Architecture - 2013 entry
BA (Hons)
- single
Typical A-level offer: grades AAB or equivalent
Confers exemption from Part 1 of the Examination in Architecture of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Architects Registration Board (ARB)
Overview
Student work (detail) by Kathrine Thoen
Students working on architecture project
Architecture End of Year show
Architecture group teaching
Architecture End of Year show
Built Environment Careers fair
Architecture End of Year show
Architecture End of Year show
This course is run by the School of Architecture
Our School of Architecture is highly regarded as a centre for architecture education, design and high-level research. The school is consistently listed in the top five by the 100 top architectural practices in the UK for the quality of its graduates. It provides a vibrant design culture, ensuring its graduates are not only valued by practice, but are also able to make a critical contribution to the future of the profession.
This course gives you the opportunity to learn about the architectural design process, through the investigation of wide-ranging architectural issues such as:
- the representation of ideas
- the relationship between people and the spaces that they inhabit
- the impact of landscape and cityscape on the design of buildings
- the integration of design concepts with material form and structure
- contemporary and future architectural practice.
You are encouraged to bring your own experience and cultural awareness to this process.
Why Brookes?
The School of Architecture at Oxford Brookes has an international reputation for the quality of both its research and its teaching. As one of the largest architecture schools in the UK, with around 600 students and 70 staff, we play a leading role in defining the national, and international, agenda in design education and research.
Oxford Brookes is recognised as one of the country's leading schools and is consistently ranked by The Architect's Journal as one of the five best schools in the UK. Students from the school figure regularly in national and international prizes and awards and go on to work for many of the best-known practices in the country. In addition Oxford Brookes was chosen by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as the sole provider of the RIBA's Office Based Examination (OBE) programme for Part 1 and Part 2.
This year we welcomed around 100 new students from home and overseas onto the undergraduate architecture course. With our experienced staff and active student societies, we aim to integrate theory and practice in an enthusiastic and informative culture which embraces new technologies, conserves knowledge and communicates effectively.
The school enjoys an international reputation in research, in areas ranging from sustainable design to modular buildings and from event architecture to vernacular architecture. Staff in the school regularly secure research funding from the UK's research councils and the European Union as well as industry, with an annual research grant income averaging £1m in recent years. This research expertise feeds directly into the teaching programme at all levels, from undergraduate to PhD.
Teaching, learning and assessment
Teaching is centred on the design studio, supported by a range of related subject teaching in technology, practice, digital culture, the histories and theories of architecture and design. Studio teaching comprises group and individual tutorials, as well as presentations and discussions of ideas and forms of representation. Other subjects develop through lectures and seminars, group and individual presentations and a written dissertation in the final year.
The importance that we place on learning from each other is at the heart of how we organise our teaching. The school has invested in the development of an open studio culture, enabling you to see how ideas are generated and develop. Our students also benefit from the opportunity to take part in live projects, gaining experience of real projects within the community.
There are particularly strong links between our architectural research and teaching, which means we can equip students with the latest insights and knowledge.
In detail
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Course content
Architecture is a creative and fulfilling profession requiring invention, practical skills and technological expertise. An architect must be able to think spatially and communicate their ideas to others verbally and visually. Architects work with clients, contractors, government bodies and specialists such as engineers, to design all aspects of our built environment from very detailed fragments to large-scale urban interventions.
In Year 1 you will work on design projects and learn the fundamentals of architectural design including designing three-dimensionally, in context, to scale and developing an architectural brief. Design skills are supported by the parallel teaching of representational techniques such as architectural drawing and model making. This part of the course aims to bring all students to a shared level of knowledge, understanding and skill in design.
You will also be introduced to architectural history and theory, the principles of technology, and learn about the architect's role in society.
In Years 2 and 3 more complex projects are undertaken in the context of individual design units while working to common teaching objectives. Each of these has its own distinctive approach, determined by the ideas and agendas of the teaching staff. At the same time, modules in key subjects such as history and theory of architecture and building technology provide a wider understanding and inform your project work.
During Year 3, you will also write a dissertation on a subject of your choice.
As courses are reviewed regularly the module list you choose from may vary from that shown here.
