Architecture BSc (Hons)

Sheffield Hallam University

Please check the Sheffield Hallam University website for the latest information.

Course summary

• Study a pioneering course in the field of sustainable architecture and design.
• Realise your creative potential to evolve environmental and sustainable architecture for the 21st Century.
• Explore social and political issues of architecture through design projects set within a broad range of rural and urban contexts.
• Study the culture, history and theory of architecture to inform your design projects.
• Learn digital modelling and CAD to the most up-to-date industry standards.

On this course, you'll join a highly-regarded and successful department, developing a range of practical and technical skills. You'll learn to think creatively and communicate effectively on a range of exciting projects.

How you learn

All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.

Design projects are the core of the course, and a significant part of teaching takes part in the design studio.

You will learn to conceptualise, analyse and develop your creative imagination, applying this to design problems which increase in complexity throughout the course. Design projects simulate the real-world skills used in architectural practice.

Year 1 has a small-scale and domestic focus with an emphasis on environmental principles and three-dimensional investigation through making and drawing.

Year 2 has a larger urban scale and international focus and is designed to expand knowledge, imagination, confidence and skills. The year is centred on a European field trip.

Year 3 has a strong social and environmental focus with design projects located in the UK.

You learn through:

• weekly studio-based design tutorials
• lectures and seminars
• practical workshops
• field trips within the UK and Europe
• digital classes
• visits to important architecture and places
• visits to current architectural practices
• lectures and talks from practicing architects
• specialist consultants from industry
• You may also be able to work or study abroad with the possibility of funding through the Turing scheme.

Applied learning

Project-based learning

All three years of the course are structured around applied learning. This links your studies to real-world situations.

The course seeks to train architects who care about people and the environment, and who appreciate how architecture can have a positive impact on society. Modules in the history and theory of architecture look deep into social and cultural issues, and help to explain how architecture is connected to them. Design projects then apply this knowledge and understanding.

A range of software is used for Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Building Information Modelling (BIM), which together allow exploration of the design and the creation of a data-rich environment.

Field trips

Field study trips within the UK and Europe broaden your understanding of architecture within contemporary contexts, and prepare you for a variety of scenarios which you will find in practice.

Extracurricular activities, organised with our active architecture student society (SHarc), include hands-on workshops and a guest lecture series where students invite practitioners to discuss current issues and concerns.

Networking opportunities

Employers and practitioners are invited as studio tutors or visiting lecturers to engage with students.

We have strong connections with regional and national practices, which allow for excellent employment opportunities. This is aided by industry employer events, such as our end of year exhibition preview, and is aided further by a dedicated employability team. In Year 3 you will undertake 120 hours of work experience to support your future career.