Architecture
BA (Hons)
Key facts
UCAS code
K100
Start dates
September 2023 / September 2024
Location
Course length
Full time: 3 years
Part time: normally 4-5 years
Department
Accreditation(s)
Confers exemption from Part 1 of the Examination in Architecture of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Architects Registration Board (ARB). This course is also accredited by the Board of Architects Malaysia (LAM).
UCAS Tariff Points
136
Overview
Explore the relationship between people and spaces on our BA (Hons) Architecture course. Begin your education as an architect at one of the oldest and well regarded schools of architecture in the UK.
You'll learn to:
- draw
- model
- think, discuss and write about architecture
- and realise your design concepts using technology.
We have dedicated, purpose-designed studios and workshop facilities. You'll work on live design projects for real clients and visit outstanding examples of architecture.
You are taught by industry-leading academics who support your creativity and foster your potential. You'll have extensive contact time with your tutors, including two design studio days per week.
You'll graduate with transferable skills in design, digital making and representation, team-working and problem-solving. You will also develop a portfolio of work key to gaining employment.
Our recent graduates have gone on to work for OMA, Foster + Partners, Kengo Kuma Architects and Thomas Heatherwick Studio.
How to apply
Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.
Standard offer
UCAS Tariff Points: 136
A Level: AAB
IB Points: 33
BTEC: DDD
Contextual offer
UCAS Tariff Points: 112
A Level: BBC
IB Points: 30
BTEC: DMM
Further offer details
We welcome applications from candidates with alternative qualifications, and from mature students.
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
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). Please read our portfolio guidance notes.
On application you will be given instructions on how to upload a digital version of your portfolio.
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).
Please also see the University's standard English language requirements.
English requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Credit transfer
Many of our courses consider applications for entry part-way through the course for students who have credit from previous learning or relevant professional experience.
Find out more about transferring to Brookes. If you'd like to talk through your options, please contact our Admissions team.
Application process
Full time Home (UK) applicants
Apply through UCASPart time Home (UK) applicants
Apply direct to the UniversityInternational applicants
Apply direct to the UniversityFull time international applicants can also apply through UCAS
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Please note tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.
Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.
Compulsory costs
| Additional costs | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
You will be expected to keep a sketchbook, produce specific drawings and make models using a variety of media, mostly out of recycled and inexpensive materials, but equipment and consumables such as a portfolio case, pens, glue, knives etc will be needed. |
£500-1000 |
Although there is provision to show work digitally and many submissions are digital only, the portfolio elements of the course do require some printing. Printing in the School of Architecture Print Room is charged at no profit and there is no charge for laser cutting beyond your own material costs. |
£100-1000 |
| Safety boots with steel toe caps | £20 |
Optional costs
| Additional costs | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
If you choose to participate in any additional, optional trips, you are responsible for any associated costs. |
£10-150 |
UK field trip |
Typically £150-400 |
Personal laptop onto which you can install specialist software |
£500-1200 |
| You may choose to purchase books to support your studies. Many books on our reading lists are available via the Library, or can be purchased secondhand. | £20-60 per book |
Accommodation fees in Brookes Letting (most do not include bills) |
£94-265 per week |
Accommodation fees in university halls (bills included, excluding laundry costs) |
£122-180 per week |
Graduation costs include tickets, gowning and photography. Gowns are not compulsory but typically students do hire robes, starting at £41. |
Typically £0-200 |
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from university for classes. BrookesBus travel is subsidised for full-time undergraduate students that are on a course with a fee of £9,250 or more, or living in an Oxford Brookes hall of residence. There is an administration fee for the production of a BrookesKey. |
From £8 |
Funding your studies
Financial support and scholarships
Featured funding opportunities available for this course.
All financial support and scholarships
Learning and assessment
During Year 1 you will work on design projects. You’ll learn to design in 3D, in context and to scale while you develop an architectural brief. These will include "live projects" for real clients. You’ll learn representational techniques such as architectural drawing and model making.
You’ll be introduced to architectural history and theory, and to the principles of technology. You will also learn about the architect's role in society.
In Years 2 and 3 you will undertake more complicated projects. Design is taught in units. Each unit has its own distinctive approach, determined by the practice and research specialisms of the unit's teaching staff.
History and theory of architecture and building technology modules will provide you with a wider understanding and integrate with your design project work.
In Year 3 you will write a dissertation on a subject of your choice. You’ll also learn more about architectural practice in preparation for your work experience placement.
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Learning and teaching
Teaching takes place in the design studio. You’ll study:
- technology
- practice
- digital culture
- and the histories and theories of architecture and design.
Teaching methods include:
- group and individual tutorials
- group and individual presentations
- workshops
- discussions
- lectures and seminars
- a dissertation in your final year.
Our lecturers are practising architects and research what they teach. So you’ll have access to the latest insights and knowledge in the field.
It’s important to learn from each other and that’s at the heart of how we organise our teaching. We have an open studio culture so you can watch as projects are developed. You'll enjoy the opportunity to take part in ‘live’ projects, so you’ll gain experience of real projects within the community.
Field trips
Optional field trips abroad are offered each year in addition to site and factory visits. Recent field trips have visited places such as Hungary, Bosnia, Portugal and Iceland. Field trips are a very popular option because they offer the opportunity to experience architecture first hand with your tutors.
For more information on the cost of field trips and site visits, see the Additional Costs section.
Study Abroad
You may be able to go on a European or international study exchange while you are at Brookes. Most exchanges take place in the second year. Although we will help as much as we can with your plans, ultimately you are responsible for organising and funding this study abroad.
After you graduate
Career prospects
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, such as Andrew Chard, winner of the prestigious RIBA Sergeant Drawing Prize.
Recent graduates have worked for large internationally renowned architectural practices such as Rogers Stirk Harbour, Grimshaw Architects, Thomas Heatherwick and Foster and Partners as well as cutting-edge, up-and-coming practices such as Make, Kengo Kuma and Raumlabor.
Successful completion of the honours degree RIBA / ARB 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 postgraduate study. Others use their highly sought after design skills to work in related disciplines such as digital design, urban design, product design, journalism, set design, planning, academia, disaster and emergency practice. Oxford Brookes graduates and founder directors of animation-architecture studio, Factory 15 use their architectural and digital modelling skills to create original work for the film industry.
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, leadership 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 Masters in Architecture. During the Masters, students may specialise or opt for postgraduate research. Careers then open up in any aspect of architecture, which is a diverse and dynamic profession.
Our Staff
Philip Baker
Philip is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture, where he teaches on the cultural context modules across the BA programme.
Read more about PhilipFree language courses
Free language courses are available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.
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Full-time study
Part-time study
Programme Changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website.For more information, please visit our Changes to programmes page.