About Architecture (joint Programme With Cit) (march) in University College Cork

The Master of Architecture Degree is a joint course between University College Cork and Cork Institute of Technology and operates as a full-time course extending over 12 months. The course has been designed to provide a qualification in architecture under Article 46 of Directive 2005/36/EC, the Building Control Act 2007, and is required by the RIAI before starting a minimum period of post-qualification supervised practical experience in preparation for the RIAI Examination in Professional Practice, Registration and/or RIAI Membership.

During your study, you will be introduced to a diverse Programme, approached through creativity and scholarship, and where there will be significant opportunities to anticipate, speculate upon, and define new possibilities in the field of architecture. The established academic infrastructure and philosophy of CCAE are defined by a commitment to excellence in design, and consideration of wider cultural and theoretical phenomena. This framework is extended into the Masters Programme, where students will pose certain questions on the spaces and cities we inhabit, through a process of critical questioning and the dual acts of text and assemblage.

Central to enabling these investigations and explorations will be the series of prominent academics and architectural practitioners contributing to this Programme.  You will be encouraged to participate in a stimulating academic environment. You will be required to address the wider problematics that are raised by changes in contemporary society and provide clues as to how architecture might operate in such an environment.

The course will consider the complex conditions and multiplicities of the contemporary city. We will speculate on the patterns of organisation, the accretion of historical strata, and the network of infrastructural connections, political and economic frameworks that define the twenty-first-century city. Our aim is to form architectural scenarios based on sets of contextual (mnemonic) outputs that bear witness to these strands of development, whilst at the same time defining something new, unexpected and ultimately challenging.

The course is intelligently paced and driven by a thematic framework. You will acquire a comprehensive set of skills that will help you to understand the role of the architect in shaping the modern city.

The course is arranged over three teaching periods during the academic year (September to September). You will take modules to the value of 90 credits. The MSc is made up of a range of 5, 15, 20 and 30 credit modules. Each of the taught modules will be examined by continuous assessment. The pass standard for passing each module is 50%.

Why Choose This Course

This course encourages a distinctive, design-based culture through the development of the conceptual and innovative design. This is achieved by a combination of technical explorations, finding new trajectories in design, and forming programs for advanced spatial analysis. The year will begin with an introduction of the city of study, the theme and range of interests for that year. The wider theoretical concerns of the course are then tested and elaborated through an intensive period of fieldwork study in the selected city.

STUDENT AWARDS

UCC/CIT MArch students awarded 2015 European Architectural Medal, Best Diploma Projects, Prize for Innovation (Problem Solving)

UCC/CIT Architecture (MA) students Kieran Cremin and Eoghan Horgan's project "Entangled City" was awarded a European Architectural Medal in Architecture (Prize for Innovation) in December 2015.

"This prize is a fitting and well-deserved acknowledgement of our student talent and their incredible work ethic; all of which, well hidden behind modest exteriors" (Jason O’Shaughnessy, Master of Architecture Course Director). 

The project addresses the cultural dissonance between Prague’s history and present-day tourist industry. You can view the full project and the Jury comments at this link https://eam.uauim.ro/projects/2015/22/

Well done also to our student Aisling Byrne who was also shortlisted for the European Architectural Medals 'Best Diploma Project'. You can view Aisling's project here https://eam.uauim.ro/projects/2015/18/

European Architectural Medals - Best Diploma Projects is an annual European competition that awards excellence in crossing the threshold from education to profession. The competition is organised by: 

• University of Architecture and Urbanism Ion Mincu (UAUIM) 
• European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE)
• The Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE)

Skills and Careers Information

On graduating from the course you will have the ability to think critically about architecture. You will be able to form studies involving advanced spatial analysis and develop an innovative architectural design. You will also be able to apply an international context when designing. These are supported by your representational skills, including advanced analogue and digital media skills including 2D and 3D CAD and 3D Studio Max, and sophisticated model-making skills. Our graduates are highly sought for this range of expertise.

Many opportunities exist for our graduates both in Ireland and abroad, not only in the field of architecture, but also in other related spatial practices and disciplines, such as film, new media, and exhibition design. The way in which students investigate and develop their design thesis project also means that they are aware of the requirements of postgraduate research, and may choose to pursue available doctoral studies through a Ph.D. by Creative Practice.

Academic qualification equivalents

• Applicants should have an honours degree in a related subject.
• Indian applicants will normally be required to achieve a first class/first division mark in their undergraduate programme at a good institution of higher education in India. At the discretion of academic departments, students with degrees awarded by top universities such as the University of Mumbai, University of Delhi, University of Calcutta, and the University of Pune, may be accepted with high second class/high second division marks. 

English language requirements (one of the below):

• IELTS: 6.5  Minimum individual sections 5.5
• TOEFL: TOEFL 90  Listening - 17; Reading - 18; Speaking - 20; Writing 17
• PTE: 63 Minimum individual sections 51

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