Architectural Studies BSc

At the heart of your experience at the Welsh School of Architecture will be the design project work that is core to the practice of architecture. Design project work is carried out in our purpose-built physical design studios; here you can work with your fellow students, share ideas and provide mutual support. Your studies will be shaped by exposure to world-leading teacher-practitioners and researchers who, through weekly tutorials, will encourage you to develop new creative approaches to design. You’ll be encouraged to experiment with design, take creative risks and expand your thinking. 

As well as independent study, lectures will explore the contextual issues that inform design project work. Individual and small group tutorials and consultancies will provide feedback and feedforward on your work. Field trips and site visits provide an opportunity to experience architecture, places, and spaces first-hand, and to analyse contexts, cultures and communities to inform your design studies.

How will I be supported?

You will be supported in a number of ways throughout your learning experience. We host regular year meetings for you and the rest of your cohort to discuss year-wide matters, and for us to listen and respond to your feedback. Module level support is provided by module leaders, and support for design projects and dissertations is provided by a Design Tutor.

You will meet with your Personal Tutor regularly to reflect on your progress and development, and the University also has a student-led mentoring service to support you through your studies. 

You will have access to all course materials, including lecture recordings, handouts, details of all assessments, assessment criteria and links to digital resources, via the Cardiff University Virtual Learning Environment.

Beyond the School, the University offers a range of services to help you with your career planning and runs events to help you manage your emotional, mental and physical health, support with financial issues, and support for students with disabilities.

How will I be assessed?

You will experience a range of different approaches to assessment, which allow you to demonstrate your learning across the subject and to gain valuable feedback which can be applied to future learning. 

As with other creative subjects, much of your assessment will be through coursework. This may be subject specific, such as a technical report or a portfolio of collated studies from one or more subjects. Through your design portfolio you will demonstrate your studio project work and include evidence of learning across the range of modules you have studied. Design Project Reviews, where you present your project work to a panel of reviewers, provide valuable feedback to inform your project work. Reflective portfolios will assess personal insight on knowledge, observation and experiences within and across subjects and the discipline.  

Career prospects

A degree in architecture opens up a range of opportunities across the world. Our ‘grounded creativity’ approach to design supports the development of graduates who are ready for professional practice, with the confidence and awareness to undertake professional responsibilities.

We have a strong record of employability and further study following graduation. During your studies we’ll support you to prepare a professional CV and portfolio. You’ll have access to dedicated career events and opportunities to learn from active architects and industry consultants, many of whom regularly advertise for graduate positions in the school.

We’re committed to ensuring you develop the six graduate attributes; skills that the University has identified are key skills valued by industry and employers. As a Cardiff graduate you will be:

• Collaborative
• An effective communicator
• Ethically, socially, and environmentally aware
• An independent and critical thinker
• Innovative, enterprising, and commercially aware
• Reflective and resilient

Our emphasis on collaborative and ethical practice will encourage you to develop a personal stance on the impact and influence of architecture on a global society.

Typically, graduates go on to proceed with their training to become registered architects. Previous graduates have also found the BSc is a good foundation for entry into other creative and design disciplines, going on to roles in web design, product design, automotive design, set design, graphic design or illustration, architectural journalism, photography, architectural history and craft/maker-based disciplines.

The majority of our graduates proceed to a career in architectural practice, and are found in many eminent practices in the UK and across the world.

Graduate careers

• Architect
• Urban Designer
• Research Officer