Course summary

Our two-year Master of Architecture (MArch) programme will enhance your appreciation of architecture as a design-led discipline, providing enlightenment on the latest technological advances and application of innovative solutions to current global challenges within the built environment.. Our Master of Architecture (MArch) Part 2 will enhance your appreciation of architecture as a design-led discipline, providing enlightenment on the latest technological advances and innovative sustainable solutions to current and future societal challenges within the built environment industry. Taught within state-of-the-art facilities for designing, the programme will be of interest to individuals possessing the Architect Registration Board (ARB) part 1 and offers the opportunity to develop appropriate solutions to a range of global challenges. This degree will complete your educational journey as an architect, and you’ll graduate suitably prepared to work professionally in the dynamic built environment industry. During your studies you’ll: conceive, resolve and execute sustainable architectural designs of varying scale and complexity, underpinned by creativity, evaluate the physical, cultural and societal context within the process of place-making, integrate aesthetic, compositional, spatial and functional principles to produce technically sound and environmentally sustainable projects, critically analyse and research cultural, environmental and social values to produce effective and user-centred architectural outputs, demonstrate climate literacy and ethical approaches to increase wellbeing through the design of innovative and energy-efficient buildings, identify, evaluate and integrate appropriate materials, technologies, systems and construction processes for design proposals, demonstrate knowledge of the legal frameworks necessary to protect current and future communities, write, communicate and evaluate business plans and project outputs, appraise architectural propositions individually and as part of a team. Customise your learning During this two-year programme, you’ll take 240 credits. You’ll take two architectural projects in the first year. Design Project 1 is a 30-credit studio-based course which will expose you to a complex and mid-sized architectural enquiry. You’ll build on learned skills in Design Project 2, another 30-credit course. These design projects will support your learning through assessing the developing praxis of architectural design, underpinned by research and theory, as an authentic response to a multifaceted urban enquiry. During the first year, you’ll also take four 15-credit courses in Sustainable and Intelligent Buildings, Research Methods, Urban Design Theory, and Urban Design for Health and Wellbeing. The latter two programmes are part of a joint academic collaboration between Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh. During the second year, you’ll refine your architectural knowledge, critical thinking, and ability to deliver highly sophisticated and professionally communicated design solutions through taking Design Thesis 1 (30 credits) and Design Thesis 2 (60 credits). To complete the second year, you’ll demonstrate and apply your scholarship and inquiry skills to a self-identified area of interest in the wider architectural cultural context through the 30-credit Research Investigation course. All courses are mandatory. Accreditation We are currently seeking accreditation for this degree from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and prescription from the Architect Registration Board (ARB). Course content Year 1 Mandatory September Urban Design for Health and Wellbeing Design Project 1 Urban Design Theory Mandatory January Sustainable and Intelligent Buildings Design Project 2 Research Methods Year 2 Mandatory September Research Investigation Design Thesis 1 Mandatory January Design Thesis 2