The BA Hons Architecture programme is a first step in a professional career in architecture. The programme offers students a range of approaches to architectural design through studio-based tutorial groups or units. Each unit explores a different aspect of architectural design, ranging from new technologies, emerging social conditions and contemporary cultural contexts, to more abstract aesthetic and theoretical concerns. Within each year of the programme, design accounts for 50% of the marks with a central emphasis on developing high level design skills and the ability to create and communicate complex architectural ideas. Students explore the visual and tactile world, learning visual and drawing skills and the use of computer software. Design projects are supported by studies in the history of architecture, sustainability, architectural practice, contemporary theory and technology. Themes for design work are set at the start of each academic year; critiques of student work are made at the middle and end of each semester. Visits to art galleries, museums and important buildings, and lectures by eminent speakers are vital to the programme. Students are encouraged to attend field courses abroad, usually during the second and final years.

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