Our Architectural Design MA is a pre-professional programme to help you develop a specialist approach to architectural thinking and design execution. This is an internationally popular course that attracts students from across the world and currently offers entry to the rigorous design teaching and enquiry-based learning that we offer at the Leicester School of Architecture (LSA). You will join a community of academics, practitioners and students that is co-designing new ways of thinking and you will be supported to tackle current real-world challenges while proposing new futures.

We provide state-of-the-art facilities for you to realise your ambitions, with workshops offer cutting-edge digital fabrication facilities, alongside a wide range of craft workshops, where you can innovate with materials and processes.

You will benefit from the LSA’s extensive national and international lecture series, attracting leading academics and professionals from around the world. Working both collaboratively and individually, you will undertake design projects in various contexts, while gaining skills in visualisation and fabrication. As a graduate you will be empowered to take a personal and critical position in the globalised architectural world, with the expertise to pursue careers in allied industries including planning, architectural conservation, urban design, facilities, estate and project management.

Key features

• Join a community that is co-designing new ways of thinking and meaningfully challenging conventions to redefine the future of architectural practice.
• Learn both collaboratively in groups and through personalised teaching experiences with our advanced enquiry-based approach.
• Our enquiry-led approach will encourage you to boldly explore your ideas and learn from your mistakes in a way that will shape your future design choices.
• This programme helps you master both professional and research skills that will enable you to address the future challenges of sustainable architecture and development.
• The integrative nature of the programme will provide you with an understanding of the situational structure of architecture and can serve as a foundation for a more fully developed human ecology.
• Your dedicated tutors come from industry, practice and research, which ensures your work is responding to contemporary, real-world issues that are grounded in both theory and practice.
• Forge important and international connections for potential partnerships by working closely and collaboratively with students in your cohort.
• Our award-winning Vijay Patel building has been designed to provide the space and facilities where all of our art and design students can develop their ideas and flourish.

Structure and assessment

Modules

Term one

Research Methods 
This component introduces systematic techniques required for research, analysis and synthesis in design and architecture. Establishes an understanding of the theoretical architectural debate

Principles and Methods
Based on a number of directed theoretical options offered to students as ‘streams’ this component offers a directed theoretical approach taught in labs, seminars, or lectures. The form of assessment includes essays or projects. ‘Streams’ may include Phenomenology, Design Computation, Contextual Design, Critical Theory and Urban Approaches.

Design Research Lab 1 
Based on a number of directed theoretical options offered to students as ‘streams’ as above, this component tests actualising a selected theoretical approach in a design context. The form of assessment is in a design project.

Term two

Architectural Discourse
Based on a number of directed theoretical options offered to students as ‘streams’ as above, this component offers a theoretical seminar series. The form of assessment is projects or essays.

Design Research Lab 2 
This component develops the strategic application of theoretical and design ideas, synthesising knowledge from the earlier stages of the course, assessed in design projects. This project may include overseas travel.

Term three

Major Project
This component involves a thesis project/dissertation.

Note: All modules are subject to change in order to keep content current.

Facilities and features