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Part 2: MArch Architecture

Overview

MArch Architecture is a two-year programme accredited by the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

The built environment faces urgent social, environmental and economic challenges. When you join the programme, we’ll ask you two important questions:

What change do you want to see in the world?

And how should architecture contribute to that change?

These questions sit at the heart of everything you’ll do at the LSA.

Through a combination of research, design and professional practice, you’ll develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to respond to complex challenges and help create more equitable, sustainable and accessible places. Along the way, you’ll explore how architecture can shape not only the built environment, but also the profession itself.

About this programme

Our Part 2 MArch Architecture programme brings together practice and study through a distinctive work-based learning model.

In your first year, you’ll spend three days a week working in an architectural practice and two days studying in the LSA studio. Rather than treating practice and education as separate experiences, the programme encourages you to connect the two, with both becoming sites of learning that inform and challenge one another.

During the first year of the programme, you’ll reflect on contemporary architectural practice and begin to define the kind of practitioner you want to become. At the same time, your design modules will encourage you to think beyond architecture as simply the design of buildings and objects.

You’ll explore how architecture can contribute to social, cultural and environmental change, while developing the creative, strategic and critical thinking skills needed to turn ideas into action.

In your second year, you’ll build on these experiences to develop your own position as a designer and future architect.

Drawing on history, theory, tectonics, design and contemporary practice, you’ll engage with a range of research methodologies as you undertake an individual design thesis. This gives you the opportunity to investigate the issues that matter most to you and articulate your response through a substantial piece of architectural work.

Learn from place

London becomes a testing ground for your ideas and agency. You’ll be encouraged to develop your own questions, interests and approach to design in this territory.

Projects connect you with communities, practices, places and industry partners across the city, helping you explore how architecture can make a positive difference to people and place. You’ll learn through real-world challenges, working across different contexts and engaging with the individuals and organisations shaping the built environment today.

A critical examination of contemporary practice is a core part of the programme. You’ll be encouraged to question established ways of working and explore how the profession can respond to the challenges of the future.

This includes considering how architecture can become more ethical, inclusive, responsible and rewarding, and how designers can play an active role in shaping positive change.

Learn from practice

Teaching is delivered by practising architects, academics and industry specialists, supported by The London School of Architecture’s extensive Practice Network.

Small cohort sizes and a highly collaborative culture create opportunities to work closely with tutors, practitioners and fellow students. Together, you’ll test ideas, challenge assumptions and explore new approaches to architecture and urban design.

By the end of the programme, you’ll have developed as a creative, critical and professionally engaged designer, with the confidence to define your own architectural position and make a meaningful contribution to both practice and society.

Accelerate your career

Joining the LSA’s MArch provides you with the opportunity to combine the programme with our new PG Cert. Architecture and Professional Practice (Part 3)*. This accelerated route to professional qualification potentially reduces your time to registration to two years and is a more cost-effective option.

Modules

First year:

Design Cities: Investigate how London’s built environment is produced and transformed through political, economic and social forces.
Critical Practice: Placement: Reflect on and analyse your experience within an architectural practice.
Critical Practice: Theory: Develop a personal vision for future architectural practice through critical research and debate.
Design Think Tank: Work collaboratively on research-led design proposals responding to urgent challenges facing London and the built environment.
Design Direction: Define your individual design position and establish the agenda for your final-year thesis.

Second year:

Design Research: Undertake an independent research project that supports and informs your thesis work.
Design Thesis: Develop and resolve an ambitious architectural proposition through rigorous design testing and critical reflection.
Design Tectonic: Advance your understanding of materials, structure, sustainability and construction through detailed technical investigation.

Read more about the LSA academics.

Time commitment and study breakdown

For the two-year programme, the directed study hours are 600, self-directed 1,200, assessment 600, totalling: 2,400 hours.

Support

Student advice team: As your first point of contact as a student, they will support you in your studies and queries, ensuring you are put in touch with the right teams and services within the University.

Academic support: Our academic staff are experts in their fields and are here to support your academic journey, offering vital guidance along the way.

Operational team: The LSA core team are on site as friendly faces to support your everyday life as a student.

Disability and welfare team: This knowledgeable team is here to listen and provide expert guidance, support and assistance at any time throughout your studies.

Careers

At The LSA and University of the Built Environment, employability is central to our core purpose. Working closely with architectural practices and supported by professional recognition from the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), we prepare and support students to develop the attributes and skills that employers need.

Our MArch students graduate equipped with the knowledge, confidence and professional capabilities needed to thrive in architectural practice and related fields. You’ll have the skills to tackle complex challenges, think creatively, take responsibility, communicate persuasively and adapt to an evolving professional landscape. Alongside specialist subject expertise, these highly sought-after transferable skills support career progression, leadership and lifelong professional development.

Successful completion of the MArch enables you to apply for a Part 3 course.

Ready to apply?

Download the programme specification.

Eligibility and entry requirements

Application process

Open evening: 25 November 2026

Apply now for September 2027 entry

Contact us

Have questions about the programme or need help with your application? Get in touch with our friendly admissions team using the following details:

UK (Free): 0800 019 9697 (Press 1)

International: +44 (0)118 921 4696 (Press 1)

Email: enquiries@ube.ac.uk

*We’re currently seeking ARB accreditation for the new PG Cert Architecture and Professional Practice and combined pathway. Accreditation is required before students can enrol. An accreditation decision is anticipated between April and July 2027