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MArch Architecture and Urbanism
Key information
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Typical offer:
Entry requirements -
Fees: See below
Full details -
UCAS code: K101
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Institute code: H36
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Study abroad option
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Work placement option
Find out more
Why choose this course?
- Four-year integrated master’s combining the former Part 1 and Part 2 stages.
- Architecture and urbanism taught together from the first year.
- 7th in the UK for student satisfaction in Architecture, Building and Planning (PTES, 2026).
Explore architecture and urbanism across scales, from building design to urban strategy. Develop your creative vision, technical skills and critical thinking to shape meaningful, sustainable places for people and communities.
You’ll have the freedom to experiment in our studios and specialist facilities, developing hands-on design skills through drawing, making, testing and material exploration. As part of a vibrant School of Creative Arts, you’ll work alongside students and staff from other creative disciplines, broadening your approach to materials, visual communication and artistic expression.
With access to studio space, digital design tools, model-making facilities, specialist software, 3D printers, laser cutters and large-format output facilities, you’ll have the resources to test ideas, communicate proposals and bring your architectural projects to life. You will learn in an environment highly valued by our students, with 91% satisfaction for learning resources in the National Student Survey 2026.
As you progress, you will take on increasingly complex projects and have more freedom to develop your own ideas. You’ll explore the reuse and retrofit of existing buildings, research architectural and urban issues in greater depth and develop your own cross-scale architectural approach that connects urban strategy with building design. Alongside your studies, you’ll gain an understanding of the professional, ethical and practical responsibilities of working in architecture, helping you prepare for the next stage of your career.
You’ll also have opportunities to get involved in activities beyond the taught curriculum, from RIBA and Hertfordshire Association of Architects (HAA) guest lectures and RIBA Future Architects to student mentoring, study visits, summer schools, live projects and architectural competitions. These experiences allow students to engage with real places, communities and professional contexts, while also connecting with the School’s wider research and impact environment. Each year, students are nominated for the RIBA President’s Medals, while other opportunities include the RIBA East Student Awards, AJ awards and HAA awards. You will also be able to showcase your work at the Creative Arts final-year show.
What's the course about?
Our MArch Architecture and Urbanism degree is an integrated master's where you will explore how architecture can shape the places where people live, work, and connect. You’ll bring your ideas to life through projects in urban, suburban and rural settings, considering issues such as housing, urban growth, climate resilience and sustainable development.
You’ll develop creative and technical skills through studio-based learning, supported by teaching in design, technology and sustainability, history and theory, research and professional practice. You’ll work with everything from hand drawing and physical model-making to CAD, BIM, 3D modelling and digital fabrication, while learning how to bring environmental and social considerations together in your designs.
Entry points
There are two main entry points into the MArch Architecture and Urbanism Integrated Master’s.
Year 1 entry is for applicants beginning their architecture studies. You will follow a four-year route that combines undergraduate and master’s-level architectural education in one programme.
Advanced entry to Year 3 may be available for applicants with previous architecture study, including students who have studied abroad and want to complete two years in the UK. Entry is considered individually through Recognition of Prior Learning, based on your previous study, portfolio and academic evidence.
All applicants are interviewed and asked to provide a portfolio. Applicants without a formal art or design background may present a design journal, using sketches, photographs, notes and observations of buildings, cities and urban environments as the basis for discussion.
What will I study?
This integrated master's degree is made up of compulsory modules, with design studio accounting for 50% of the credits in each year. You’ll study through a combination of studio sessions, lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops, technical demonstrations, reviews, site visits, fieldwork, and independent study.
You will be assessed entirely through coursework, with both individual and group work included across the programme.
In your first year, you will build a solid foundation in architectural design, technology, and sustainability. You will explore architectural precedents and develop your design skills through projects including a large private house. You will learn how to communicate your ideas through hand and technical drawing alongside physical model making and developing skills in CAD. You’ll also be introduced to structures, materials, construction, and environmental design, as well as the history and theory of architecture.
In your second year, you’ll develop your design skills through more complex projects, including a public building and a housing scheme in an urban context. You’ll explore how buildings respond to their surroundings, looking at issues such as planning, building regulations, fire and life safety, environmental performance and cost. You’ll further develop your skills in CAD, BIM, 3D modelling and digital fabrication, while exploring the history of people, buildings and cities, by utilising Hertfordshire's living legacy of innovation and experimentation in city-making through cities like Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City to the post-war New Towns of Stevenage and Hatfield.
In your third year, you’ll start to take a more critical and independent approach to architecture. You’ll explore how existing buildings can be adapted and reused through a dedicated retrofit project, recognising reuse as one of the most effective sustainable approaches in architecture. You will consider all aspects of a building's condition, history, and community value alongside future-proofing and environmental performance. You will also explore architecture and urbanism at a larger scale, develop your research skills and learn about professional practice. You will be introduced to ideas around the circular economy and whole life environmental design.
In your final year, you will bring together the knowledge and skills you’ve developed throughout the course into a self-directed architecture thesis. You will develop your own brief, starting with an urban strategy before developing an architectural scheme in greater detail. Alongside this design project, you’ll complete a research dissertation and explore professional practice and management, and sustainable urban design, including climate resilience and low-energy, low-carbon design.
Who you'll learn from
You will learn from an experienced teaching team with expertise in architecture, urbanism, design and the built environment. Through design projects, studio sessions and discussions, you’ll benefit from their knowledge and guidance as you develop your own approach to architectural design.
You will also learn from your fellow students, sharing ideas, exploring different perspectives and working together to respond to the challenges facing architecture and our built environment.
Your main campus is College Lane
This is where the creative arts, science and health-related subjects are based. This means you’ll share the campus with future nurses, doctors, scientists, creatives, and more. You can use the common rooms to relax with friends, work out in the 24-hour gym or have a drink in our on-campus pub or cafes. We also have restaurants for you to eat in or grab something on the go. Our Learning Resources Centres are open 24/7, which means you can study whenever suits you best. Want to pop over to the other campus? You can take the free shuttle bus or walk there in just 15 minutes.