Architecture

Entry requirements

Entry requirements (Home)

Applicants should have completed a first degree (minimum award 2:2) in Architecture.

Students with first degrees without RIBA/ARB Part 1 exemption should be aware that the MArch awards exemption from RIBA / ARB Part 2 only. If you wish to register as an Architect in this country or become an RIBA Chartered architect you will have to acquire RIBA / ARB Part 1 separately.

Assessment of suitability to the course may also be undertaken by review of a portfolio of work and an interview.

We are committed to the University's policy on equal opportunities and welcome applications from minority and disadvantaged groups.

We welcome overseas applicants and normally require overseas applicants to show evidence of academic achievement equivalent to UK entry qualifications.

Overseas applicants whose first language is not English are required to have attained a recognised English Language qualification equivalent to IELTS 6.5 (minimum of 5.5 in each component).

International

LJMU welcomes applications from international students. In addition to normal entry requirements, you will be expected to demonstrate a very good level of English language competence, for example an IELTS score of 6.0-6.5 or equivalent. Please note: specific courses may require higher levels of English language competence. If you have applied to study a full-time taught Masters, Masters by Research, MPhil/PhD at LJMU, you should check if you require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme or ATAS certificate. It can take four to six weeks to receive an ATAS certificate, so please make sure you apply as early as possible. You can find out more on the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website. Alternatively, contact LJMU’s International Admissions Team for guidance. Please note: international students entering on a Tier 4 visa cannot study part time. Students entering the UK on alternate types of visa may be in a position to study part time. Please contact LJMU’s International Admissions Team for further details before making your application. In order to obtain a visa you will also need to show evidence that the money required to cover your tuition fees and living expenses has been in your bank account for at least 28 days prior to submitting your visa application. So please make sure that your finances are in place before applying. For more details, go to our international website.

For advice on any aspect of the application process, please contact LJMU’s International Admissions Team.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The Liverpool School of Art and Design, supported by experts in this academic field, offers you a development opportunity to creatively engage in a truly interdisciplinary and project-orientated architectural study.

• Course offered full time (2 years) and part-time (4 years)
• A long standing and nationally respected programme that has been fully validated and externally accredited for over 40 years - the 2017 programme revalidation commended the MArch programme for its focus on a range of urban design projects
• Develop your work in state-of-the-art workspaces and facilities within the RIBA award-winning John Lennon Art and Design Building in the heart of Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter
• Internationally excellent research informs the curriculum and underpins teaching
• Postgraduates are highly sought after by employers
• The School of Art and Design offers a unique collaborative environment for postgraduate students

Architecture offers a uniquely holistic programme of education, spanning various fields of study from the worlds of art and the humanities, science and technology, management, practice and law.

The MArch focuses on sustained scholarly activity, underpinned by the research interests of staff engaged in Urbanism and identifying the value of design thinking and practice in new urban contexts. It addresses questions around engagement with dwelling, health and well-being and public space, in a range of contexts driven by potential strategies for designing our way into a sustainable future.

The first year of the programme introduces contemporary urban design theories and international best practice. Locating project work in Merseyside or abroad, you are encouraged to engage with cultural organisations, regional stakeholders and statutory authorities to produce creative, socio-economically engaged architectural proposals.

You then follow strands of enquiry around dwelling in the city and undertake a yearlong Specialist Study as the basis for your research proposal.

The final year of the MArch offers opportunities for more in-depth explorations, emanating from group urban studies. Ambitions for comprehensive building design projects develop from an analysis of and intuitive response to place.

Information for international students

International applicants are required to demonstrate equivalent qualifications to the standard requirements for entry when applying for courses at LJMU.

Students must also demonstrate a proficiency in communicating through English, for example via an IELTS tests or equivalent.

Please note: UK visa restrictions mean that international students are only permitted to study on a full-time basis.

Please contact LJMU’s International Team for more information and advice.

Fees and funding

Please see the course page for more information.

Qualification and course duration

MArch