The LSA launches a new Part 2 / Part 3 combined programme

Qualifying as an architect to become faster and more affordable with the LSA’s innovative new programme

The LSA has launched a first-of-its-kind academic and professional qualification pathway designed to create a quicker, more accessible and more affordable route to becoming a registered architect.

Through a new Part 3 programme that runs alongside the LSA’s Part 2 programme, our students can work towards professional registration over a two-year period while completing their academic studies, cutting the time and cost traditionally associated with qualifying as an architect.

The programme has been developed in response to the Architects Registration Board’s (ARB) recent education reforms, which are creating more flexible routes into the profession.

These changes will enable us to recruit students from a wider range of architectural and related educational backgrounds and offer a pathway to professional registration that runs concurrently with academic study, rather than taking place afterwards.

While many architecture students gain experience in practice during their studies, the route to registration has traditionally remained a separate stage undertaken after completing an academic qualification. The LSA’s new pathway brings these elements together, so that students can benefit from an educational model that is a true collaboration between academia and industry.

Our Head of School Professor Lee Ivett said: “We cannot expect the built environment to be designed for everyone if the profession itself is not open to everyone. The people shaping our cities, homes and public spaces should reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.”

He added: “For decades, architectural education has largely followed a linear model, with academic study and professional qualification taking place as separate stages. The ARB’s reforms create an opportunity to rethink that approach.”

Ashley Wheaton, Vice Chancellor at the University of the Built Environment, which the LSA is part of, said: “The built environment sector faces a significant skills challenge, and creating more flexible routes into professional careers is a critical part of the solution. This new programme is an example of our mission to widen access to education in this sector, reflecting also our broader ambition to develop innovative models of education that are closely connected to industry.”

The programme will be available to prospective students in September 2027, subject to successful completion of the ARB accreditation process.