BA in Architecture

Validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and prescribed by the Architects Registration Board (ARB) to give full exemption from the ARB / RIBA Part 1 examination, you will be based at our innovative Birmingham School of Architecture and Design, where you start your journey towards becoming a registered architect.

The Birmingham School of Architecture and Design offers fully accredited courses at RIBA Parts 1, 2 and 3, enabling you to fully qualify as a registered architect within one school.

What's covered in this course?

With the diverse architecture of Birmingham as your initial inspiration, you'll focus on the urban environment and study neighbourhoods, cities, and regional and global networks.

Industry connections in your second and third years help you foster direct links and contacts within the practice, helping you to find work experience. We also work closely with RIBA West Midlands, the Midlands Architecture Centre (MADE), and Birmingham City Council. From the first year onwards, you will begin to construct your own online webpage of work and projects, which can then be transformed into an online portfolio and/or CV.

The recent RIBA Validation Board visit commended our links with professional practice and the supportive learning community we offer. We were also commended for our flexible approach to learning, with strong support for part-time students.

As a relatively small school compared to our competitors, accepting around 65 students each year, we are able to create an intimate learning environment, which means you’ll get strong individual support. You'll have the chance to be part of Co.LAB, a collaborative architecture and design initiative within the School working on live projects with other disciplines and with industry and community partners. This engagement with one-to-one scale interventions and real-world practice helps you in your learning journey to become a more rounded and responsive designer.

The course offers you great opportunities. Students from all years are offered places to attend events such as national building information modelling (BIM) events, which provide a forum for you to engage directly with practitioners and industry specialists, as well as inform you of changes in current practice.

You'll also benefit from the insight of guest speakers such as Professor CJ Lim and renowned American landscape architect Martha Schwartz, together with other practising architects from firms such as Foster and Partners, Make, Associated Architects, Invisible Studio, Mole Architects, Ash Sakula and various others. Film work also plays an important part in the perception of the city, and you’re encouraged to use this medium along with a wide variety of other creative outputs drawing upon our extensive workshop facilities.

In your final year, you'll showcase your work at the Graduate Show, an event attended by practitioners where previous students have been recruited by leading practices including Grimshaws, Hopkins Architects, Hawkins Brown and Glenn Howells Architects.

You will study in our state-of-the-art Parkside Building, which has been praised for its investment and facilities by RIBA. While based in Parkside, you will sharpen your CAD and digital visual communication skills, prototyping and digital production, while also having access to a range of specialist software.

Professional Placement Year

This course offers a professional placement year. This allows you to spend a whole year with an employer, between the second and third years of your degree and is a great way to find out more about your chosen career. Some students even return to the same employers after completing their studies.

The University will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. If you do not find a suitable placement, you will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.

Please note that fees are payable during your placement year, equivalent to 20% of the total full-time course fee for that year (£1,850 for UK students).

Why choose us?

Validated by the RIBA and prescribed by the Architects Registration Board (ARB), our course meets and exceeds the joint criteria set out by both professional bodies, thus meeting the requirements of Article 46 of the European Directive on the recognition of professional qualifications. Have the opportunity to enter national and international competitions. Recent graduate Marina Georgieva is celebrating after being named in the first-round winner's group for the global Vectorworks Design Scholarship Prize 2019. Marina will also be entered for the chance at the grand prize Richard Diehl Award, with the opportunity to win a further substantial cash prize. You will be exposed to architectural practice and live projects with professional partners, enabling you to develop your skills and creativity. Our connections with over 60 architecture firms and practitioners form an essential part of our teaching team, as well as enable you to embark on valuable work placements within the West Midlands, North West, London and abroad. Our intimate study environment ensures exceptional support from staff, with 90 per cent of our graduates going on to work or further study within six months of completing the course. You’ll also have the chance to attend study trips and explore international opportunities, expanding your cultural and academic knowledge. Birmingham School of Architecture and Design is highly respected and has a rich history of providing education and opportunities. Two-thirds of the impact of our research was judged to be very considerable (3) or outstanding (4) - REF2021

With around 29,000 students from 100 countries, (HESA Student Record 2020/21 © Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited) Birmingham City University is a large and diverse place to study. We put students at the heart of everything we do, giving them the best opportunities for future success.

The University for Birmingham

We put £270 million into the regional economy and support thousands of jobs in the area. We're investing £340 million in our estate, including a major expansion of our city-centre campus at Eastside, providing students with an enviable range of facilities.

Social responsibility

At Birmingham City University we are committed to transforming students’ lives and enhancing opportunity through education and advancement. We play a key role in supporting the economy and public sector in Birmingham and the West Midlands, as the University for the city of Birmingham.

Whether developing research to enable people to lead healthier lives, decrease bullying in schools or help talented children in South Africa reach their musical potential, Birmingham City University undertakes a wide variety of work to ensure that we operate as a socially responsible University.

On Monday 17 September 2018, we announced that staff had voted for Acorn’s Children’s Hospice and Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid to be the University’s Chosen Charities.