The MArch Architecture (Professional) programme expands the ‘hands-on’ ethos of our highly esteemed BArch Architecture course to integrate industry and research further as the next step in your development as an architect. Accredited by both RIBA and ARB you will engage with the very latest thinking and technologies in architecture and urban design to foster innovative applications for our global future. The programme has been developed according to the new accreditation framework and ARB’s Academic competency Outcomes.
The programme is structured around a student-centred learning approach and ‘research by design’ pedagogy that provides a flexible framework from which you can deliver design experimentation and entrepreneurial thinking by taking advantage of the broad ecosystem of actors and resources that our integrated design lab approach affords.
The programme is delivered at our Loughborough campus across both years of study. Teaching combines lectures and studio‑based learning, supported by several practice visits and residential study trips that enhance your engagement with contemporary architectural contexts. Throughout the course, you will have full access to dedicated studio spaces, VR and digital fabrication labs, and over 3,000m² of specialist workshops, enabling the development, construction, and testing of full‑scale design prototypes. We also use our London Campus as a base for trips and seminars.
A central focus of the programme is the second year (M2) research‑led design module that integrates the dissertation, technical appraisal and global future modules into a holistic, studio‑based approach to architectural design and entrepreneurship. This framework encourages rigorous inquiry, innovation, and the development of new design responses to global challenges.
Design projects focus on specialised areas of design research to establish a unique identity for each project, allowing you to test speculative lines of enquiry as part of an iterative and reflective design process. This provides opportunities to develop visionary, technically grounded and robust design propositions. Each student has an allocated workspace, which allows cross-fertilisation of ideas for the formation of a lively, tight-knit creative culture.
Loughborough University holds an annual Architecture End of Year Show to celebrate the year's achievements and showcase student work across all years to practitioners interested in hiring our students and graduates.