XClose

The Bartlett School of Architecture

Home
Menu

Architectural & Interdisciplinary Studies BSc

Architectural & Interdisciplinary Studies is a unique degree, allowing you to combine the study of architecture with other modules from across UCL.


    About

    Ideal for students with a multidisciplinary skill set who enjoy making cross-curricular connections, Architectural & Interdisciplinary Studies BSc has both a three and four-year pathway, the latter including a year’s Study Abroad.

    This programme is unique in the UK, allowing you to tailor your own degree by taking modules at The Bartlett School of Architecture alongside other modules from across UCL. The greatest strength of the programme is its interdisciplinary nature. As such, it is ideal for highly motivated, independent students who are interested in architecture, design, and urban studies, but who also wish to take advantage of electives on offer elsewhere in UCL.


    Highlights

    • Learn key architectural ideas and spatial strategies at the world-leading Bartlett School of Architecture, working in state-of-the-art, bespoke facilities
    • Tailor your degree to your own fields of interest and take modules from across UCL, nurturing a unique knowledge and skill set
    • Be part of a select and close-knit community of students led by dedicated staff, many of whom are working practitioners and leaders in their field
    • Enjoy the opportunity to study abroad for a year and to take part in the UK’s biggest architecture Summer Show
    The Bartlett is a hotbed for creativity. We get to learn from leading practitioners and theorists, and every day we are encouraged to push the boundaries of architectural thought. 

    Rory Alexander, Architectural & Interdisciplinary Studies BSc student, 2019 

    This programme gives students unique freedom. I really enjoyed how intellectually demanding The Bartlett was from day one.

    Alexia Koch, Architectural & Interdisciplinary Studies BSc student, 2020. 


    Programme structure

    Years 1 & 2

    In their first and second years, students complete 120 credits. A minimum of 75 of these must be taken from modules within The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, and then up to 45 of the remaining credits may be comprised of elective modules offered by another UCL department of their choice. 

    Students can take elective modules at any level in another UCL department as long as they reach the entry requirements set by that module. They can apply via Portico and/or contact the department themselves in order to apply for the module, but advice and support will be given from The Bartlett at the beginning of the year.

    Year 3

    In their third year, students complete 120 credits. A minimum of 60 of these must be taken from modules within The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, whilst the remaining 60 can be comprised from electives within another UCL department of their choice. Unlike in Years 1 and 2 however, a minimum of 90 of these credits must be Advanced modules (FHEQ Level 6 modules), which are usually only offered on Year 3 programmes.


    Modules 

    Year 1

    Bartlett optional modules

    History of Cities and their Architecture (15 credits)

    Module coordinator: Mario Carpo

    Students are introduced to Western architectural and urban history, from the classical age to today, with a brief overview of architectural history outside of the Western canon. This module also introduces new methodologies of architectural history and theory, developed in the field of cultural studies.

    Making Cities: The Production of the Built Environment (15 credits)

    Module coordinator: Jonathan Kendall

    Students are taught about the relationship between architecture, planning and construction, learning how these teams come together to design and deliver projects, and how the accumulation of these projects shapes and is shaped by their urban context. Using London as their primary resource, students undertake critical and creative research into specific built and emerging projects within the city, exploring them through the production of short films.

    Architectural Investigation and Representation (15 credits)

    Module coordinator: Michelle Young and Tom Kendall

    Through a series of lectures, practical workshops and tutorials, students learn a variety of skills associated with architecture and related disciplines, such as observational drawing, photography, fabrication, casting and model-making. The skills learnt assist students in the production of a personal portfolio of creative work. 

    Design and Creative Practice I (15 credits)

    Module coordinators: Gabriel Warshafsky and Michelle Young, with Tom Kendall

    This module encourages students to develop an individual and distinct creative voice, researching the work of a range of architects, inventors, film-makers, composers, designers and writers, and developing their own creative skills. At the end of the module, students work in groups to produce a preliminary design proposal for a live exhibition, which demonstrates how broader cultural and social contexts might be explored through interdisciplinary creative practice.

    Architectural Research I (15 credits)

    Module coordinators: Sophie Read and Tom Keeley

    This module introduces students to non-conventional modes of contributing to architectural knowledge, such as situatedness and dissemination. They undertake research into buildings and spaces, critically analyse architectural data and evidence and learn to present and communicate architectural ideas in a variety of modes, voices and media. Students gain an awareness of different audiences within architecture and knowledge of how to engage with them. 


    Year 2

    Bartlett optional modules 

    History and Theory of Architecture (15 credits)

    Module coordinators: Nina Vollenbroker, Stelios Giamarelos and Eva Branscome

    This module develops students’ understanding of key moments in the history and theory of architecture, and the ways in which architectural knowledge is produced. Students study, amongst other things, 20th century architects and buildings, a range of key architects’ philosophies and approaches, the relationship between architecture and the arts, and the influence of architectural writing on architecture. 

