

It is structured to link with the co-requisite module ABEE4051 technology module to deliver a holistic design project encompassing multiple facets of the profession including tectonic resolution, building performance and spatial quality. Each student will have the opportunity to develop a brief and typology, with the studio structured around a design process that leads progressively from analytical investigations into site, programme and context, through synthesis of a summary concept, which is ultimately applied to resolve a complex building programme. With an emphasis on an integrative design approach, students are encouraged to test emerging proposals during each work stage, and to draw on specialist technical and environmental design workshops and tutorials input from co-requisite modules. All coursework for this module is project-based.

This module is tutorial and workshop based.

Applied Architectural Technology

Following on from Environment and Technology 1, this module aims to develop your practical knowledge and understanding of the environmental, construction, structural and technological dimensions of sustainable architectural design. This lecture-based module supported by specialist workshops aims to develop technical knowledge, skills and understanding relevant to support an architectural design process. The work is typically structured around such themes as environmental performance, regenerative design, structural selection and the materials in construction. The findings are intended to provide technical input for integration to the architectural proposals that are being developed in the co-requisite studio module. The assessment for this module is based on the summary technical report, which documents testing of ideas for structure, façade, materials and environmental design, and the physical mock up, which is made to explore the project’s tectonic language.

This module is lecture and workshop based.

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the for information on available modules. This content was last updated on Thursday 02 April 2026.

Due to timetabling availability, there may be restrictions on some module combinations.
Live Thesis Portfolio 1

Live Thesis Portfolio 1 aims to build on the findings of the year two written thesis module by challenging each apprentice to develop their own architectural concepts and individual thesis design. The module starts from the outcomes of the thesis and aims to translate these through the development of a design brief into a conceptual project design through two distinct stages:

  • Stage 1 requires the apprentices to prepare a project brief, identifying stakeholders, setting project ambitions, including sustainability-led and societal, and establishing a building programme. This is then used to shortlist and identify a preferred site.
  • In Stage 2, the thesis outcomes are explored through iterative testing, and a design proposal progressed to outline design stage.

Each student is expected to follow a self-directed plan of independent study throughout the process, with the result being a fixed brief, initial testing of theoretical concepts, and generation of a site-specific concept design and accompanying conceptual framework that will lead into the subsequent Live Thesis Portfolio 2 module.

Live Thesis Portfolio 2

Live Thesis Portfolio 2 progresses seamlessly from Portfolio 1 with the portfolio that constitutes this module being the culmination of the thesis process started in the spring of year two.

For this module, the teaching focus shifts towards the production of a Portfolio as a comprehensive representation of the student’s full thesis project. The emphasis is on the development of architectural proposals that serve as ‘proof of concept’, which builds upon the design research findings from portfolio 1, and develops the project from the concept design presented in portfolio 1. The majority of time will be spent testing and developing those proposals as part of a live design process. The body of work that is produced for the portfolio will be presented for examination during the second semester’s exam period.

There is a strong emphasis on sustainable, societal ethical practice with principles established in Portfolio 1 used to benchmark and test the success of the thesis ideas. The project should be both pragmatic and performative in resolution. It should demonstrate a consistent and clear attitude towards its broader context, and themes including inhabitation, social inclusivity, tectonic expression, and its contribution to the wider city and its communities.

Each student is expected to follow a self-directed plan of independent study throughout the year's process, from research through briefing and design development.

Reflective Practice Portfolio

This module provides space to investigate and test your personal attitudes in matters of ethics and professional practice, including the impacts of your work on wider society and communities in which you are situated. The supports you in exploring how your practice operates, to think about how ethics and growing moral duties to protect the environment impacts your practice, both formally and informally, and how ethical practice could influence you and your practice in the future years.

This module also offers space for reflective evaluation of your time in practice, The reflective evaluation of practice will be framed by a series of focussed workshops exploring key themes such as ethics and sustainable business practice, working in collaborative teams, practice resourcing, and external relationships and marketing, prompting you to explore, discuss, and reflect on the practice culture you are situated within.

Further Activity Details: Themes are explored through focus workshops followed by group seminars and tutorials to develop individual points of enquiry.

The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the

Learning and assessment

How you will learn

As a practice-based programme, we appreciate the costs and time commitment need for travel to study, and offer teaching from both University Park in Nottingham, and a study centre in central London which is currently in the Farringdon area of the city. This allows us to support students on the programme from a wide range of practice locations, with the London base supporting students from Bristol to Norwich as well as many central London practices. We deliver teaching in a hybrid structure with every third week offering teaching and tutorial support online, further reducing the need to travel on study days. This helps our students manage workload through gifting additional time to study rather than commute and lowering the costs for travel for the programme overall.

