Take your first step towards becoming an architect with our BSc Architecture course. You will be taught by experienced practising architects as well as by leading academics. You will benefit from seven-day-a-week access to dedicated studio spaces in a newly-refurbished building, as well as use of facilities equipped with digital technologies. The course comprises half design studios and design briefs, and half lecture-based taught courses. Design projects aim to enable you to prepare a digital and physical portfolio, while lectures are designed to develop your understanding of core academic subjects and practical skills as part of your taught curriculum. Meanwhile, optional field trips to cities such as London, Copenhagen, Venice, Paris and Berlin will give you the chance to look at architecture in a new light. We sit within the renowned School of the Built Environment, which has strong research and industry links, and is 3rd in the UK for research impact in architecture, the built environment and planning (Times Higher Education Institutions Ranked By Subject, 2014, based on its analysis of REF 2014). We have particular expertise in a range of subjects related to our research area of 'urban living', including urban regeneration, housing, mapping cities and places, and digital and analogue representation of buildings and cities. The learning outcomes of the course have been designed with the needs of employers in mind, and with a view to enhancing the employability of our graduates. You will have the opportunity to boost your employability throughout your studies, with the chance to work on local projects and to carry out ‘live’ design tasks at the conceptual stage for real clients. By working with students from other disciplines, such as surveying and construction management, you will also have the opportunity to gain experience essential to the professional environment and benefit from wider expertise. The Architects Registration Board (ARB) has prescribed our BSc (Hons) Architecture degree under the Architects Act 1997 until 2020. One of the requirements for gaining a professional architecture qualification is to study on a prescribed course. Our degree is also a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Part 1 candidate course. Once our first cohort graduate in 2019 we will have a full RIBA validation visit. From 2020, we now offer a two-year postgraduate master's programme in architecture, enabling you to take the next step towards becoming a fully qualified architect.