Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
Book on an undergraduate open day

    KEY FACTS

    • Title
      BA (Hons) Architecture
    • Course type
      Full-time (Part-time route available)
    • Duration
      3 years (no placement)
    • Award
      Bachelor of Arts - BA (Hons)
    • Faculty
      Faculty of Arts
    • School
      School of Architecture, Design and Environment
    • UCAS codes
      Institution P60
      Course K100
    • Location
      Plymouth
Skip Navigation LinksPlymouth University > courses > undergraduate > BA (Hons) Architecture
​BA (Hons) Architecture
​Jacob Down 2010 - RIBA part 1

Introduction

The BA Honours Architecture Programme at Plymouth University aims to introduce Students to a new and engaging set of challenges that encourage critical thinking and enquiry within a local, regional and national context. The programme equips students with the skills and knowledge to enable investigation and exploration, communication and representation of ideas, design processes, spatial and technological resolution and an understanding of historical and theoretical architectural contexts.
 
We believe that every project we make should be sustainable. We work with very real projects, engaging with local and regional practitioners, consultants and clients within the city in which we live and beyond- from First Year through to Third Year. These opportunities to work with real places, real projects, and real end users of our architecture anchors our architectural thinking within the framework of a very real set of situations.
Architecture website
​Isaac Eluwole 2009 - RIBA part 1

Specific strategies

Our pedagogic approach is founded on the following principles:
  • Study in the BA Programme is about understanding the roles and responsibilities of architecture- from the academic to the practical.
  • Study in the BA Programme is also about initiating the capacity to think critically and to be investigative and enquiring.
  • Students will engage with their studies firstly through a grounding of skills and knowledge, and then progress their study through dialogue with fellow students, staff and others via the Design Studio.
  • A willingness to remain open-minded and inclusive.
  • A willingness to take risks in exploring new ideas and ways of working.
  • Building confidence through a skill and knowledge base.
  • This course includes a sustainability dimension.
​Alex Watt 2010 - BA Architecture stage 2

Stage 1

Stage 1 introduces students to architecture as both a field of knowledge and as a way of thinking and acting. Underlying this intention is engagement with critical (and creative) thinking, the process of design, the idea of meaning in architecture, architectural vocabulary, making, and the development of relevant practice skills including graphic and oral communication. This introduction is enabled through:
  • A range of interrelated activities between work in the design studio, communications, history and theory, and technology.
  • Project work of increasing size and complexity throughout the year.
  • A study trip; in previous years this has included visits to Paris and London.​
​Simon Shillito 2010 - BA Architecture stage 2

Stages 2 and 3

In Stage 2 students continue their exploration of architecture, expanding their knowledge of architecture while continuing to develop their creative thinking and practical skills. In Stage 3 students expand upon this exploration while moving towards developing their own personal discussion of architecture, grounded in a rigorous study of design, history and theory, technology, visual culture, and issues of professionalism. This development is pursued through:
  • A range of interrelated activities between work in the design studio, history and theory, technology, visual culture and professionalism.
  • A wide-ranging exploration which seeks to explore and re-consider the boundaries of architecture and architectural practice.
  • A study trip in each year linked to work in the design studio; in previous years this has included visits to Barcelona, Berlin, Lyon and Venice.

​Professional Accreditation and Feedback        

This course is prescribed by the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) to ARB/RIBA Part 1 for the purposes of entry onto the UK Register of Architects. 

The School is at an exciting stage in its development. It is a successful department, growing in stature.
(RIBA Interim Visiting Board 2010)

​Contact us

If you have any questions regarding this course or the application process please contact us via:
 
or
Tel: +44 (0)1752 585858
 
Admissions Team
Faculty of Arts
Plymouth University
Drake Circus
Plymouth
PL4 8AA

Facilities

  • ​Design Studios
  • Seminar space
  • Model-Making Workshop
  • Photographic Studio and Darkroom
  • Computer Suites
  • Audio/visual Editing

Facilities webpage

​Course highlights

  • Studio based teaching
  • Tutors include architects, landscape architects, interior designers, product designers, town planners, engineers and environmentalists
  • Opportunities for travel in Britain and Europe
  • Development of a wide range of skills from drawing and computing to presentation and writing
  • Prescribed/validated by the Architects' Registration Board and the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARB/RIBA Part 1)