About Architecture March in Ulster University

All the project work in the studio, and all the complementary academic work -such as the dissertation- are central to the holistic and integrated approach of the MArch. Students will be expected to relate and connect what they do across the different aspects of the course, which satisfies not only the Learning Outcomes and ARB/RIBA criteria, but which comes together in your own unique academic portfolio to showcase your ideas, knowledge and skills.

Year 1 of the MArch explores wider issues of architecture and how architectural thinking can be applied to a range of societal contexts. This is to widen the students perceptions, broaden debate and to consider issues at a wider scale than just individual buildings.

The overall intention of Year 1 is to progress from discussing wider global architectural issues to then progressively focus on a very particular context where you can explore different interpretations of what architecture means, before developing individual proposals based on rigorous investigation and research. The student will be required to compile their research and to share insights in a collaborative way.

Year 1 students will build on this exercise by undertaking an international study-trip to further inform your understanding of current issues and the relationship between project ideas and the urban/social context of the city in question. MArch students have previously investigated cities such as Boston, Berlin, Paris, Venice and Barcelona.

Year 2 of the MArch begins by exploring architectural ideas in a more oblique way than just starting a design thesis with a site and brief. These explorations will allow the student to cultivate potential ideas and research for their thesis project in a less linear way and which aims to enable them to position themselves relative to the wider culture and debates at an advanced level in the discipline of architecture.

These initial ‘conversations’ begin to open up debates and to focus on the value of individual positions, perceptions and narratives that are communicated through research-led making and drawing. Students are encouraged to experience a range of possibilities beyond the preconceptions of typical approaches to site analysis within the vertical studios.

After a series of initial projects, students move into the major work of the year – the thesis project. Thesis design documents are given out to act as a guide to enable the student to identify firstly what your project will be and to structure the shifting emphasis of the year from initial concepts and research through to a fully developed building design that is technically and poetically resolved.

The final year design thesis projects are all deliberately located in Belfast, to engage the city the School is rooted in. This allows a unique type of engagement with current issues and the changing urban nature of Belfast. This ‘city conversation’ is encouraged to highlight social needs, and urban aspirations in a city with such historically divided communities and social tensions. Projects can work in adjacent locations to build up an urban dialogue and aim to understand the different aspects and locations of the city. At the end of the year the projects are placed collectively on a city construct that show how they engage the overall city.

In combination with and alongside the vertical studio the Dissertation offers the student the opportunity to explore through personal research a specific theme, question or interest. This may relate (where possible) to the student's design thesis so as to allow consolidation of enquiry and effort and critical mass of exploration, but they can also make this an independent study if desired.

Students have the option to select a combination of text with another media output -such as objects, drawings, film, etc- as an alternative to the 10 000 word submission. This allows a material/media exploration that is possible within the Art School context.

Academic qualification equivalents

• Students who have successfully completed Standard XII examinations will be considered for entry onto our undergraduate degrees across the full disciplinary spectrum.

English language requirements (one of the below):

• IELTS :6.0 overall including 5.5 in all elements
• TOEFL IBT: 80 overall including R=18, L=17, S=20, W=17
• PTE: 56 R, L, S, W = 51

Ulster University Highlights

Ulster University Average Tuition Fees And Other Expenses

If you are an aspirant of the Ulster University, an estimated budget is the first thing that you must be planning after having made up your mind of applying at the institute in the upcoming session. For your ease, a list of expenses for international students in the UK is as compiled below.

Tuition Fee

Since fee for various courses at the institute varies, a tabulated description of fees for some of the courses is as follows:

For Full-Time Courses:

Postgraduate Studies

Cost of Living

Other expenses that you might want to consider apart from basic tuition while planning your financial budget is as mentioned below. Note that the amount is not university specific but general in nature.