Choose your path into Architecture at Strathclyde

“I was looking for an urban design course that would take people who hadn’t studied architecture. I found a list of urban design courses in the world and I contacted this one and they said that even though I hadn’t studied architecture I could still qualify for the course and that’s what brought me here.” – Jacob Dibble, MSc and PhD graduate from Strathclyde Department of Architecture

The University of Strathclyde’s Department of Architecture was formally established in 1967 and has grown into a leading technological institution set in Glasgow – Scotland’s largest city. As one of the most respected and impactful architecture schools in the UK and the world, the department has rightfully earned its esteemed reputation, standing as a testament to the university’s pledge to be a “place of useful learning”.

Strathclyde’s Department of Architecture has been ranked 8th in the Complete University Guide for three years running. It is, in part, for this reason that the institution is now known as one of the highest-ranking faculties of engineering out of all UK institutions.

Operating at the crossroads between art and design, culture and technology, engineering and society in both global and local contexts, the department’s fundamental principles seek to address current environmental and societal challenges facing the built environment, also placing substantial emphasis on the opportunities these issues create. The success of their students and graduates has recently been reported in the Architects Journal.

MArch/PgDip Advanced Architectural Design

This course is for those UK/EU architecture graduates who seek an advanced professional qualification. It is a comprehensive two-year programme that explores the breadth and depth of the architectural discipline, expertly combining practical with theoretical aspects of the course. The students have also the opportunity to join an inspiring study trip/pilgrimage. Students must show confidence in their own creative designs, displaying self-discipline and motivation as they explore their own passions and interests. You will delve into diverse approaches to architecture and design, examining their relevance in both existing and projected contexts.

MArch Architectural Design (International)

This two-year programme is entirely dedicated to the international applicant. Running as a parallel to the MArch/Pg Diploma in Advanced Architectural Design, this course shares the same innovative curriculum, mirroring the challenge and excitement of the Strathclyde learning environment.

MsC/PgDip/PgCert Architectural Design for the Conservation of Built Heritage

As another design-centred course, this programme faces the issues surrounding the conservation of architectural heritage. Here, research-informed practice and teaching plus practice-informed research are used to conserve and reuse existing buildings, striking a fine balance between the appropriate conservation of historic buildings and the changes needed to adapt for contemporary use. Graduates leave in possession of a skillset that allows them to intervene in historic buildings and design in a historic context.

MSc/PgDip/PgCert Sustainable Engineering: Advanced Construction Technologies & BIM

This multidisciplinary course will refine the knowledge, personal and practical skills needed to succeed in the architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) industry, also developing research expertise in related fields. It instils practitioners with a firm theoretical base, allowing them to calculate current and future strategies in Advanced Construction Technologies and Building Information Modelling. The program is one of the few programs in the UK and the only one in Scotland which focuses on technology and Building Information Modelling.

MSc/PgDip/PgCert Sustainable Engineering: Architecture & Ecology

Graduates of this course are incredibly well versed on the relationship between architecture and ecology. Analysing both from a uniquely theoretical perspective, students pursue a number of instructional modules at Strathclyde’s Glasgow campus for the first three months of study. A practical demonstration of this relationship is then executed through project work at the urban laboratory Arcosanti in Arizona. Students also spend a three-month work and study period here, at Arcosanti, with a further option to remain for another three months to pursue an individual project.

MSc/PgDip/PgCert Urban Design

With recent figures forecasting that rapid rates of urbanisation have made cities the most common living environment, the design and structure of our cities has never been more important. Strathclyde’s Urban Design curriculum answers all questions surrounding the structure of our cities, teaching us how to build responsive, resilient and sustainable settlements now and into the future. Delivered through various studio sessions, lectures, seminars and research projects, this course is ideal for both students and practitioners, teaching you to treat the city as a dynamic, intricate system.

“I wanted to come and do a Masters degree and it was a really good course,” says Jacob Dibble, an American and former student of Strathclyde’s MSc in Urban Design, who has now also completed a PhD within the Department of Architecture. “Also, having been here for three years, and now that I’m a PhD student, I can really see what the university has to offer. There are a lot of resources and help for the students. It’s good.

“There are a lot of American schools that aren’t in cities so I was on a university campus which was nice, in its own right, but I think it’s more interesting to be here. I think Strathclyde is much more focused on realistic applications of what you’re learning too.”

And to prospective architecture students considering submitting their application to Strathclyde, Jacob says just this: “I think [you] should do it. You get treated as someone who can contribute here, rather than just someone who can come and learn and then leave. There are opportunities here, funding, different ways of thinking, different people. You have different attitudes and different experiences from everyone that comes. It’s a good thing.”

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