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Urban Design MArch

London, Bloomsbury

Urban Design MArch is a design-oriented and project-based programme, with a strong research component. Students work within a studio environment to explore how our cities can be improved with innovative design, and informed by theoretical research on the special structure of urban form.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£17,300
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£37,500
Duration
1 calendar year
Programme starts
September 2024
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 05 Apr 2024

Applications closed

Applicants who do not require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 30 Aug 2024

Applications closed

Find similar courses still open

Entry requirements

A minimum of a second-class UK degree in an appropriate subject or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Applicants with extensive experience in the field may also be considered. A design/creative portfolio is also expected. Applicants will be asked to submit a portfolio of their design work once their completed application has been received, and should not send or upload work until it has been requested.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 1

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The programme aims to bridge the gap between architecture and urbanism, and has a strong emphasis on physical design and radical experimentation, combined with rigorous analysis and state-of-the-art theories and methodologies. Students explore design decisions at both a strategic level and the more detailed level of urban regeneration.

Who this course is for

The programme is designed for both recent graduates and qualified professionals who wish to be part of an experimental design environment dealing with the future of our cities. The majority of candidates come from an architecture background, but a small percentage come from other disciplines including social sciences, planning, engineering and geography.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

The programme brings together designers and thinkers from across the world for design-led research into the challenges of urban living. Students explore new ideas for the city through the development of design experiments, which speak to the most pressing contemporary issues, such as climate change and the role of digital technologies.

Students work with internationally renowned experts in cutting-edge design and fabrication. They are encouraged to pursue an experimental approach, which combines design techniques, theoretical investigations and digital skills, using specialist tools and technology. They develop an awareness of computation as a cultural condition shaping our culture, and a powerful paradigm for generating design proposals.

The Bartlett School of Architecture helps students to prepare for successful careers in a range of fields. We aim to be an exciting and innovative place to study architecture, located in the heart of London with global perspectives. Our students have the opportunity to develop their creativity, curiosity and dynamism, and learn the skills they need to build a better future for people and the planet. Our school is consistently ranked highly in UK and global league tables, and our staff are at the forefront of international research and teaching with award-winning buildings all over the globe.

The Bartlett is the UK's largest multidisciplinary Faculty of the Built Environment. Our work is all about human spaces. That means physical structures like homes, buildings and cities, but also the invisible structures that govern these things: political and legal systems; financial frameworks and social norms; even our understanding of the past, present and future. Combining design, history, theory, digital representations and models across all of these areas, we understand the structures shaping society today – and we work to make them fairer and more prosperous.

The Bartlett is ranked #1 in the world for Architecture and the Built Environment and remains #1 in the UK for the ninth year in a row (QS World University Subject Rankings 2023), and our research is recognised as internationally leading (UK REF 2021).

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Having built up a specialist expertise in urban design, gradates from this programme enjoy a reputation as forward thinkers in cities around the world. Recent graduate destinations have included design agencies and architectural practices, as well as further academic research.

Employability

The Bartlett School of Architecture is recognised as one of the world's leading schools of architecture and graduates from our Master's programmes are highly sought after. 

Networking

The Bartlett School of Architecture hosts numerous events throughout the year that feature industry guests and networking opportunities. These include lecture series, seminars, conferences, symposiums, book launches, and show launch events. The school also hosts a Future Practice event each year that links students with employers. 

Additionally, there are a broad range of university-wide career events to help current students and recent graduates develop their employability skills, explore different sectors, increase commercial awareness, build professional networks and more.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, case-study presentations, site visits and field trips.

As a project-orientated programme, all theoretical research work and experimental design exploration culminates in physical design propositions for specific design projects. Assessment is through design portfolio, essays, oral presentations and a written design report.

Across terms 1, 2 and 3 full-time students can typically expect an average of 10 contact hours per teaching week through a mixture of lectures, seminars, introductory workshops, crits and tutorials. During the summer period students will be completing their own final projects, keeping contact with their design tutors where necessary.

The contact hours usually include a one week field trip organised by individual studios

Outside of directed teaching full-time students typically study the equivalent of a full-time job, using their remaining time for self-directed study and completing coursework assignments.

Modules

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of four core modules (105 credits) and an urban design final project (75 credits).

Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded a MArch in Urban Design.

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Compulsory modules







Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MArch in Urban Design.

Fieldwork

This programme includes one annual, optional field trip. 

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Architecture March at The Bartlett School of Architecture

—

Discover master’s degrees in architecture, urban design, planning, construction, sustainability, innovation, and policy at The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment. Our programmes offer pathways to shape better cities, build sustainable communities, and address challenges facing the future of the built environment. Join over 4,000 students from 50+ countries at the world’s #1 ranked institution for built environment studies (QS World University Rankings 2024).

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Architecture March at The Bartlett School of Architecture

—

Discover master’s degrees in architecture, urban design, planning, construction, sustainability, innovation, and policy at The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment. Our programmes offer pathways to shape better cities, build sustainable communities, and address challenges facing the future of the built environment. Join over 4,000 students from 50+ countries at the world’s #1 ranked institution for built environment studies (QS World University Rankings 2024).

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Master's Degrees at The Bartlett Development Planning Unit (Session 1)

—

Discover master’s degrees in architecture, urban design, planning, construction, sustainability, innovation, and policy at The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment. Our programmes offer pathways to shape better cities, build sustainable communities, and address challenges facing the future of the built environment. Join over 4,000 students from 50+ countries at the world’s #1 ranked institution for built environment studies (QS World University Rankings 2024).

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £17,300
Tuition fees (2024/25) £37,500

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

There is an annual, optional field trip for this programme, which costs students a maximum of £500 each. We estimate that students spend between £300-£600 on specialist materials throughout the programme.

All students work differently so costs incurred depend on the approach they take to the brief given. The school encourages students to use recycled materials in their models and presentations, not only is it sustainable, but also cost effective and potentially innovative. The school also offers subsidies for exhibition costs. 

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

In our faculty, The Bartlett Promise Scholarship aims to enable students from backgrounds underrepresented in the built environment to pursue master's studies. Please see the UK Master's scholarship and Sub-Saharan Africa Master's scholarship pages for more information on eligibility criteria, selection process and FAQs.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Bartlett Promise Sub-Saharan Africa Masters Scholarship

Deadline: 3 April 2024
Value: Fees, stipend and other allowances (Duration of programme)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Bartlett Promise UK Master's Scholarship

Deadline: 31 May 2024
Value: Tuition fees plus £15,364 maintenance/yr (Duration of programme)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

UCL East London Scholarship

NOW CLOSED FOR 2024/25 ENTRY
Value: Tuition fees plus £15,700 stipend ()
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Urban Design at graduate level
  • why you want to study Urban Design at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to the chosen programme
  • what your intellectual ambitions are
  • your understanding of working practices in the field
  • your awareness of issues relating to the subject
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

We recommend that you apply for a maximum of two programmes. Multiple applications are less likely to result in an offer of admission.

Tier 4 Student Visa holders are advised to meet the English language proficiency of their offer no later than the end of June, in order to allow sufficient time to obtain a CAS number and visa.

To accept your offer, you must pay the non-refundable fee deposit within 4 weeks and decline any other offers for programmes at the Bartlett School of Architecture. If you do not respond within 3 weeks, your offer will be withdrawn.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Got questions? Get in touch

Bartlett School of Architecture
Bartlett School of Architecture

roberto.bottazzi@ucl.ac.uk

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