Architecture BA (Hons)

Program Overview

Architecture BA (Hons)

Push the boundaries of how we think about people, culture and the environment to create innovative and responsible design.

Key information

• Course duration: 3 or 4 year options
• Course options: Integrated Foundation Year
• Typical offer: 104-120 UCAS Tariff Points
• Annual fees:
  • Home (full-time): £9,535
  • Overseas (full-time): £18,500
• UCAS code: K100 (3 Year), K101 (4 Year)
• Institution code: N39
• Course start: September 2025

Course overview

BA (Hons) Architecture is your first step towards a successful career as a registered architect or in a related profession. The programme is organised in four streams: design studio, technology and environment, cultural context and professional studies, to equip you with the real-world skills and critical understanding to develop new forms of architectural practice.

Accreditations

• The Architects’ Registration Board (ARB) is an independent professional regulator, accountable to government. It ensures only those who are suitably competent are allowed to practice as architects.
• The Architects Registration Board (ARB) will discontinue the prescription of all Part 1 qualifications (including all UK undergraduate Architecture degrees) from 31 December 2027.

Why Study with us

• You’ll share studio and workshop spaces with our Interior Design course ensuring students benefit from a lively and vibrant studio culture that mirrors the workplace.
• Become part of the next generation of architects and creatives; help shape the physical environment by creating meaningful and inspiring structures, which enhance the experience and improve the quality of life of their users.
• Obtain a keen sense of space, explore architecture as a catalyst of spatial transformation and develop the sensibility to understand how people interact with their surroundings.
• Discover how tangible and intangible aspects of architecture are visually and verbally studied, modelled, communicated, appreciated and critically appraised.
• Develop the ability to think critically and find creative solutions in various fields including and beyond architecture. Learn through the interdisciplinary collaborations and the cultural and creative challenges provided by a specialist creative arts university.
• Create concepts of exciting spaces and buildings of different scales; contribute to the creation of structures that integrate structural, environmental and material considerations and promote well-being, social interaction and sustainability.
• Address global challenges and environmental emergency, exploring how they affect regional issues such as coastal architecture, modern vernacular design, new sustainable materials, and conservation and rehabilitation projects.

Course details

Year 1

• Core Units:
  • Creation and Imagination (40 credits)
  • Building, Dwelling and Thinking (80 credits)
• Core Projects:
  • Wayfinding Week
  • Make it Manifest(o)
  • Interchange Week

Year 2

• Core Units:
  • Architecture and Strategy (40 credits)
  • Architecture and Ideology (80 credits)
• Core Projects:
  • Wayfinding Week
  • Make it Manifest(o)
  • Interchange Week

Year 3

• Core Units:
  • Architecture and the Public Realm (40 credits)
  • Integrated Architectural Project (80 credits)
• Core Projects:
  • Wayfinding Week
  • Make it Manifest(o)
  • Interchange Week

Learning and teaching

This course is taught through a mixture of learning and teaching methods including:

• Group briefings
• Academic tutorials
• Group tutorials
• Workshops
• Critiques (crits)
• Seminars
• Lectures

Assessment

Assessment for this course is entirely coursework-based, meaning there are no exams. Your progress will be evaluated through the projects and assignments you complete for each unit. Throughout the year, you’ll receive ongoing feedback to help you refine your work and develop your skills. To support your learning and ensure you achieve the course outcomes, we use a variety of assessment methods, including:

• Finished pieces of work
• Presentations
• Written work
• Your research
• A reflective journal

Entry requirements

• Home:
  • A/AS Levels (GCE): 3 A-level qualifications at grades BBC (112 UCAS Tariff points) or above
  • BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF or RQF): Distinction, Merit, Merit in an art, design or media related subject
  • T Levels: A T Level in any subject with overall grade A* to C (Pass)
  • UAL Extended Diploma: Merit
  • UAL Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design: Pass
  • UAL Level 4 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design: Pass
  • Foundation Diploma in Art and Design: Pass
  • Access to Higher Education Diploma (Art and Design): Pass
  • International Baccalaureate Diploma: A minimum of 26 points
• Integrated foundation year (optional):
  • A/AS Levels (GCE): 2 A-level qualifications at grades CC (64 UCAS Tariff points) or above
  • BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF or RQF): Merit, Merit, Pass in an art, design or media related subject
  • T Levels: Pass (D or E on the core)
  • UAL Extended Diploma: Pass
  • UAL Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design: Pass
  • UAL Level 4 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design: Pass
  • Foundation Diploma in Art and Design: Pass
  • International Baccalaureate Diploma: A minimum of 26 points
• Overseas:
  • A/AS Levels (GCE): 3 A-level qualifications at grades BBC (112 UCAS Tariff points) or above
  • BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF or RQF): Distinction, Merit, Merit in an art, design or media related subject
  • T Levels: A T Level in any subject with overall grade A* to C (Pass)
  • UAL Extended Diploma: Merit
  • UAL Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design: Pass
  • UAL Level 4 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design: Pass
  • Foundation Diploma in Art and Design: Pass
  • Access to Higher Education Diploma (Art and Design): Pass
  • International Baccalaureate Diploma: A minimum of 26 points

Fees and funding

• Home:
  • Tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year: £9,535 per year
  • Integrated Foundation Year (optional): £9,535 per year
  • Level 5 Diploma Year (optional): £9,535 year
• International:
  • Tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year: £18,500 per year
  • Integrated Foundation Year (optional): £18,500 per year
  • Level 5 Diploma year (optional): £18,500 year

How to apply

• Home:
  • All applications for undergraduate courses will need to be made via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
  • You’ll need our university UCAS code (N39) as well as your course code which you’ll find on your course page.
• International:
  • Full-time Undergraduate International applicants can either apply via UCAS or directly by completing the online application form below or emailing the downloadable form to admissions@nuarts.ac.uk.

Related courses

• Interior Design BA (Hons)
• Graphic Design BA (Hons)
• Fine Art BA (Hons)