Year 1
The compulsory basic modules are:
- Introduction to Architectural Design I
- Introduction to Architectural Design II
- Architectural Representation
- Architecture and Society
- Introduction to Architectural History
- Introductory Technology
Years 2 and 3
The advanced and honours compulsory modules are:
- Architectural Technology and Precedent
- Architectural Design I
- Architectural Design II
- Digital Culture
- Cities, Culture and Society
- Issues in Architectural History and Theory
- Architectural Design III
- Advanced Technology
- Management, Practice and Law
- Architectural Design IV
- Dissertation
Field trips
Field trips abroad are offered each year in addition to site and factory visits. Recent field trips have visited places such as Italy, Turkey, Portugal and Germany.
Study abroad
Students wishing to study abroad can apply to do so in year two of their studies.
Departmental research highlights
The School of Architecture has an excellent reputation for the quality of its research (2008 RAE). It is renowned for its work across a range of fields - including Development and Emergency Practice; Low Carbon Building; Place, Culture and Identity; Design, Theory and Practice; and Technology. These research groups form part of the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development (OISD).
Through our research activity, we are advancing the subjects taught to students at every level of study, and can equip students with the latest insights and knowledge as well as encouraging undergraduate research within the curriculum. Far from the curriculum being something 'cast in stone', it is constantly challenged and reworked in the light of the latest research findings undertaken within the school.
In the undergraduate degree (the BA Hons in Architecture/RIBA Part 1 programme), research-based input is found in subjects such as history and theory, technology and sustainable construction, and also in specific studios such as the Development and Emergency Practice (DEP) studio, based on the master's course of the same name.
Sample work
School of Architecture digital gallery:
http://oxfordarchitecture.org/
Free language courses for students - the Open Module
Free language courses are available to all full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students who are studying any course on our Headington (including Marston Road), Harcourt Hill or Wheatley Campuses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.
Key facts
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Department
Professional accreditation
The honours degree in Architecture gives exemption from Part 1 of the Examination in Architecture of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Architects Registration Board (ARB).
Course length
Full-time: 3 years
Part-time: normally 4-5 years
Teaching location
Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane
Start date
September 2013
UCAS code
K100 BA/AR
Fees / funding
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Tuition fees
The fees shown are for the academic year 2012/13. The fees for 2013/14 have yet to be set, and are likely to increase.
UK/EU students
Full-time: £9,000
Part-time: £750 per module. You can take up to five modules per academic year.
International students
Full-time: £11,000
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
+44 (0)1865 483088
finance-fees@brookes.ac.uk
Funding and scholarships
For general sources of financial support, see:
Apply / Entry reqs
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Typical offers
A-level: grades AAB or equivalent
IB Diploma: 32-34 points
Advanced Diploma: grade B, including A-level at grade A
We strongly recommend that one of your subjects is Art, Design, or Design and Technology. Other typcial offers include equivalent grades in vocational A-levels.
Specific entry requirements
GCSE: Mathematics, English and a physical science at grade C or above.
Please also see the university's general entry requirements.
Selection process
Applicants will need to provide a portfolio (eg sketches, freehand/technical drawings, life drawings, 3D models, paintings, photographs) and normally come for interview. Please read our portfolio guidance notes.
Selected candidates will be invited for an interview. The interviewer will look for evidence of motivation, general creativity and breadth of interest, and will expect to be shown work which demonstrates creative ability of some kind. Any such work may be presented, including art work where no formal course has been followed.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 (including 6.0 in reading and writing), TOEFL 90ibt
Please also see the university's standard English language requirements.
English language requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Border Agency's minimum language requirements as well as the university's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Full-time students should apply for this course through UCAS.
Part-time students should apply directly to the university.
International applications
Candidates who live overseas and cannot attend for interview will be evaluated by portfolio. It is preferable for you to send us a usb data stick with photographs or scanned images of your creative artistic work. The portfolio should contain a variety of different types of work and should be large enough to give the assessor an idea of your creative ability. Please read our portfolio guidance notes.
Conditions of acceptance
When you accept our offer you agree to the conditions of acceptance. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Credit transfer
Oxford Brookes operates the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). All undergraduate single modules are equivalent to 7.5 ECTS credits and double modules to 15 ECTS credits. More about ECTS credits.
