MPhil Architectural History and Theory

• A part-taught research degree; teaching takes place at the University of Bath and in London (at the Royal Institute of British Architects and Victoria and Albert Museum)
• Full-time study: 12 months
• Part-time study: 24 months
• Divided into two semesters and a dissertation period over the summer.
• You may also take taught units in the Department that relate to architectural history. These will enable you to engage more fully with the Department as a whole, and to come into contact with a wider pool of both lecturers and students.
• The Foundations of Modern Design Theory, a lecture series by Mark Wilson Jones, delivered to third-year architecture students in Semester 1.
• History and Theory of Architecture and Urban Design, a lecture series by Fabrizio Nevola, delivered to MArch first-year students in Semester 2.
• The lecture programme relating to the MSc in the Conservation of Historic Buildings subject to times not clashing with the core sessions of this MPhil course.

History and Theory Seminar Series (Semester 1)

Format: Lectures followed by discussion.

• Provides students with a broad sample of the methods and approaches that distinguish the study of the history and theory of architecture
• Sessions tend to focus on a particular time period. The skills learned in each session are transferrable to the area of study relevant to each student
• The series begins with an introduction to the sources and methods used in the discipline. This is followed by a class at the RIBA Library in which we will see and handle a variety of original sources (drawings, models, archival material, photographs and books). The seminars are then made up of a series of 'themed' sessions that present ways of addressing historical material in different ways: architects, buildings and cities. These will address methodologies and issues ranging from the practice of cultural history, to the study of style and techniques in drawing, to conservation of sources. The final session will specifically consider the application of digital methods to the history of architecture.
• In the past, seminars hosted in association with this course have involved internationally renowned scholars and practitioners from further afield, such as Professors Dana Arnold, Andrew Ballantyne, Demetri Porphyrios, Joseph Rykwert, Robert Tavernor. Other scholars will be invited in future, where possible to suit the interests of participants.

Methodology and work in progress seminar (Semester 2)

• Students are entitled to enrol on postgraduate training skills courses delivered centrally by the University
• In addition to these, a number of additional seminars will forefront the disciplinary background and methods of faculty members. These will be organised as interactive research seminars, and where possible will overlap closely with the research interests of individual students
• We will look at how the practice of architectural history is conditioned by broader disciplines, sources, and methods (e.g. archaeological, archival, drawings and biography, Virtual Reality applied to historical research). Seminars will focus, as much as possible, on the research topics that have been selected by students for their dissertations.

Dissertation (summer period)

Format: Individual research; tutorials; seminars followed by discussion.

• The main focus of the MPhil, a 20,000 word research dissertation, with 1:1 tutorial supervision provided by expert academic staff
• Research topics for dissertations vary widely, ranging chronologically from Early Antiquity to the Renaissance through to the twentieth-century, geographically from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Baltic, and offering a broad thematic
• Submission date: 15 September each year for full-time students, or two years after commencement for part-time students.

A good first degree in architecture, art history, combined honours, material/visual/cultural studies, archeology. Some previous understanding of architectural history is important.

The minimum non-graduate qualifications* acceptable for admission to the University of Bath are passes at a satisfactory level in either of the following examinations:

• A Diploma of Architecture of a recognised School of Architecture
• Membership by examination of a recognised Professional Institution of at least Associate status
• A relevant postgraduate diploma
• Extended and responsible experience in a relevant field in industry, in teaching or in a government establishment, together with authorship of technical papers or other work of an acceptable academic standard, e.g. design work.

* Except where otherwise stated, these conditions refer to candidates for the degree of Master's only.

International students

See the International students website for details of entry requirements based on qualifications from your country.

All non-native speakers of English are required to have passed English language tests as follows:

• Either IELTS: a score of at least 7.0 overall with no less than 6.5 in all four parts (Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing)
• Or TOEFL: 600 (paper-based test) or 250 (computer-based test) with a score of not less than 4 in TWE or 100 (internet-based test) with not less than 24 in each of the components.
• Or PTE Academic (69 minimum and no less than 62 in any component)

If you need to develop your English language skills, the University’s English Language Centre offers a number of courses.

Only English language tests taken in the last two years are valid for entrance purposes.

To apply for an MPhil Architectural History and Theory you must complete our online application form.

Application process

• You will be required to register for the online application system, after which you will receive a username and password to log in to your application
• Complete the online application form. If you supply contact details for your referee/s on the correct part of the application form (including email address) we will contact them automatically for a reference
• Upload copies of your transcripts and certificates. If you have not completed your studies please provide copies of the transcripts you have to date
• Upload copies of IELTS or TOEFL or PTE Academic results (for non-native speakers of English).

Application deadline

• For International students the application deadline is 30 June
• For Home/EU students the application deadline is 31 August.

You will be required to produce the originals of all documents at registration (transcripts/degree certificates/IELTS or TOEFL or PTE Academic results).

Applications are processed as quickly as possible. Please be aware that we experience peak times for admissions so an early application is advisable.

Your application will not be considered until you have uploaded copies of your transcripts and we have received an academic reference.