Course overview

Architecture is the art of making the world habitable and its study attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds who share a commitment to understanding and improving the human environment.

Its practice requires a rare combination of creativity, enthusiasm and technical ability, while its remit extends to the arts, landscape, planning, circulation and, of course, the investigation of construction and environmental comfort and efficiency.

At Portsmouth, the course is stimulating and demanding, both in the range of subjects it embraces and the time and effort that learning to design well requires. Our three-year course provides a broad-based introduction to the cultural and environmental context of architecture and the city, and a thorough grounding in the techniques of architectural design and technology.

We also aim to enable you to become a member of the architectural profession, equipping you with the necessary skills to enhance the environment in which we live. Central to this is the need to learn the relevance of context (both historical and theoretical), the possibilities that an awareness of technological opportunities creates and the importance of effective communication.

Study trips abroad

We attach a great deal of importance to seeing and studying architecture in practice. Therefore, you will be offered the opportunity to visit buildings and cities and participate in accompanied study trips abroad, including a study trip in the second year, typically to Lisbon, Helsinki, Amsterdam or Rome.

Professional accreditation

This course is accredited by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and prescribed by the Architects Registration Board (ARB), and is primarily designed for those seeking to prepare for a professional career in architecture. It therefore leads to exemption from the RIBA's Part 1 examination.

Is this the right course for me?

In order to produce architecture that is elegant, efficient and economic, an architect requires outstanding creative skills. As a student, your creative, analytical and decision-making abilities will be fostered in the design studio. However, you may have already developed creative ideas, often in small or everyday ways, and these will be useful to you in this course.

You will also be expected to have attained a competent level of numeracy and literacy and have basic IT skills. In addition, drawing, painting, and making skills will be useful.

Nevertheless, these skills will be dealt with in the units that make up the course. The taught course on representation, for instance, teaches basic skills for all aspects of conventional and computer-aided drawing.

Whilst it is advantageous to have studied art and maths or sciences at GCSE and A Level (or equivalent) these are not a requirement for entry at A Level. Clearly, any creative subjects such as art, sculpture or design that you study will be useful, but so will a general cultural awareness and interest in other art forms such as literature, music, drama, dance or film, as they provide a context for contemporary architecture.

Any work experience in an architect's office that you can arrange will be useful in giving you a better idea of the work of an architect.

Above all, however, the quality that you need to bring to this course is a strong personal enthusiasm and a willingness to learn from your teachers, your fellow students and the resources made available to you. Eventually, this enthusiasm will turn into a passion for architecture!

Course content

Our courses are designed to provide a thoroughly professional education in architecture. As a School we value professionalism and creativity as our key aims.

Year one

The first year of the course focuses on developing your creative, analytical and decision-making skills through a series of design projects which form the central activities of the course and integrate knowledge and techniques from three areas: architectural technologies, culture and context and architectural skills. Certain units will also enable you to develop your written communication skills.

Years two and three

In your second and third year you will develop these studies to a more advanced level and integrate them into complex design projects. You'll explore issues like dwelling, landscape and urban settlement, and the design of public and community buildings and spaces.

The study of formal precedents continues and culminates with detailed analyses of the ideas and work of leading contemporary architects.

Units

In each year of the course you will undertake two project-based design units. The aims, duration, number and nature of the projects in each unit will vary according to the year of study, with brief projects directed towards singular aims the first year moving towards projects of a longer duration, which explore a more complex range of issues at larger scales as the course progresses.

Formally delivered units provide the necessary technological, historical and theoretical context in which to develop your project work at a level appropriate to each year. Thse units cover the following areas:

• architectural technology: construction  structure, materials and environment
• architectural conext: history and theory
• architectural skills: representation, communication and practice

A second-year option unit provides the opportunity to develop your skills in communication, enabling you to diversify your graphic communication skills. In the third year these skills are steered towards preparation for professional placement.

Teaching and assessment

The three subject areas of architectural technologies, architectural context and architectural skills are taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops and group work.

In particular, we place an emphasis on the nature of precedent as a motivating force behind design, an awareness of environmental concerns and the ability of the architect to adapt to society's ever-changing needs.

Studio-based projects form the core of each year's work and occupy half of the available time. Design projects deal with the language of architecture, analysis of formal precedents, user studies, landscape, planning and circulation, investigation of construction and environmental comfort. You'll be working on many of these as part of a project team, reflecting the way in which architects generally work.

Here at Portsmouth we have developed an evolved studio-teaching method. Whilst working with a group of about 12 students from your year, you will also get to know and see students' work from the rest of the year, as well as from other years, where joint projects are carried out.

As a result, under the direction of your studio tutor and other studio staff who are professionally practising architects, you will discuss and develop your design projects. In addition, our postgraduate students will also assist staff with the direction of some of your coursework.

You will also be fully supported throughout your degree by your studio tutor, who will offer academic advice. Further guidance will always be available from members of staff who coordinate your year cohort.

Most of your assessed work will be coursework, with a small number of examinations. You will be given an indication of how you are doing throughout the year, and your design work will be finally assessed at the end of the year when you submit your design portfolio for examination.

Career prospects

The School provides all the stages required to become an architect. This undergraduate course leads to the degree BA (Hons) Architecture, carrying exemption from the Royal Institute of British Architects Part 1 Examination. Most of you will then take a 'sandwich year' seeking professional experience before continuing to study at postgraduate level for a Master's in Architecture at Portsmouth.

The School enjoys an outstanding reputation as a producer of graduates capable of meeting the needs of the architectural profession. However, this degree has proved itself equally valuable as a means of securing employment in a much broader field for some students who may decide on a career path that is similar to architecture.

For instance, you may want to specialise in architectural photography, journalism, model-making or computer graphics.

Facilities and features

To help you achieve your full potential in becoming an architect we have a unique combination of resources. The School of Architecture is based in a purpose-built building, designed by our Emeritus Professor of Architectural Design, Sir Colin Stansfield-Smith. It houses our advanced architectural computer teaching facilities and dynamic studios. These resources, combined with the excellence of architectural research by our internationally recognised staff, create the special environment in which we will encourage you to flourish.

Most of our full-time staff have practised as architects and designers and some continue to combine practice with teaching, bringing you the benefit of their real-life experience. In addition, our part-time staff bring specialist knowledge and current experience from practice. This ensures that our courses are up-to-date and reflect the current and future needs of the industry.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) Architecture for the academic year 2012/13 (opens in new window).