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universities for studying architecture.

hi!! :smile:
so i'm planning on studying undergraduate course of Architecture in the UK but i'mnot well informed on which universities are best at architecture courses and affordable as well.the only choice I have so far is University of Kent which Is my first choice.
please help.
Reply 1
Original post by Nabilz
hi!! :smile:
so i'm planning on studying undergraduate course of Architecture in the UK but i'mnot well informed on which universities are best at architecture courses and affordable as well.the only choice I have so far is University of Kent which Is my first choice.
please

I would send you a link but my internet is playing up, my advice would be to go on the complete university guide website, and then do a course check for architecture. It puts them in rank order and you can see where they appeared last year as well, this isn't 100% reliable but its a good place to start. Don't rule out any universities merely because they are lower ranking this doesn't necessarily mean anything as the tables are very biased to only a few categories.

What I would do is decide which places you might like to look at from the rankings and places where you would consider living. Then make a short-list and get prospectuses or look on uni websites to get a better idea of what would suit you.

After that you can start thinking about open days, as they won't start for a while anyway and start to think about what your final 5 will be, but don't make any decisions about your final five yet, it is WAY too early. With architecture it is important you see the places you apply to as they are all so different when you get there also the course structure is very different at the individual school so make sure you understand those before you decide.
Reply 2
Original post by Nabilz
hi!! :smile:
so i'm planning on studying undergraduate course of Architecture in the UK but i'mnot well informed on which universities are best at architecture courses and affordable as well.the only choice I have so far is University of Kent which Is my first choice.
please help.


http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=Architecture
Have look at the league table, even though its statistics are somewhat useless but does tell you the unis. But beware, some of the unis' course are not recognised by RIBA, so if that's what you need then you need to double check with them. But to me, the top Unis for Architecture (outside London) are Liverpool, Nottingham, Sheffield, Cardiff and Bath.
Reply 3
Original post by Claire888

[QUOTE="Claire888;36390358"]
Original post by Nabilz
hi!! :smile:
so i'm planning on studying undergraduate course of Architecture in the UK but i'mnot well informed on which universities are best at architecture courses and affordable as well.the only choice I have so far is University of Kent which Is my first choice.
please

I would send you a link but my internet is playing up, my advice would be to go on the complete university guide website, and then do a course check for architecture. It puts them in rank order and you can see where they appeared last year as well, this isn't 100% reliable but its a good place to start. Don't rule out any universities merely because they are lower ranking this doesn't necessarily mean anything as the tables are very biased to only a few categories.

What I would do is decide which places you might like to look at from the rankings and places where you would consider living. Then make a short-list and get prospectuses or look on uni websites to get a better idea of what would suit you.

After that you can start thinking about open days, as they won't start for a while anyway and start to think about what your final 5 will be, but don't make any decisions about your final five yet, it is WAY too early. With architecture it is important you see the places you apply to as they are all so different when you get there also the course structure is very different at the individual school so make sure you understand those before you decide.


oh! okay..thanks ALOT.let me get on that right away!
Reply 4

Original post by Viet
http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=Architecture
Have look at the league table, even though its statistics are somewhat useless but does tell you the unis. But beware, some of the unis' course are not recognised by RIBA, so if that's what you need then you need to double check with them. But to me, the top Unis for Architecture (outside London) are Liverpool, Nottingham, Sheffield, Cardiff and Bath.


okay thanks.are all theses unis you mentioned recognised by RIBA?
Reply 5
Hi.I applied too for studying undergraduate course of architecture at MSA Manchester,LJMU,Uni of Liverpool,Huddersfield and UCA.Huddersfield already sent me a conditional offer but I have a lot of doubts about it.my first choice is liverpool (can t decide between LJMU and Uni of Liverpool) and the second one is manchester.uca looks pretty cool and it's only an hour from london but I don't know too much about the quality of teaching.i'm from eu so any advice would be usefull.thank you
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 6
Original post by Nabilz
okay thanks.are all theses unis you mentioned recognised by RIBA?