In terms of how you will learn, the MArch Architecture Collaborative Practice programme consists of a holistic and integrated set of modules that inform each other, culminating in an extended design thesis, which is your opportunity to explore a topic you are passionate about and to develop your own voice as a young designer.

The course emphasises practical problem-solving through research and the application of knowledge. Learning is project based with a focus on research and testing of ideas. Associated technical, professional, and theoretical knowledge is introduced in a carefully planned sequence and integrated into design projects to allow you to you to test theory and apply it in practice.

We seek to maximise opportunities to investigate issues through your practice, with students being offered the chance to co-develop primary research with your practice and its clients as part of your studies. Recent studies have included exploration of material re-use hubs for the GLA, Post Occupancy Evaluations of practice projects for neurodiverse users, and testing the application of Passivhaus design standards to new typologies. Other students have worked with their practices to develop new practice documents and specialist guidance in areas such as EDI and sustainable policies for their host practice.

You will be guided by expert staff, academics and practitioners, who will support you in developing your interests and knowledge in architecture, as well as core architectural skills required in architectural practice today. It is a core policy of the programme that all studios are supported by a balance of both academic staff and tutors from practice, to ensure a balance of emergent thinking and real-world testing and application.

Design studios are project-based and taught through tutorials, with supporting workshops, lectures and activities including a field trip. Importantly as a part time degree we strongly believe in space for iterative development of ideas and thinking, and a supportive learning environment, and plan our taught sessions through 16 week semesters to allow time and space for your thinking to develop, and projects to flex around practice commitments.

The other modules are taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and practical workshops. Submissions for design studio are in the form of a portfolio, and for all other modules a combination of essays and research documents. In year two the autumn and spring portfolios are presented to the tutors at the end of term. Submissions are electronic.

The Centre for 3D Design (C3D) is a workshop manned by a dedicated team of skilled technicians with practical construction and fabrication experience, that are available to support you in making physical models and built work. The workshop equipment includes a Five Axis Router, laser cutting, 3D Printing, vacuum forming, foam modelling, small scale spraying, and a wide variety of joinery and woodwork machining tools.

How you will be assessed

Each module has a set of marking criteria aligned with its learning outcomes which reflect the ARB Mandatory Competency for the Prescription of Qualifications. The marking criteria are used to assess your work via studio reviews, portfolio submissions, essays, and research papers.

All marking is moderated across tutors / studios and then independently moderated. You must pass each module with at least 40% to progress. Your final degree classification will be calculated based on the credit weighting of each module, with an overall heavier weighting given to the latter half of the programme.

Contact time and study hours

Teaching for this course comprises one day per week (during University terms) of contact time, with a balance of time allocated base on the credit weighting of the modules. 30 credit studio and research modules are taught every week. This is then topped up to 52 days per year with flexible self-study time to allow you to develop your own ideas and portfolio work.

We value personal support and development, and class sizes over the last few years have been relatively stable at around 15-20 students at each study centre each year, London and Nottingham.

Entry requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements below apply to 2026 entry.

Additional information

All applicants

  • Must have an employer with the intention and capability of employing you to completion of your training.
  • Must be working in a job role that provides opportunities to learn, apply and develop the required knowledge skills and behaviours outlined in the programme specification.
  • Must work a minimum of 50% of time in England.
  • Admission of all applicants will be subject to the submission of a full portfolio, letters of reference and a personal statement. A personal interview may be required.
  • For all students whose first language is not English - IELTS: 6.5 (no less than 6.0 in any element). As well as IELTS we also accept other English language qualifications. This includes TOEFL iBT, Pearson PTE, GCSE, IB and O level English.

糖心原创 Part 1 graduates

Applicants who completed their undergraduate Part 1 degree at the 糖心原创 with a 2:1 standard or better gain automatic entry provided the employer commitments noted above are met.

External candidates

Applicants who have completed undergraduate degree at an institution other than the 糖心原创 require:

  • a minimum 2:1 BArch Hons (or equivalent ARB/RIBA accredited degree)
  • admission will be subject to the submission of a portfolio, transcript, letter of reference (minimum one), and a personal statement.

If you are unsure whether your qualifications or work experience are relevant, contact us.

We welcome students without an ARB/RIBA Part 1 degree who demonstrate equivalent academic work and practical experience in their application.

