ARCH7053
30 credits
This module develops your command of the digital tools essential to contemporary design. The ambition is to move beyond standard software use, teaching you to...
Digital Craft in Architecture
MA, PGDip, PGCert
Explore how buildings and spaces are conceived and designed, developing creative and technical architectural skills.
Key facts
- Duration
- Full time: 1 Year
- Starts
- January 2027, September 2027
- Level
- Master's and postgraduate
- Course code
- MA-DCA
- Location
- Headington
- School
- School of Architecture
About this course
Develop your advanced digital design and making skills, focusing on the intersection of computational design, digital fabrication and traditional craftsmanship. Collaborating with industry partners, you’ll combine critical theory with practical applications, ready for specialised roles in architectural practice and research.
Within Oxford’s unique ecosystem of academic excellence and craft heritage, and building on Oxford School of Architecture’s renowned vernacular architecture research, blend timeless craft knowledge with cutting-edge digital technologies. Taught by experts from pioneering firms like Mamou-Mani, MAKE and Grimshaw, you'll gain experience with robotic manufacturing, mixed reality and traditional hand tooling.
You’ll experiment at the acclaimed Grymsdyke Farm digital fabrication labs, using its grounds for large-scale projects and collaborating with craftspeople and industry partners, building vital career connections.
Take a look at some of the incredible projects from our Digital Craft in Architecture students, and follow the course on Instagram.
Digital Design Workshops
Master the tools shaping the future of architecture. Gain hands-on expertise in robotics, computational design, mixed reality, and digital fabrication.
Networking and Collaboration
Work directly with leading practices and industry pioneers on live research projects, building your professional network before you graduate.
Hands on' experience
Move from screen to reality. At our dedicated workshops, you will learn by making, testing your ideas and building ambitious, full-scale prototypes.
Teaching Expertise
Learn from the leaders in the field. Our tutors are active practitioners, researchers and specialists who bring their real-world project experience into the studio.
Research expertise
Research on the course is an active, hands-on investigation into the future of building. Our ethos is 'research through making,' where you will test, prototype, and innovate at scale to develop a robust proof of concept for your ideas.
You will join dynamic, collaborative research groups exploring cutting-edge areas such as:
- Advanced Material Systems: Developing and testing novel sustainable materials for real-world applications.
- Augmented Craft and Fabrication: Creating new workflows where robotics and mixed-reality tools work alongside builders to enhance their skills and precision.
- Computational Design and Tectonics: Using digital tools to generate new architectural forms and expressions that are directly informed by material properties and fabrication methods.
This industry-led research tackles real-world challenges, building a powerful portfolio of work. This approach prepares you for leadership roles in innovative practice and provides a strong foundation for doctoral research.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
Admission to the programme will be open to applicants who hold a minimum of a second class honours degree (2:2), or an equivalent overseas qualification, from courses covering skills in design, making, graphic communication, architecture, industrial design or fashion.
Alternatively, applicants will be considered with an appropriate background working in a design practice, with a portfolio demonstrating 3 years of experience.
All applicants will be invited to submit a portfolio for review. You can make your submission via Google Drive or similar and then share the link as part of your admission. Matt Gaskin talks about what we're looking for in this video about what to include in your portfolio.
Information on portfolio specifications & how to submit it, will be emailed separately upon initial processing of an application.
Fees and funding
Fees
| Fee types | 2026/27 | 2027/28 |
|---|---|---|
| Home full-time | £10,450 | £10,750 |
| International full-time | £18,500 | £19,300 |
Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.
The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
How and when to pay
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
- For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
- For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page.
Questions about fees?
Learning and assessment
This course operates at the intersection of academia and professional practice. It is a hands-on, research-driven environment where you will learn by doing, tackling real-world design problems through rigorous experimentation and making.
Our curriculum is designed to give you direct access to the latest innovations in architecture and construction. You will be taught by a dedicated team of tutors who are also leading practitioners in their fields. From computational design specialists to experts in robotic fabrication, our staff bring their current projects and industry experience directly into the studio, providing you with relevant, up-to-the-minute knowledge and mentorship. This unique approach ensures your learning is not just theoretical, but is directly applicable to the challenges and opportunities of the contemporary building industry.
Our teaching philosophy is built on a model of mentorship and collaboration that mirrors the most progressive design studios. You will learn through:
- Practice-Led Studio Sessions: Your core learning will take place in a dynamic studio setting. Tutors are not just academics; they are active practitioners who will guide your projects with insights drawn from their current work on complex, real-world buildings and prototypes.
- Specialist Workshops & Masterclasses: We move fluidly between the design studio and our expansive workshops. Here, you will be taught hands-on skills by experts in their fields—from robotic fabrication and advanced computation to sustainable material craft.
- One-to-One Mentorship: You will receive dedicated tutorial time with our team of specialists, allowing you to develop your individual research and design agenda with expert, tailored guidance. This is your opportunity to discuss your project in depth with the people who are leading the industry.
Assessment
Your assessments will be diverse, and will support different learning styles - you’ll have a real opportunity to showcase your strengths. Your learning may be assessed by a combination of individual or group coursework, examinations, and presentations. The assessment methods chosen will be based on your learning needs, individual aims and the academic standards expected for the course.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
ARCH7056
30 credits
This module connects digital design to the realities of physical production. You will gain hands-on experience in our workshops, learning to prepare digital...
ARCH7055
30 credits
This module provides the critical foundation for your studio work. The ambition is to develop your postgraduate-level research and analytical skills using...
LOCAL-G27368
30 credits
Here, you will apply your skills to a live brief in a professional context. Working in a group, you will collaborate with an industry or academic partner to...
ARCH7057
60 credits
The final module is the culmination of your studies, where you will synthesise your skills in research, design, and fabrication. The ambition is to create and...
Field trips
There is no official field trip on the course.
We will encourage you to visit areas of interest that are relevant to your thesis, and to visit exhibitions and galleries. We recommend you should budget about £300 for trips such as these for your thesis.
Careers
Graduates are equipped with a rare and highly sought-after combination of skills, ready to lead in a new and expanding architectural field. You will enter the profession capable of bridging the critical gap between digital design and physical making, prepared for specialist roles in the industry.
You will graduate with expertise in:
- Translating complex geometry into fabrication-ready information
- Advanced manufacturing for timber, stone, and earth using robotics and CNC tools
- Designing and fabricating with mixed and augmented reality environments
- Systematic material research and the development of 1:1 prototypes
- Collaborative research and development with leading industry partners.
Our alumni are prepared for roles in advanced research groups, innovative fabrication studios, and world-leading architectural practices, joining a global network of professionals who are actively shaping a more materially intelligent and sustainable future.
How to apply
Our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, so module availability and course structures may vary from what is listed here. On rare occasions, we may also need to make updates to our course programmes after publication; for full details, please visit our changes to programmes page (opens in a new tab)