Architecture and Design Postgraduate Study
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Architecture and Design Postgraduate Study
We used to rebuild buildings, now we repurpose them
The postgraduate architecture courses at the University of East London place a strong emphasis on sustainability.
Students are taught to design buildings and environments that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also environmentally responsible. This includes repurposing buildings, using sustainable materials and incorporating green spaces. The architecture courses also explore the social and cultural aspects of sustainability, and how architecture can positively impact communities and the planet.
Through lectures, practical exercises, and real-world projects, architecture students develop the skills and knowledge needed to design sustainable structures that are both functional and respectful of the environment.
Award Winning
Our Head of Architecture, Alex Scott-Whitby, won an award for giving a Cornwall based lido a new life.
Read the article about Alex
Sustainability is such a hot topic in architecture, I think it's essential for us to reconsider our ideas and knowledge, not just in the case of creating new things, it's also about repurposing all the stuff that we already have done to this world."
Stephano
MA Architecture and Urbanism
About us
In the Architecture and Design subject area (A+D) we foster a broad and inspiring education to establish a rich foundation for a creative professional life. We are a career-led school of architecture and visual art. Our architecture and design programmes challenge assumptions and set new agendas for design in the 21st century.
We balance the development and support of our students' talents with the understanding that architecture and design is contextual, socially constructing and political. We believe that the design conversation in studios between students and staff across models and drawings is central to creative development.
Our students are encouraged to undertake study trips internationally in each year of study to deepen an understanding of people and places. Our teaching balances a respect and understanding of the past and the present with an inspirational, poetic and innovative stance towards the future.
Why choose us?
In the most recent National Student Survey, we were ranked first in London and second overall for student satisfaction.
We are equally happy to have been ranked first in London for 'teaching on my course' and third in the UK for academic support, but what is most pleasing is that our students rank our student body as the best architecture and interior design school in the nation.
In terms of teaching, academic support, and overall student satisfaction, our architecture programmes were ranked first in London (NSS 2022) and second in the UK (NSS 2022). As of late, our architecture programmes were ranked second in London by the Guardian University Guide league table for 2018.
In 2021, UEL students won five of the eleven RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) London prizes.
UEL has a distinguished international reputation in architecture, as evidenced by several honours and accomplishments made by both students and faculty.
You'll be studying in one of Europe's largest regeneration areas, which is ideal for field trips and placements to see how architects put theory into practice. The relationship that develops between faculty and architecture students and the play of the design process is at the heart of our educational philosophy.
You can start your career as an architect, architectural technologist, interior designer, or landscape architect by taking one of our courses. You may be exempt from Parts 1 and 2 of the ARB/RIBA professional examinations as well as the Landscape Institute, depending on your chosen pathway.
Both the AVA building and the brand-new DFUEL lab at our Docklands Campus house specialised workshops and laboratory spaces for architecture and visual arts. These offer the perfect setting for students to learn about the design process and acquire useful skills.
Our facilities include:
- Woodwork workshop
- Metal welding workshop
- Plaster, mould-making and ceramics workshop
- Analogue
- Darkroom for photography
- Risograph printing
- Digital Fabrication (DFUEL) facilities include a robotic arm, 3D scanners, 3D printers, laser cutters, clay printers, and many other digital fabrication technologies.
- High-spec computer labs equipped with the latest architecture software and programmes
To find out more and experience our architecture facilities first-hand, visit us at an Open Day.
What we're researching
Through the work of our staff, students, alumni practices, and our collaborations with the UEL Sustainability Research Institute, our architectural research is motivated by the needs of and directly assists groups ranging from local communities up to and including international and inter-governmental agencies such as the United Nations.
We are located in the centre of East London's urban regeneration activity; this location offers a highly contested, socially diverse context for much of our research. It serves as a catalyst for bringing together multidisciplinary research on the crucial issue of how change affects the community and environment, as well as how the advantages of that change can be concentrated and used.
From this catalyst, a multidisciplinary research team that collaborates across disciplines and the university campus has emerged. This team engages in multiple knowledge exchange and innovation partnerships with businesses, the government, academic institutions, and the general public to co-produce locally contextualised solutions-based research.
Despite being influenced by our surroundings, research results have a global impact on the industrialised cities and managed landscapes of the twenty-first century. This includes global cooperation between major intergovernmental organisations, regional and city councils, and small local community groups at the EU and UN levels.
The principles of "sustain, retain, restore, re-use, and transform" serve as the foundation for all our work and are applied either explicitly or implicitly.
Career
Employability events
There are still not enough visible role models from all different backgrounds and environments in the architectural profession and the majority of educational settings. We invite professionals to speak about their education, careers, and the ups and downs of professional life throughout each academic year. These professionals are chosen not only for their outstanding achievements but also to reflect the diversity represented by our students. Following the succinct presentations, the students participate in stimulating discussions and question-and-answer sessions.
The diversity also includes a variety of design-related jobs, demonstrating the wide range of post-graduation career options. A large portion of the guests are engaged in efforts to increase the urgently needed diversity in the field and provide guidance or other support to students and young professionals.
Careers at UEL
Our dedicated Careers team works closely with employers to provide up-to-date information about the skills and experience they're looking for. They will support you during your studies and after you graduate.
At UEL, you'll have access to:
- Employability skills training such as interview techniques and CV writing.
- Career Assessment, allowing you to learn about yourself and Career Coach will help you to discover career suggestions based on your interests.
- UEL Skills Academy, where external professionals deliver sessions on the competencies most prized by graduate employers.
- Internships, placements and volunteering opportunities from our work placements team.
- Professional mentoring scheme, matching students with staff from major companies.
- Networking opportunities and annual careers fair.
- Support with setting up your own business.
Career coach
Use our online Career Coach to find out the different career paths your chosen subject area can lead you to. Get information on specific careers, job roles, potential wages and available jobs in the sector. Or take a quick quiz to find a career to match your personality type!
Our location
Our location in one of Europe's largest regeneration areas and our extensive links to local employers will also give you access to fantastic architectural internships and placements. From heavy industry to high-tech, health and social care to the arts, there are so many opportunities right on our doorstep.
Our staff
Find out more about our staff by visiting our School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering (ACE) page.
Postgraduate courses
MArch Architecture (ARB/RIBA PART 2)
Our MArch Architecture course is fully accredited, furthering your progress towards becoming a qualified architect.
Read more about this course
MA Architecture and Urbanism
Concept generation; context analysis; programmatic control; performance assessment; a holistic approach to digital architecture and urban design.
Read more about this course
MA Interior Architecture and Design
The aim of this interior design Master's programme is to engage you in creative and experimental processes and to enhance your ability to grasp complex design ideas.
Study MA Interior Architecture and Design
PGDip Landscape Architecture
At UEL we help extend your skills and subject knowledge to landscape professional standards, through tailored teaching, whatever your starting point.
Read more about this course
MA Professional Landscape Architecture
A design-based career conversion course at Masters level, for anyone who has a passion for landscape architecture, but a degree in another subject.
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MA Professional Landscape Architecture with Conversion
This is a design based career conversion/ development course at Masters level, for anyone who has a passion for landscape architecture, but a first degree in any other subject.
Read more