    Computing for Design and Creative Practice (15 credits)

    Module coordinator: Bill Hodgson

    Through a series of skills-based sessions and practical workshops, students develop an understanding of the computer as a central tool in many aspects of production in the arts, culture and the built environment. Students gain knowledge about the roles and uses of computer-aided drawing, modelling and information exchange in three-dimensional design and gain skills in two and three-dimensional drawing, imaging and visualisation. 

    Design and Creative Practice II (15 – 30 credits)

    Module coordinators: Kirsty Badenoch and Tom Kendall

    Guided by studio-based individual and group tutorials, workshops and seminars, students further develop an understanding of, and an individual approach to, design and creative practice. Through a series of short project proposals students continue to improve their visual, aural and written skills in drafting, constructing, photography and writing. Proposals often incorporate objects, images and/or time-based media with text, as a means of speculating upon and developing and communicating an argument.

    Please note: This is predominantly a 30 credit module, but there is an option for students to add a further 15 credits of Design & Creative practice later in the year, bringing the overall number of credits 45, depending on their abilities and interests demonstrated in the first term. 

    Architectural Research II (15 credits)

    Module coordinators: Edwina Attlee and David Roberts 

    Students put the skills learnt in Architectural Research I into practice, through an 11-week group project on a theme selected by their tutors. Groups work towards producing an exhibition or publication on this theme, in which they lead on the research, organisation, design and presentation. Throughout their work, students are encouraged to think critically about the production, use and experience of architecture and its related fields.

    Greening Cities (15 credits)

    Module coordinator: Blanche Cameron 

    Students learn the principles and applications of biodiverse urban green infrastructure planning, design, implementation, management and care. Through exploring nature-based solutions creatively through a range of processes, they learn how to deliver ecosystem services and benefits as a key part of climate and ecological recovery.


    Year 3

    Bartlett compulsory modules 

    Students must take one or both of the following modules.

    Architectural Research III (30 credits)

    Module coordinator: Brent Carnell

    Students learn how to edit and produce a book, developing evaluative, analytical, critical and reflective skills through peer reviewing. Students work on an interdisciplinary architectural project of their own choosing, undertaking their own primary research, to write a chapter for a book, alongside developing content for a website or zine. 

    Design and Creative Practice III (30 – 45 credits)

    Module coordinators: Kevin Green and Freddy Tuppen, with Henrietta Williams

    Students further their understanding of and improve their approach to design and creative practice through a series of short projects. They are encouraged to define and hone the creative media design skills they have learnt in previous years. On completion of this module students gain the ability to respond to a set project brief in a critical and knowledgeable manner, develop their own project proposal, and demonstrate a particular understanding of existing architectural and design practices. 

    Please note: This is predominantly a 30 credit module, but there is an option for students to add a further 15 credits of Design & Creative practice later in the year, bringing the overall number of credits 45, depending on their abilities and interests demonstrated in the first term. 

    Bartlett optional modules

    History and Theory of Architecture and Cities (15 credits)

    Module coordinator: Nina Vollenbroker, Stelios Giamarelos and Eva Branscome

    This module introduces students to a range of historical and theoretical approaches and research methods, empowering them to productively engage with specific architectural and urban questions and themes. Students gain research and writing skills, as well as the knowledge to facilitate critical thought about the production, representation, use, experience and impact of architecture and cities, drawing out relationships between the past and present. 


    Key information

    Please note, this degree is not professionally accredited. If you are seeking a professionally accredited programme, you may want to consider another programme. 

    Entry requirements

    Application deadline

    Applications are now open for 2024 entry via UCAS. The deadline for applications is 31 January 2024.

    Fees and funding


    What our students say

    Architectural & Interdisciplinary Studies BSc allows you to tailor your degree to your interests and desired direction.
    The programme supports students in the pursuit and development of their own creative and critical voice, encouraging them to continually refine and criticise their chosen methods of space creation and representation.
    The experiences I have had have been fantastic and I believe the opportunities I have been offered are due to the range of skills I developed through such a formidable multidisciplinary education.
    The openness of the dissertation module gave me an opportunity to learn about a subject in which I had a great interest, and turned it from an interest into something about which I am passionate.

    Careers 

    Our graduates enjoy excellent employment opportunities and pursue careers in the fields of art, design, film, media, and curatorship, as well as related fields such as planning or project management.


    Contacts

    Programme Director: Sophie Read
    Departmental Tutor: Bill Hodgson
    Undergraduate admissions: Education & Student Experience team
    Programme administrator: Bethany Barnett-Sanders