BSc Architecture

Take your first step towards becoming an architect with our BSc Architecture course. You will be taught by both leading academics and innovative, practising architects.

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 responsibly accessible cities such as London, Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Paris 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 6th in the UK for research power in Architecture, Built Environment and Planning  (Times Higher Education, Institutions Ranked by Subject, based on its analysis of the latest REF 2021). 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 30 September 2023. One of the requirements for gaining a professional architecture qualification is to study on a prescribed course. Our degree is also validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). This is formal recognition from RIBA that our degree achieves the standards needed to prepare students for the professional practice of architecture.

We also offer a two-year postgraduate Master of Architecture programme, enabling you to take the next step towards becoming a fully qualified architect.

Find out more about our School of Architecture.

Scholarships

As part of the cohort joining the BSc Architecture course in 2024, you may have the opportunity to secure an annual £1,000 scholarship for each of the three years of the undergraduate degree (subject to conditions).

View the 2024 conditions.

Work experience

The University of Reading has well-established links with industry within the built environment sector. During the programme, there will be opportunity to work alongside businesses from across the sector, which will provide you with valuable experience that you can demonstrate to employers on graduation.