Course overview

The Master of Architecture provides a vibrant, challenging and expansive programme of study that leads to RIBA Part II exemption. You will be exposed to a range of related disciplines such as urban design, interior design, sustainable design and historic building conservation, providing a cross-disciplinary learning environment that is appropriate in today’s complex professional world.

There are three pathways through the programme, which ensures that the structure is responsive to your needs:

• part-time
• full-time
• a combination of full-time and part-time learning

Both the part-time and full-time streams provide work-based learning opportunities fusing academic dimensions of the subject with practice-based experience.

Year one focuses on a year-long live design project that will enable you to engage with architecture from a macro urban level through to delivering a building design that is articulately resolved in detail, structure, construction and environmental considerations. It is supported by taught courses covering theory and culture, technology and environment, and professional and management studies that are directly aligned to support the design project. Studio activity is supported by our Project Office  through live projects with real clients that will support your design development, academic achievement and professional capacity.

We have active exchange opportunities with a variety of European universities, which are funded through the ERASMUS programme and allow you to experience learning within another context. Current partners include Aalborg Universitet, (Denmark), University of Trondheim (Norway), TecUniversidadde, Sevilla, (Spain), UniverzaV Ljubljana, (Solvenia), Tecnische Universitat Wien, Vienna, (Austria), Thessaloniki (Greece), Istanbul Ticaret Universitesi, Istanbul (Turkey), Iceland Academy of Arts, Ljubljana (Slovenia) RWTH Aachen (Germany) Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonia (Tallin).

Year two focuses on depth and specialism. You will bid for a place within one of five studios, each having a distinct specialist thematic framework that relates to the research interests of staff. These frameworks provide particular themes through which you will develop your particular thesis questions into design propositions. The current studio themes are landscape, urbanism, culture and identity, practice and methodology and tectonic design in transcultural contexts. Studios operate with a range of physical contexts that currently includes London, Istanbul, Italy, Mallorca, Denmark, Morocco and of course Portsmouth. This ensures that the studio programmes and research outputs have regional impact and global reach. All studios have research strands that contribute to knowledge and academic discourse within the academic and professional realms.

The relationship between postgraduate programmes and the academic research interests of staff is symbiotic. Staff research activity ensures currency of teaching and the learning experience of students supports and enhances academic discourse, knowledge transfer and practice.

Flexible learning modes, combined with work based learning and research-informed teaching provide a unique learning environment responsive to the diverse and complex demands of practice.

A professionally-accredited course

This course is professionally accreditd by the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Its structure is designed to ensure the integration of contextual, technical and professional issues with the design synthesis, helping you to engagewith the prescribed ARB/RIBA criteria, and leads to RIBA Part II exemption. 

Course content

Year one

Year one comprises two 30-credit design units. These units are informed and supported by two taught courses with a 30-credit value:

• Arche (30 credits) explores the cultural context of architecture through the discussion of theoretical constructs and the development of individual student manifestos.
• Techne (30 credits) engages with the technical and professional issues in delivering a complex building proposition.

In addition, work-based learning units provide the opportunity to integrate practice-based learning within the programme. This will enhance your professional skills and support  those ‘working and learning’.

This structure is designed to ensure the integration of contextual, technical and professional issues with the design synthesis, helping you to engagewith the prescribed ARB/RIBA criteria.

You are encouraged to seize exchange-out opportunities through the ERASMUS Programme during the spring term, which has often proven to be a transformational learning experience.

Design assessment is through studio review and taught courses are assessed by various forms of in-course formative and summative assessment. A diverse range of feedback is provided to support your earning experience.

You will also have the opportunity to ‘earn and learn’, through engaging with paid mentoring opportunities, employment with the School Project Office or acting as research assistants supporting staff. Such roles not only provide  financial support, but will also enhance your CV.

Year two

In your second year you will  ‘bid’ for a placement in one of five specialist design studios that provide depth of study and specialism:

• Architecture and Landscape explores the concept of ‘making place’ from a landscape perspective. 
• Architecture and Urbanism interrogates architecture within an urban condition.
• Architecture, Culture and Identity discusses the practice of architecture within specific cultural contexts.
• Finding Methodology + P focuses upon design methodology and live projects linking with the School's Project Office.
• Emergent Studio holds a phenomenological approach to design exploring trans-cultural influences.

Each studio engages with a generic 120-credit unit developing specialist projects appropriate to the particular studio theme. A minimum of 25 per cent of the credit value of the unit up to a maximum of 50 per cent is written content designed to support the development of your thesis proposition. The actual quotient is defined by individual studios. The remainder of the unit, 50-75 per cent, is devoted to the design proposition through which the thesis is explored.

Career prospects

If you want to become an architect, then the unique learning experience we offer will develop you as an expansive, creative and professional individual capable of success in a range of creative and professional environments.

Our suite of Master's courses in architecture, interior, sustainable and urban design, and historic building conservation are unique in allowing opportunities for cross-disciplinary working. This experience will be of immense benefit to you in the changing workplace of the future.

Architecture itself is demanding ever increasing specialism and professional competence. The breadth of engagement with the discipline in Year one and range of studios in Year one ensures that you will become  confident in responding to the demands of the profession. Successful completion this course also leads to entry onto our Part-time Professional Practice programme providing Part 3 RIBA exemption.

The creative skills, professional competencies and expansive learning environment that Portsmouth provides have also led students into a range of careers in disciplines such as marketing, advertising, journalism, virtual design and modelling through to people-centred careers such as project management and even the Army.

In addition there are opportunities for further study for those who chose an academic career .

Portsmouth has an excellent reputation with regional and national employers and an excellent relationship with practice currently being further developed through the provision of CPD events.

Facilities and features

Portsmouth School of Architecture is currently housed in the award-winning Portland Building, with a postgraduate centre in the Burnaby Building, which has a dedicated studio space with 24/7 secure access. This space encourages the development of a learning community and debate across a range of disciplines, where the more than 100 postgraduate students in architecture, interior design, urban design, sustainable design and historic building conservation can meet and work. 

The Portland Building contains IT support, a shop that sells art and modelling materials, and a refectory providing hot and cold drinks and snacks. Immediately adjacent to the postgraduate studio is the ‘hub’ another cafe with a wider menu. 

In addition, you will have access to facilities in the Eldon Building such as excellent workshops and new equipment, including CNC milling and laser cutting machines, which have automated the production of complex models. The faculty has extensive computing, film and video facilities, as well facilities as diverse as life drawing studios and a virtual reality suite.

The University has an extensive library, containing a significant collection of architectural books, journals, magazines and online resources. These facilities combine to provide a supportive and creative learning environment.

Features

The staff team has research interests in urban research, interior research,sustainable research, conservation, history and theory, learning and teaching.

Our emerging research profile has a regional, national and international dimension, and we are currently developing collaborative projects with academic institutions in Turkey, Denmark, Morocco, Spain and Australia.

The School has a Project Office, which coordinates consultancy and projects. It is set up on the premise of  'practice through education: education through practice' and facilitates both live projects with real clients and paid employment experience.

The student community has a voice in the Portsmouth Architecture School Society (PASS) that organise an evening lecture series with seminal speakers and social events including an annual summer ball. This academic community ensures that the Portsmouth School of Architecture develops as an academic institution of significance with a global reach.

Entry requirements

The entry requirements for Master of Architecture are shown above, for more detailed information please contact:

Department: Portsmouth School of Architecture (ARCH)
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 2421
Email: create.admissions@port.ac.uk