Introduction
Make your mark on the landscape and learn how to succeed in architectural practice, with our Architects Registration Board prescribed degree course.
From the design of a family home to an entire city, architects help to shape the world we live in.
You’re fascinated by the built environment, and have ambitions to create spaces that are innovative, meaningful and purposeful.
By studying BA (Hons) or BSc (Hons) Architecture at ARU, you’ll gain the theoretical, technical and design skills to do this – and to work as a professional architect.
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Our architecture studios are exciting, creative places with industry-standard equipment. Here, our experts will deliver a learner-centred and research-led approach to architecture.
You’ll become skilled in developing design concepts, experimenting with different media, and representing your ideas through drawings, physical and digital models.
But you won’t be restricted to the studio. You’ll go on site visits so you can analyse the language and style of buildings, their construction, and see projects taking shape in real life. Together, we’ll explore building design, ‘buildability’ and sustainability.
There’s also an optional European field trip each year, to cities such as Lisbon, Venice, Rome and Vienna. It’s a great chance to explore how architecture contributes to shaping our urban life.
Your future career is important so you’ll learn about the construction business and project management. We have a network of visiting designers, artists, historians and theorists who deliver workshops, lectures and tutorials. You can also choose to take a placement as part of your BA (Hons) Architecture degree, and gain industry experience.
We make sure your course is relevant to the real world, by helping you to engage ethically, politically, and sustainably with the changing landscape of the built environment, better preparing you for the world of work.
At ARU, we believe it's important to recognise our students' hard work. That's why, at the end of each academic year, we showcase and celebrate your achievements with an End of Year Show.
When you complete your degree course, you will have fulfilled the first part of the three-part process to become a registered architect in the UK.
On our BA (Hons) route, you'll study Level 4, 5 and 6 modules over three years in Chelmsford. You have the option to take a foundation (Level 3) course at ARU College in Cambridge for a year before starting the main part of the course.
On our BSc (Hons) route, you'll take a Level 3 foundation year at ARU College in Cambridge, then transfer to Chelmsford where you'll take Level 4 modules in your second year. If you pass these modules, you'll be eligible to transfer to Year 2 (Level 5) of the BA course. If you are not eligible, you'll continue on the BSc, taking our Level 5 modules in your third year.
Our course has been awarded RIBA Part 1 Candidate Status. The School of Architecture is now pursuing RIBA Part 1 Full Status to be accredited in October 2021. This will give further credibility to our degrees and offer greater career prospects to our students.
Facilities and accreditation
Specialist studios
At ARU you’ll be based in our School of Architecture, with use of:
- model-making studios
- industry-standard software for computer-aided design work
- construction and surveying equipment
- a fully equipped workshop with cutting-edge digital fabrication machinery and skilled staff.
Our University is renowned for its medical engineering and specialist 3D printers are available to all students.
Learn outside the classroom
All our architecture students can take part in:
- site visits
- study trips to London, just 35 minutes away by train
- a European field trip
- team activities such as designing and building structures on campus
- our end-of-year Exhibition.
There’s also the chance to take an optional placement year as part of this course, and gain practical work experience.
Our proximity to London allows for numerous short study and site visits, and workshops. Most second and third-year sites are in London. Some of the History and Theory modules, and live drawing and photography classes, are taught via study visits to the capital, a valuable and intellectually significant experience.
Architects Registration Board
Our BA (Hons) Architecture degree is prescribed (Part 1) by the Architects Registration Board. When you complete our course you'll fulfil the first part of the three-part process to become a registered architect in the UK.
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
Our course has been awarded RIBA Part 1 Candidate Status. The School of Architecture is now pursuing RIBA Part 1 Full Status to be accredited in 2022, subject to ratification by the RIBA Education Committee. This will give further credibility to our degrees and offer greater career prospects to our students.
Careers
As a graduate recognised by the Architects Registration Board, you’ll be ready to work in a range of architectural roles.
Our course prepares you for a career in architectural practice, but you could also choose to work in areas such as town planning, surveying, engineering, property, and building conservation.
Whichever path interests you most, you can be sure that you’ll graduate with the knowledge, skills and abilities that industry needs. We work with employers, who help us review what we teach and how we teach it – offering hands-on, practical opportunities to learn through work-based projects, internships or placements.
By studying architecture at ARU, you’ll have gained creative and practical skills, such as computer-aided design, which will help you stand out from the crowd.
Graduation doesn't need to be the end of your time with us, of course. If you’d like to continue your studies, we offer a range of postgraduate degrees including our MSc Town Planning. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.
4 years with placement
Your final year is all about preparing you to work as an architect.
We look at issues that concern professional architects, such as the ethics of architecture. How do global issues such as pollution and habitat loss affect architectural design and practice? What role does technology such as big data and artificial intelligence play in our modern lives – and can we use it to augment and improve them?
We’ll encourage you to use architecture in a positive way, to change attitudes and habits. As part of this we’ll explore current construction issues and trends, and look at how buildings can be conserved, re-used and adapted.
There’s also a focus on research and evaluation. In the first of two Architectural Design modules, you will develop a brief for a public building. In the second, you will select a research topic, identify a client, develop a brief and produce an architectural response that demonstrates your awareness of space, design, technology and environment.
At the end of the year we host our annual Summer Exhibition, the perfect opportunity to showcase your work to employers.
Throughout the course, we’ll use a range of assessment methods to help measure your progress. These include design projects, presentations, timed assignments, exams and coursework.
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