Housing and Urbanism

Entry requirements

HOUSING & URBANISM MA – Bachelor’s degree (minimum second class honours) in architecture or a related discipline from a United Kingdom university or a degree of equivalent standard from a recognised university or higher education institution from outside the UK.

HOUSING & URBANISM MARCH – Five-year professional architectural degree (BArch/Diploma equivalent) from a United Kingdom university or a relevant five-year professional degree e.g. BEng in Architecture, or a BArch degree plus diploma of equivalent standard from a recognised university or higher education institution outside the UK.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Housing and Urbanism (HU) focuses on the key contemporary issues that drive urban transformation, and the role of architecture in promoting and supporting critical change. The programme addresses the lived city and the central role of residential life in the urban process. We treat housing as the cornerstone of urban vitality, and consider its design as central to the modification of wider and more complex urban systems. Design learning and investigation form the core of our programme, with the broader aim of deepening students’ grasp of the politics of the city. We integrate the study of form and process in all our work and across a range of scales, from detailed plans of contemporary housing to the mobility infrastructure of the regional metropolis. Our aim is to nurture graduates with outstanding design leadership skills and critical judgement.

The programme offers 12-month MA or 16-month MArch options, and its curriculum focuses on design-led research that develops into individual theses. The central element of the coursework is driven by a collaborative Design Workshop during the first two terms, supported by lectures and seminars that inform students’ design work and broaden their scholarly understanding of urban trends and histories. The final term is devoted entirely to students’ individual design thesis development and completion.

Each year, HU focuses on a set of research themes which organise the programme’s workshops and international collaborations. We investigate the foundations of urban resilience and complexity, and research how design excellence supports decision-making involving both government and private actors across multiple sectors. The programme examines the opportunities for leadership, responsibility and innovation that arise within the current urban situation, and demonstrates the role that architecture can play to encourage ambitious work by decision-makers and civic leaders.

Fees and funding

The MA in Housing and Urbanism is a 12-month programme of full-time study, and the tuition fee is £30,840.

The MArch in Housing and Urbanism is a 16-month programme of full-time study. The tuition fee for the programme is £42,816, which is paid in the first year of study.

Taught Postgraduate students may apply for a Bursary to support the duration of their studies in their programme. Further information can be found here.