All applicants are advised that they are required to hold ARB recognised qualifications that meet both the educational and practice based outcomes of the new ARB Competencies before being eligible for registration and gaining access to the Architects Register in the UK. For the 糖心原创 this will require successful completion of both the MArch (part 2) and PGDip (part 3) qualifications at the 糖心原创 for this to be met.

It is highlighted that at present all candidates need to complete 24 months of valid work experience, documented in completed PEDR’s prior to completing the PGDip (Part 3) level studies for registration. This requirement is currently being re-assessed by the ARB and is subject to change but is correct at the time of publication (March 2026).

Applying

Our step-by-step guide covers everything you need to know about applying.

How to apply
Architecture (ARB RIBA Part 2) Nottingham and London locations

Where you will learn

Nottingham and London locations

University Park Nottingham with option for remote study centre in Central London.

Fees

Qualification MArch
Home / UK £6,527 (pro rata charge for 80 credits per year based on FT programme of 120 credits per year costing £9,790)
International £22,000 (pro rata charge for 80 credits per year based on FT programme of 120 credits per year costing £33,000)

Additional information for international students

If you are a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you may be asked to complete a fee status questionnaire and your answers will be assessed using .

These fees are for full-time study. If you are studying part-time, you will be charged a proportion of this fee each year (subject to inflation).

Additional costs

All students will need at least one device to approve security access requests via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). We also recommend students have a suitable laptop to work both on and off-campus. For more information, please check the equipment advice.

As a student on this course, you should factor some additional costs into your budget alongside your tuition fees and living expenses. You should be able to access most of the books and journals you’ll need through our libraries, though you may wish to purchase your own copies or more specific titles which could cost up to £100 per year.

Popular modelling materials as well as travel and accommodation related to compulsory field trips are paid for by the Department of Architecture and Built Environment.

In addition to this you may spend up to £50 per year on printing and £50 per year on additional model making and drawing equipment. Submissions are now electronic so printing costs are substantially lower than they used to be, however you may do some printing for tutorials, model-making, and reviews.

You are not required to purchase your own computing device however we have found that many students do. Depending upon your preference, allow from £600 for the purchase and also budget for software where this is not available through free student licence agreements. Many of our practice based students make use of practice laptops and practice modelling facilities for their studies.

Please note that these figures are approximate and subject to change.

Note: fees quoted may be subject to change for future academic years.

Funding

The 糖心原创 offers a wide range of bursaries and scholarships. These funds can provide you with an additional source of non-repayable financial help. For up to date information regarding tuition fees, visit our fees and finance pages.

Faculty-specific funding

In addition to the above, students applying to the Faculty of Engineering may be eligible for faculty-specific or industry scholarships.

A High Fliers Scholarships is offered to all those returning students from the 糖心原创 Faculty of Engineering who graduated with a first class undergraduate degree. For more details please see 'High Fliers Scholarship: MArch Architecture - ARB-RIBA Part 2' on our scholarships page. This applies to all campuses, China, Malaysia, and the UK.

There are many ways to fund your postgraduate course, from scholarships to government loans.

We also offer a range of international masters scholarships for high-achieving international scholars who can put their Nottingham degree to great use in their careers.

Check our guide to find out more about funding your postgraduate degree.

Postgraduate funding

Careers

We offer individual careers support for all postgraduate students.

Expert staff can help you research career options and job vacancies, build your CV or r茅sum茅, develop your interview skills and meet employers.

Each year 1,100 employers advertise graduate jobs and internships through our online vacancy service. We host regular careers fairs, including specialist fairs for different sectors.

International students who complete an eligible degree programme in the UK on a student visa can apply to stay and work in the UK after their course under the Graduate immigration route. Eligible courses at the 糖心原创 include bachelors, masters and research degrees, and PGCE courses.

RIBA accreditation

This programme is validated by the RIBA and is currently being taken through the ARB transition process to demonstrate that when taken in conjunction with the PGDip (Part 3) it meets all of the required Educational and Professional Practice competency outcomes.

This programme is part time and is to be taken in conjunction with a minimum 22.5 hours per week placement in a recognised Architectural design setting for the full duration of the programme.

Two masters graduates proudly holding their certificates
" UoN students have a well-rounded understanding and skill set that is rooted in reality. They graduate with many of the capabilities that we need in people who can not only design but also deliver beautiful and meaningful designs in this ever-accelerating world of technological and societal challenges and solutions. "
Mark Taylor, Director (Technical Design), Allies & Morrison architects

This content was last updated on Thursday 02 April 2026. Every effort has been made to ensure that this information is accurate, but changes are likely to occur given the interval between the date of publishing and course start date. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply.