Architecture

Application & portfolio guidelines

In 2011, the UCD School of Architecture, Planning & Environmental Policy celebrated its centenary. The School has long led the way in architectural study and practice in Ireland. Its undergraduate, graduate and research programmes cover all aspects of the practice of architecture and landscape architecture, as well as advanced areas of conservation, sustainability, urbanism and history and theory.

The MArch programme equips students to deal with complex design problems in a challenging context. Through studio projects, academic writing and practical experiments, it develops professional capacities while placing equal emphasis on research and critical enquiry. It embraces intensive small-group teaching from facullty which includes many leading figures in architectural practice as well as internationally-recognised researchers. The programme equips graduates to work in the field of Architecture anywhere across the world in architectural practice and in other forms of creative practice as well as in the areas of policy, consultancy and academia. It is also the only programme which is triple accredited by the professional institute in Ireland (RIAI), and by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and which also has International Certification with the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) in the USA.

Master of Architecture interview timetable for applicants:

Completed applications (All required documents) must be submitted by the relevant submission deadline in order to be considered for the below interview dates.

Interview Dates: 

Applicants are encouraged to submit their application as early as possible; all published interview rounds will only proceed subject to the availability of places.

2022/23 Timelines

Interview: Monday 5th December 2022 (Submission Deadline – Tuesday, 22 Nov 2022)

Further dates will be confirmed in due course. 

• Act competently and independently and have the ability to integrate knowledge and handle complexity, formulate judgments with incomplete or limited information, and to reflect on wider professional issues.
• Apply their knowledge and problem solving abilities to the design of an architectural project in response to functional brief and site conditions, including an understanding of social and physical contexts and show this in visual and written documents.
• Articulate their knowledge of local and global architectural history and precedent and have explicit in their work the ability to use such knowledge to inform future design and research work.
• Communicate and present their design and research questions and the knowledge and rationale underpinning their conclusions at public fora to professional and non-professional audiences, clearly and unambiguously
• Embed in their own work their knowledge of the regulatory and building control policy framework that underpins and influences practice and, be aware of the impact of such frameworks on current and future practice.
• Evidence an informed and independent view of the role of the architect and the value of architecture to society, communicate and articulate the potential of architecture with regard to quality of life, environmental performance and climate change, health and well-being, economy etc
• Integrate their knowledge of specialized research methods in architecture into their work and be capable of using such methods with rigour, depth and precision to understand, evaluate, and analyse scenarios in architectural theory, design and assembly.
• On successful completion of the programme students should be able to: Embed in their visual and written work evidence of their ability to use conceptual and critical thinking and know the appropriate use of both.
• Understand structural, environmental, envelope, services and life-saving systems to the extent that the student can clearly evidence their ability to synthesise these within a comprehensive building design programme.
• Use analogue and digital methods of visual communication, drawing, presentation, model making, and show judgment in utilising such methods appropriately in order to achieve their design intentions and ambitions
• Utilise a range of investigative and design skills, showing in their work their ability to use the appropriate skill at the appropriate stage and an ability to synthesise knowledge to achieve original and excellent design outcomes.

If you are not a UCD student and have not applied previously, you must register before using the system for the first time. You'll find step-by-step instructions on how to apply in our instructions for applicants [pdf] and video tutorial.

If you have already registered you can return to the secure system using the login details you registered with. If you are a current or previous UCD student, please use your UCD student number (the system will pre-populate your personal details and you will not be requested to send transcripts).

Due to essential maintenance work, the service may be disrupted, or unavailable entirely, from time to time. Please be patient during these times. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Details of upcoming scheduled maintenance windows, if any, will appear on the right.