Yep, they all are. In fact, if you contact RIBA, they will send you a student's package with all the associated uni's names and details in there :smile:


Original post by M.ina
Hi.I applied too for studying undergraduate course of architecture at MSA Manchester,LJMU,Uni of Liverpool,Huddersfield and UCA.Huddersfield already sent me a conditional offer but I have a lot of doubts about it.my first choice is liverpool (can t decide between LJMU and Uni of Liverpool) and the second one is manchester.uca looks pretty cool and it's only an hour from london but I don't know too much about the quality of teaching.i'm from eu so any advice would be usefull.thank you


Go for Liverpool, perfect that! :smile: I don't know about Huddersfield and UCA, but I don't like Manchester :frown:
Reply 7
Yep, they all are. In fact, if you contact RIBA, they will send you a student's package with all the associated uni's names and details in there :smile:

I don't know if this will work as a quote but anyway. How do you find this thing your talking about I looked on the RIBA website and can't find it anywhere, could you possibly send me a link?
Reply 8
Original post by Viet
Yep, they all are. In fact, if you contact RIBA, they will send you a student's package with all the associated uni's names and details in there :smile:




Go for Liverpool, perfect that! :smile: I don't know about Huddersfield and UCA, but I don't like Manchester :frown:


Yes,I guess liverpool has something special.Do you know more about the admission...i'm working now for my portfolio.they required me 5 sheets of art work.4 sheets of these are up to me and the last one must be a two dimensional representation of my favourite building.But the problem is that I really don't know what they are expecting to see.could you give me some details about what should I include in my portfolio .some examples would be great.thank you very much!
Reply 9
Original post by Claire888

I don't know if this will work as a quote but anyway. How do you find this thing your talking about I looked on the RIBA website and can't find it anywhere, could you possibly send me a link?

Well Claire I didn't really look it up :P When I was wandering aimlessly in London I just dropped in the RIBA building and chat to the receptionist who informed me of this package and said if I leave my address they'd send me the package. So yeah, give them a call I reckon :smile:

Original post by M.ina
Yes,I guess liverpool has something special.Do you know more about the admission...i'm working now for my portfolio.they required me 5 sheets of art work.4 sheets of these are up to me and the last one must be a two dimensional representation of my favourite building.But the problem is that I really don't know what they are expecting to see.could you give me some details about what should I include in my portfolio .some examples would be great.thank you very much!

http://liverpool1082265404.blogspot.com/2012/02/5-pages-for-liverpool-good-job-i-was.html
That is my very own portfolio for Liverpool, and I had an offer after 10 days, so it couldn't have been all that bad :colone: Bragging time! But anyway, seriously, it's pretty daunting task I know, but just go with your instinct. I think they want to see skills in the "architectural space piece" more than anything, so that's why I chose to draw an Escher-ish pencil piece. The keys for other pages are: diversity and variety, experiments with media and materials, idea developments and things that show your interests and represent your personality. Does that help?:biggrin:
Reply 10
Original post by Viet
Well Claire I didn't really look it up :P When I was wandering aimlessly in London I just dropped in the RIBA building and chat to the receptionist who informed me of this package and said if I leave my address they'd send me the package. So yeah, give them a call I reckon :smile:


http://liverpool1082265404.blogspot.com/2012/02/5-pages-for-liverpool-good-job-i-was.html
That is my very own portfolio for Liverpool, and I had an offer after 10 days, so it couldn't have been all that bad :colone: Bragging time! But anyway, seriously, it's pretty daunting task I know, but just go with your instinct. I think they want to see skills in the "architectural space piece" more than anything, so that's why I chose to draw an Escher-ish pencil piece. The keys for other pages are: diversity and variety, experiments with media and materials, idea developments and
things that show your interests and represent your personality. Does that
help?:biggrin:


Omg your work is amazing!Did you apply for this year or you're already studying there?Thank you very much!you helped me a lot
Reply 11
Original post by M.ina
Omg your work is amazing!Did you apply for this year or you're already studying there?Thank you very much!you helped me a lot


