Course summary
The Architecture MA offers a unique opportunity for graduates interested in the intersection of architectural design, theory and research, encouraging students to develop their own positions and identities as creative practitioners and thinkers. A range of thematic and contextual concerns are offered and explored through the course using unconventional and imaginative methods of design, research and representation. These include cultural identity, architecture and society, political architecture, contested landscapes and digital design. These diverse fields of inquiry and their impact on our cities are underpinned by integrating ‘other’ voices such as post-colonialism, critical theory, feminist theory and race studies. The course promotes methodological and representational innovation, with participants using techniques such as social mapping, interactive installations, film and conceptual modelling to stimulate projects towards high-levels of spatial, material and formal resolution.
A distinct and unique feature of the Architecture MA is its use of specialist pathways, namely Cultural Identity and Globalisation, Digital Media, and History and Theory. Students can elect to choose one of these routes through the programme, all of which incorporate option modules – graduating with the related named specialisation award, or else select their own combination of modules in order to graduate with the title Architecture MA. No matter how participants navigate their way through the course, it will inevitably be a dynamic journey of self-reflection and positioning to affirm interests and future practice concerns.
The course is delivered within a generous studio culture characterised by inclusion, creative experimentation and intellectual rigour. Participants work individually and in groups, and are directed by experienced and committed tutors who are experts in their respective fields. The course is further supported and enriched by a network of renowned visiting speakers and critics from practice and academia, as well as high-quality studio spaces and state-of-the-art fabrication facilities.
The Architecture MA is part of a suite of Master's courses offered by the School of Architecture and Cities at the University of Westminster, sharing dynamic design studio spaces. The school provides first-class shared facilities such as state-of-the-art digital design/fabrication equipment and a team of lecturers and researchers deeply immersed in the very latest developments in architectural design, theory, historical research, and technology.
The Architecture MA is intended to appeal to students and practitioners with an existing architectural degree qualification like BA, BSc, BArch, Dip Arch, March, or in related cognate design disciplines who wish to continue an advanced level of research with a strong design and theoretical output.
Graduates from the Architecture MA have had a high level of success in securing employment with architectural practices in the UK and overseas or have gone on to launch their own architecture/design practices. Many continue on to further study (including PhD level) or to teach in schools of architecture. Whatever their destination after completing their studies, our graduates emerge with a strong sense of purpose and with a body of work that enhances their ability to access those parts of practice they are most interested in.
The Architecture MA course offers the following two awards each year:
- Jila Golzari Award – for a student with outstanding academic achievement
- Weston Williamson & Partners (WW+P) – for a project with innovative ideas, design or theory, for inclusive cities
If you would like to interrogate contemporary issues in architecture through innovative research and design with a fresh and sensitive approach, then this course is made for you.
Top reasons to study with us
- Outstanding facilities – We provide first-class facilities such as vibrant studio spaces and state-of-the-art fabrication equipment in the heart of central London
- Learn from experts – You’ll be taught by experienced and committed tutors who are experts in their respective fields, and hear from renowned visiting speakers and critics from practice and academia
- Career success – Graduates from this course have had a high level of success in securing employment with architectural practices in the UK and overseas or have gone on to launch their own architecture/design practices
- Choose your specialism – You'll develop highly creative and analytical skills to become an expert in your subject of interest, through one of the course's three pathways or by creating your individual one, in order to build a successful career as a practitioner or academic
Course climate action statement
The Architecture MA is committed to tackling climate in its widest sense, addressing both environmental and social ecologies. We aim, across the different pathways of the course, at critical positions and interventions relative to context and cultural practice. We use innovative research and design to understand a variety of environmental practices across different cultures, which in turn forms part of our climate consciousness.