MArch Architecture (Part II)

2 Years On Campus Masters Program

University of Central Lancashire

Program Overview

The MArch Architecture (Part II) at the University of Central Lancashire is a two-year professional master’s that builds on your earlier architecture studies and gets you ready for real practice. It’s ideal for students who want to push their design abilities, explore today’s architectural challenges and move toward becoming a fully qualified architect.

Curriculum structure

Year 1
You’ll strengthen your design thinking through advanced studio work, while studying how architecture has evolved socially and culturally. Modules like Critical and Cultural Context, Innovation and Realisation and Professional Studies 2 help you connect design creativity with real-world requirements such as environmental systems, construction, and legal responsibilities. Alongside this, you develop independent research skills leading toward your written thesis.

Year 2
Your second year focuses on a major design project, allowing you to work at urban scale and demonstrate your full creative, technical and professional skillset. Through Design 2, you’ll refine your architectural identity and graduate with a final portfolio that represents your professional capabilities.

Focus areas

Design innovation, sustainable environments, urban design, heritage and conservation, architectural technology, professional practice, research-led design.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the programme, you’ll be able to deliver complex architectural and urban design projects, apply advanced technical and environmental thinking, conduct independent research, and communicate your ideas confidently in a professional context.

Professional alignment (accreditation)

The degree meets the ARB and RIBA requirements for Part II — a key step toward chartered architect status.

Reputation (employability rankings)

UCLan’s architecture facilities, studio culture and hands-on teaching are highly regarded, and graduates from architecture-related programmes show strong career progression within a short time of finishing their studies.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The MArch Architecture (Part II) at UCLan is built around doing, not just studying. You’ll design, test, build and present your ideas in a professional studio environment, giving you the confidence to handle real architectural challenges. From your very first week, you’ll work in dedicated studio spaces, access fabrication workshops and collaborate with experienced architects and engineers — the course is structured to feel like real practice, not theory on paper.

And this isn’t just talk — here’s what that looks like in everyday learning:

Specialist architecture studios where every student has their own workspace with plenty of room for drawings, models and design presentations.
Digital and fabrication facilities including laser cutters, 3D printing, a model-making workshop, CAD/CAM equipment, digital print rooms and large-format printing.
Hands-on design projects based on real briefs and real contexts, sometimes working directly with local communities and partners.
Cross-disciplinary teamwork with students from fields such as construction, sustainability and engineering to understand how buildings work beyond aesthetics.
Expert guest lectures and design crits from practicing architects and industry specialists who review your projects and share real insights from the profession.
Architecture field trips and site visits to study built environments first-hand and sharpen your observational and analytical skills.
Extensive design resource centre and library support, with access to architectural books, professional building specifications, technical design standards and digital databases.

UCLan makes sure that learning architecture feels like practising architecture — combining creativity, technology and professional skill-building every step of the way.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates from the MArch Architecture (Part II) at UCLan move confidently into professional practice, taking on roles where they lead design, manage projects and shape the built environment. The qualification gives you the status and technical depth needed to begin your journey toward becoming a chartered architect. Many alumni continue into careers as registered architects, urban designers, conservation specialists or project architects — both in the UK and internationally.

UCLan makes sure you’re not stepping into the industry alone. You’re supported with practical employability services and a degree recognised across the profession, helping you unlock long-term career growth:

Dedicated careers and employability support — personalised help with portfolios, CVs, interview practice and sourcing job opportunities from the architecture and construction sector.
Strong graduate outcomes — architecture-related graduates from UCLan have an excellent record of securing employment or further study soon after completing their course.
Industry-valued accreditation — the MArch meets ARB and RIBA Part II requirements, giving you the professional standing you need to progress toward chartered status.
Relevant, in-demand skills — the programme’s focus on sustainability, heritage, regeneration and urbanism gives graduates an advantage in areas that are growing rapidly across the global architecture market.

Typical roles include: Registered Architect, Urban Designer / Masterplanner, Conservation and Heritage Architect, Project Architect / Architectural Designer.

Further Academic Progression:
Graduates who want to keep studying can move into specialist postgraduate routes such as architectural conservation, urban regeneration, or construction and project management. Others continue into PhD-level research in themes like heritage, sustainability or urban design, supported by UCLan’s research culture and academic network.