Architectural Design MA

Postgraduate

In Leicester

£ 8,350 VAT inc.

Description

  • Type

    Postgraduate

  • Location

    Leicester

  • Duration

    1 Year

Our Architectural Design MA is a pre-professional programme to help you develop a specialist approach to architectural thinking and design execution. This is an internationally popular course that attracts students from across the world and currently offers entry to the rigorous design teaching and enquiry-based learning that we offer at the Leicester School of Architecture (LSA). You will join a community of academics, practitioners and students that is co-designing new ways of thinking and you will be supported to tackle current real-world challenges while proposing new futures.

We provide state-of-the-art facilities for you to realise your ambitions, with workshops offer cutting-edge digital fabrication facilities, alongside a wide range of craft workshops, where you can innovate with materials and processes.

You will benefit from the LSA’s extensive national and international lecture series, attracting leading academics and professionals from around the world. Working both collaboratively and individually, you will undertake design projects in various contexts, while gaining skills in visualisation and fabrication. As a graduate you will be empowered to take a personal and critical position in the globalised architectural world, with the expertise to pursue careers in allied industries including planning, architectural conservation, urban design, facilities, estate and project management.

Facilities

Location

Start date

Leicester (Leicestershire)
See map
The Gateway, LE1 9BH

Start date

On request

About this course

This programme is designed to equip you with both professional and research skills that will enable you to address the future challenges of sustainable architecture and development. Many of our graduates pursue careers in allied industries, such as planning, architectural conservation, urban design, facilities, estate and project management, where these skills are in high demand. Graduates also work in fields such as heritage and history studies, event design, digital animation and strategic management. The focus on theoretical architectural debate and developing sophisticated research skills will be excellent preparation to progress onto a PhD.

You should have the equivalent or above of a 2:2 UK bachelor’s honours degree in architecture, or an overseas equivalent.

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

Join a community that is co-designing new ways of thinking and meaningfully challenging conventions to redefine the future of architectural practice.

Learn both collaboratively in groups and through personalised teaching experiences with our advanced enquiry-based approach.

Our enquiry-led approach will encourage you to boldly explore your ideas and learn from your mistakes in a way that will shape your future design choices.

This programme helps you master both professional and research skills that will enable you to address the future challenges of sustainable architecture and development.

The integrative nature of the programme will provide you with an understanding of the situational structure of architecture and can serve as a foundation for a more fully developed human ecology.

Your dedicated tutors come from industry, practice and research, which ensures your work is responding to contemporary, real-world issues that are grounded in both theory and practice.

Forge important and international connections for potential partnerships by working closely and collaboratively with students in your cohort.

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This centre's achievements

2021

All courses are up to date

The average rating is higher than 3.7

More than 50 reviews in the last 12 months

This centre has featured on Emagister for 15 years

Subjects

  • Options
  • Approach
  • Teaching
  • Design
  • International
  • School
  • Project
  • Architectural
  • IT
  • Techniques
  • Component

Course programme

Modules

Term one

Research Methods

This component introduces systematic techniques required for research, analysis and synthesis in design and architecture. Establishes an understanding of the theoretical architectural debate

Principles and Methods

Based on a number of directed theoretical options offered to students as ‘streams’ this component offers a directed theoretical approach taught in labs, seminars, or lectures. The form of assessment includes essays or projects. ‘Streams’ may include Phenomenology, Design Computation, Contextual Design, Critical Theory and Urban Approaches.

Design Research Lab 1

Based on a number of directed theoretical options offered to students as ‘streams’ as above, this component tests actualising a selected theoretical approach in a design context. The form of assessment is in a design project.

Term two

Architectural Discourse

Based on a number of directed theoretical options offered to students as ‘streams’ as above, this component offers a theoretical seminar series. The form of assessment is projects or essays.

Design Research Lab 2

This component develops the strategic application of theoretical and design ideas, synthesising knowledge from the earlier stages of the course, assessed in design projects. This project may include overseas travel.

Term three

Major Project
  • This component involves a thesis project/dissertation.
Teaching and assessments

Overview

In term one, the modules provide a foundation of knowledge and techniques, and requires 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 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, synthesizing knowledge from the earlier stages of the course.

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.

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, formal presentations or project reviews.

Contact hours

In your first two terms you will normally attend around 10 hours of timetabled taught sessions including lectures, tutorials and workshop and studio sessions each week, and be expected to undertake at least 25 hours of independent study each week. Your third term will be pre-dominantly self-directed (including meetings with your supervisor), during which you can expect to undertake 35 hours of independent study each week

Part-time study is normally undertaken on a half-time basis.

Architecture Hub

You will have access to studio spaces with CAD facilities, workshops offering a broad range of fabrication from casting, metal working and woodworking to digital printing and water-jet cutting, printing and photography equipment. You will also benefit from resources and support in the Architecture Hub, our online learning space.

Additional information

Programme code: K19071

Part-time fees will be £695 per 15 credits across all of our courses.

Architectural Design MA

£ 8,350 VAT inc.