MArch (RIBA part 2)

Semester 1

MArch 1 starts with a week-long introduction to the school, the professional studies (PML) course, as well as an intense studio workshop. Students then work in placement for semester 1. This placement is a supervised period in an architect's office in which you work as normal, but also carry out reflective studies on your period there. Our Professional Studies Advisor can advise you of possible workplaces if you cannot / have not found one for yourself.

Semester 2

Semester 2 has an emphasis on exploration of the design process, alongside analysis and critique of the discipline of architecture and the ethical role of the architect.

Studio projects tend to be short, to emphasize process rather than product, and to encourage a diversity of ideas and approaches that might augment the methods you are already versed in. First hand observation and engagement, and their recording and assessment, underscore the studio. Design Studio includes work in – and more particularly combinations of – hand-drawing, conceptualization sketches, diagramming and model-making, as well as film-making and the use of digital media.

Studio work is supported by lectures in history and theory and sustainability, as well as your experience in practice, to help you further develop agendas for, and possible modes of practice of, architecture. As part of the exploratory character of MArch 1, there is a field trip / workshop, typically undertaken with students from our partners at the Aalto University in Helsinki and the Paris la Villette School of Architecture.

MArch 2 centres on design investigations in the forms of a written research paper and studio projects. Teaching is highly specific and tutorial-based throughout the year, with the objective that students are able to complete a comprehensive design project as a culmination to their formal design education as an architect.

Semester 1

After commencing the necessary research during the previous summer, 40 per cent of semester 1 is devoted to completing and individual Research Paper. The Research Paper is central to students having the opportunity to inquire into, critique and reflect on a particular area of architecture. Students benefit from the wide array of research staff available in the Department who offer research training and individual tutorial support.

The Studio in semester 1 is based on a particular city with students working in small groups to analyse the constituting contexts and possibilities and to develop urban design proposals. Within this context, students then develop their own individual briefs for their final design project.  Design Studio represents 60 per cent of semester 1.

Semester 2

Semester 2 is given over entirely to students working individually on their final project. A wide range of specialist tutorial support is offered to create a multi-disciplinary supportive environment in which students can complete a fully resolved comprehensive design project which represents their own design identity.

The 2014/15 entries can be applied for from January 2014.  Please submit all applications for 2014/15 to: Department Secretary, 6E 2.9, Architecture & Civil Engineering, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY.

Please note: you are required to send a completed application form, hard copy portfolio, and a CD version of your portfolio to the address above as part of the application process.

 Entry requirements

• a first degree in architecture which exempts you from the RIBA Part 1 examination - we can not accept applications from students unless they have already graduated
• a first degree classification of a 2.1 or above - we also require a full transcript as well as degree certificate
• a portfolio of work demonstrating a strong aptitude for architectural design
• a brief written statement
• a reference from your school and from your place of employment
• if English is a second language – certification of proficiency in English above IELTS level 7.0 or equivalent. For more information visit our study pages.

For entrants without exemption from RIBA Part 1 You should be aware that our course is RIBA Part 2 validated. If you do not hold an RIBA Part 1 from your first degree then you will need to have your first degree validated as being equivalent to the RIBA Part 1 – before you enrol on our Master of Architecture course.

The process for confirming Part 1 equivalence of overseas qualifications is undertaken by the Architects Registration Board (ARB), the independent statutory regulator of architects in the UK, and also the UKs Competent Authority for Architects. In order to call yourself an ‘architect’ in the UK you must be registered with the ARB. In order to register in the UK, you typically need to hold the following:

• An ARB prescribed UK qualification at Part 1 (or equivalent)
• An ARB prescribed UK qualification at Part 2 (or equivalent)
• An ARB prescribed UK qualification at Part 3, including 24 months practical training experience

If your first degree broadly covers the same subjects as a UK Part 1 qualification, you can usually obtain equivalence to the UK Part 1 by putting yourself forward eligible to take the ARB’s Prescribed Examination. 

For more information about the ARB’s Prescribed Examinations and its requirements for registration and to check whether any qualifications you may already hold are recognised by ARB – and at which level – visit the ARB’s website.

Deferred entry

The Department will not make deferred entry offers to the Master of Architecture. If candidates are considering deferred entry they should submit applications in the year in which they intend to enter (for example January – March 2013 for entry in September 2013).

Deferrals to existing offers will only be made under exceptional circumstances and once made will not normally be extended.

Work experience

The Department usually asks for students to have approximately 12 months (or more) work experience in architectural practice before enrolling on the MArch course. However, the current economic climate means that even some of the very best students are finding it difficult to secure employment.

We will therefore consider candidates with more limited experience. If this applies to you then please state it clearly in your application, and make reference/exhibit in your portfolio what you have done instead to compensate: e.g. work experience in other fields, courses, excellence in the technical, material and environmental resolution of student projects.

To the best of our knowledge the current situation is:

Students who informed their Local Education Authority (LEA) at the start of their first degree (Part 1) that they were studying Architecture will have received five years full-time undergraduate funding (all Part 1 and Part 2 degrees are classified as undergraduate degrees).

Students enrolling on the Bath Master of Architecture should therefore continue to pay the same rate as for their first degree.

The only exception to this maybe (the government has not yet confirmed this) those students who take more than 2 years out between completing their Part 1 degree and commencing their Part 2 degree. They may be counted as ‘new students’, and asked to pay at the new rates.

For students who enrolled on their first degree after September 2006 the fees for 2012-13 are set out below.  Because of the Bath Master of Architecture’s unique structure of one supervised placement semester followed by three semesters in attendance at the University, the fees for the first year are charged at 75% of a full year’s fee:

• Year 1: £2,599.00   
• Year 2: £3,465.00

For further information please contact the University’s Finance Office.

For further information regarding the changes to tuition fees please see the RIBA website.

The RIBA Education Fund

This offers maintenance grants and one-off payments to students of architecture experiencing financial hardship. Students may apply for grants using an application form which is available to download from the RIBA Education Fund website.

Eligibility

All Part 1 and Part 2 students who have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of their first course in Architecture are eligible to apply. However, first year Part 1 students will be awarded grants only in exceptional circumstances as the Fund tends to support students who have proven their commitment to the course and the profession.

RIBA Aedas Stephen Williams Scholarship

This scholarship has just been launched for 2013: DEADLINE 10 June
It provides £5,000 to support one student for a period of postgraduate studies lasting up to 12 months in the UK or abroad.  Aedas will also ensure that a representative from its staff is available to mentor the student throughout the period of their  scholarship.

RIBA Wren Insurance Association Scholarships

New scholarship for 2013: DEADLINE 20 May
Five scholarships, each worth £5,000, are available to support outstanding Part 2 students who have the potential to make a significant contribution in the field of architecture.

The RIBA Walter Parker Bursary

This exists to support students undertaking Part 1 and Part 2 professional experience placements. In 2010-11 grants of up to £1,000 are offered to assist students in covering relocation, interview and other up-front expenses incurred at the onset of their professional placements.

Further information about how to apply for these as well as other funding schemes administered by the RIBA Education can be found on the RIBA website.