Student experience
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Why Oxford is a great place to study Architecture
Oxford is a great city in which to live and study. It is rich in the history of architecture, containing the work of world-renowned architects, and examples of the highest-quality contemporary and leading-edge practice.
There can be few more exciting cities in which to study the built environment than Oxford. It is amazingly compact and full of contrasts, containing within a few square miles some of Britain's most expensive property, vibrant multi-cultural and 'student' areas, 1960s housing estates, state-of-the-art architecture and new business parks. It is also one of the world's most visited cities, with a year-round tourist industry.
For those working in the built environment, Oxford poses a tremendous challenge as it strives to develop as a 21st century city without losing its historic heart. Planners, architects and urban designers have to balance the pressure from developers wishing to build more shops, nightclubs and offices on the one hand, with the need to preserve its green belt and ancient buildings, on the other.
Oxford's closeness to London also provides access to its architecture and some of the greatest museums, galleries and design events in the world.
Specialist facilities
Oxford Brookes University has first-class facilities, helping you get the very best from your studies. From libraries to IT suites, you'll find everything you need and we're constantly investing in our services. The School of Architecture has expanded into a purpose-built new building connected to their existing studios.
From the state-of-the-art three-dimensional printer and rendering computers with specialist programmes such as Rhino and 3D Studio Max in our Digital Studios, to the multipurpose space of the Reinvention Centre for undergraduate research, we incorporate the newest, freshest ideas in teaching.
Available to students on a 24-hour basis, the digital studios form the hub of design teaching and learning in the school. Students can use the latest high-end software programmes including 3D Studio Max and MicroStation for modelling, together with leading CAD, web, image, and movie editing software, all running on a bank of powerful workstations.
Equipment and software are updated on a regular basis and are fully networked to digital projectors, a wide range of high-quality printers and plotters, and a laser cutter. In addition, pooled rooms for use of programmes such as AutoCAD and Photoshop are available throughout the university for student use. There is also an architecture workshop, equipped with more specialised equipment for more complex model making or construction.
Live projects and case studies play a big part in how we teach - we have strong links with local authorities, developers and industry - and you'll see developments in Oxford and further afield through fresh eyes as they become part of your learning experience. Many of today's leading professionals visit the school to lecture, including architects such as double Stirling Prize winner Chris Wilkinson, engineer Jane Wernick, and designer Paul Smith.
General support services
Supporting your learning
From academic advisers and support co-ordinators to specialist subject librarians and other learning support staff, we want to ensure that you get the best out of your studies.
Personal support services
We want your time at Brookes to be as enjoyable and successful as possible. That's why we provide all the facilities you need to be relaxed, happy and healthy throughout your studies.
Accommodation
At Brookes we understand that when you live away from home it's important to be somewhere that you feel comfortable and safe.
After graduation
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Professional accreditation
The honours degree in Architecture gives exemption from Part 1 of the Examination in Architecture of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Architects Registration Board (ARB).
Career prospects
Oxford Brookes Architecture graduates are highly regarded: the department is consistently listed in the top five by the 100 top architectural practices in the UK for the quality of its graduates.
The study of architecture provides a direct route into professional practice. Achievement of the honours degree Part 1 programme is the prerequisite qualification for progression through a total of five years' study and two years' practice which lead to registration as an architect in the UK. Most students, having achieved the honours degree in Architecture, go on to a placement year in practice before returning for a further two years of study.
The study of architecture at degree level can also be seen as a good grounding for other careers. You acquire a wide range of transferable skills:
- skills in design, communication, and high-level digital representation
- teamworking and problem-solving skills
- the ability to apply technology to design
- an awareness of the construction industry and different forms of practice
- critical reading and writing skills in relation to the wider social, cultural, political and economic contexts which underpin the practice of architecture.
Further study
Students wishing to go into architectural practice will need to gain practical experience, usually by spending a year working in an architectural firm. They will then go on to complete a two-year Master's in Architecture. During the master's, students may specialise or opt for postgraduate research. Careers then open up in any aspect of architecture, which is a diverse and dynamic profession.