Thanks :tongue: I did try. I'm applying this year, so essentially completing with you but heck, let's be nice for once in my life :smile: If you need anything else, just give me a shout:biggrin:
Reply 12
Well...then I'll go back to my work to finish my portfolio before march.Thank you again!I ll write to you as soon as I get an answer.hope will be a yes!:-d
Reply 13
Hi all..Anybody from The Barlett??
I am a recent Architecture graduate from India and have been here in uk since last 5 months..Because of the current situation of the construction industry due to recession,trying to find a job as an intern has ended up fruitless..Im planning to do a pg this year and I have 2 options..either the barlett or Newcastle university..Can any one of you please tell me about the Advanced Architecture studies course of the Barlett...Going through the course modules Ive found it to be quite Interesting...Could anyone tell me how good will be the Job Opportunities once I complete this course..Cos I dont want to end up unemployed as I am now:frown:
Reply 14
Hi there,

Sorry gemi88 I wont be able to help you with the Unis you've mentioned, but I have some advice to the people here applying for architecture in the UK. I have looked around many different Unis that offer architecture in England, including a range from more traditional Russel group unis like Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield as well as smaller Unis like Lincoln, Huddersfield, Northumbria and Norwhich. From my experiences visiting, I think theres several questions which you should ask yourself to help determine where is best for you:

1. Do you see Architecture as a form of Art or as engineering, or in-between both?
If you are intersted in Architecture as an Art, make sure that the course you are looking at is based in a school of art and design and is a BA, if your looking for an engineering based course, look at courses based in a school of the built environment or engineering and possibly a BSc. Also try to find some of the work that the students produce, as well as the ethos and what they ask for from applicants.

2. What sort of area would you like to live in?
I found this to be quite important, as it seems the place you live in is what shapes your lifestyle and social life. If you want a lot of city nightlife and partying, a city University like Manchester, Liverpool, Northumbria ect. provides this, on the other hand if you prefer a more localised and greener area to live, unis like Lincoln, Huddersfield and Norwhich are much quieter and safer places to live.

3. How far are you from home and how often do you want to visit/have visitors?
If you're from for abroad, you will likely have expensive travel costs for flights or train transfers so its important your finance will be able to support you, living in the North of England is generally much cheaper than living in the South especially London (to compare house prices, it is estimated you can buy a 5 bedroom house in the north for the same price as a 1 bedroom flat in London!) so if your budget is limited, London is real no-go. There are airports in every main city in the UK so its easy to get to one, the main international ones are in London and Manchester.

4. Are you intending to become an Architect after you graduate?
If so, then you need to make sure that the course your applying to has RIBA approval and that it offers a Masters so that you can be classed as a qualified Architect. Also if you are, this means you will be studying 7 years for the Masters, so make sure you find both a course and a place thats right for you. However I will note, you can change your University for your Masters when you get your Bachelors.

5. What grades are you expected to get for your current courses at college/school/ect.?
The traditional Universities like Liverpool and Manchester ask for very high standards, usually AAA, so dont waste one of your application choices on them if you dont think you'll be able to meet their grades, always make sure you have a backup option if you do. In my Art class at the moment, there are many people who have gotten rejected at interview from these places just based on there grades!

I hope this helps :smile:
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 15
Did anybody have an interview for LJMU or Liverpool????

Please help me, on 26 march I'll have the interview for LJMU architecture and it will be helpful if you could share your experience with me.I would like to know what they expect from you.
Original post by Nabilz
hi!! :smile:
so i'm planning on studying undergraduate course of Architecture in the UK but i'mnot well informed on which universities are best at architecture courses and affordable as well.the only choice I have so far is University of Kent which Is my first choice.
please help.


If money is an issue then look outside of London. The more information you give the more helpful the responses on here will be - are you more interested in arts, humanities or science + tech? Are you looking to study in a city or on a campus? Good part 1 courses to look at outside of London include Cardiff, Bath, Sheffield, Nottingham, GSA, OB, Cambridge, Newcastle, and Manchester. Within London look at UCL, Westminster, London Met.

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