#3 in South West for Teaching Quality
Bath Spa University is #3 in South West for Teaching Quality (Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023).

BA (Hons)
Undergraduate degree - single honours
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed under 'Typical offers' in the main column below. For combined courses, please check both subjects. If your qualification is not listed, please email admissions@bathspa.ac.uk with your specific details.
Where we live and work shapes who we are – whether we’re in a built or natural environment. On our Architecture degree, you’ll learn about the relationships between conservation, planning and the use and reuse of spaces in response to crucial issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss and supporting fair societies.
How we design, create, reinvent and repurpose our built environment is constantly evolving, and we’ll prepare you to be a responsive, resilient, flexible and imaginative practitioner. You’ll work on projects and live briefs with external collaborators from your first year on the course.
Bath is a World Heritage City that has always been at the cutting edge of architecture; the balance of old and new here is evident in everything from the city’s famous Georgian buildings to the recently redeveloped former Herman Miller factory site that has become Bath Spa University’s state-of-the-art Locksbrook Campus. BA Architecture at Bath Spa teaches you about buildings and materials in relation to their location and within their historic and future contexts.
Subject to the course being prescribed by the Architects Registration Board (ARB), our BA (Hons) Architecture course will form the undergraduate degree element of the Part One qualification towards becoming an architect (which also requires one year of professional practice after graduation).
Subject to successful validation of the course by Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), our course will also enable you to take the first steps to becoming an RIBA Chartered Architect once you hold a RIBA recognised Part One qualification (RIBA Affiliate Membership).
We encourage you to apply even if you have little experience of space planning or building design. Our Architecture degree will enable you and your fellow students to build on your diverse experiences. Together, you’ll develop skills in the foundations of architecture: design, drawing, making, planning, communication and collaboration.
You’ll learn to use new and emerging technologies, and develop skills in drawing, model-making, design processes and project management. You’ll engage with the materials of our built and natural environments: stone, glass, iron, wood, green landscapes, brick, copper, steel and waterways.
Designing our spaces, buildings, cities and landscapes is a collaborative process across design practices that involves practical and intellectual complexity, creativity and innovation. Through interdisciplinary work-based learning, BA (Hons) Architecture at Bath Spa provides you with theoretical understanding and practical experience, and develops your interpersonal, collaborative and professional skills.
Year one
Working on a range of projects, you’ll be introduced to the key practical and conceptual skills of architectural design. You’ll develop a solid foundation in research theories and methodologies to support your design skills as you start to understand and develop your own professional practice. Using our unique and interconnected local and regional environments as a starting point, you’ll also be introduced to the historical and theoretical contexts of architecture in relation to place, space, community, and our collective ethical and sustainability responsibilities to our environment.
Year two
You'll engage with complex, real-world projects and practice-based, peer-to-peer learning to continue to develop your practical, creative and professional skills. You’ll deepen and expand your architectural design knowledge. We’ll help you further develop your practical understanding of, and expertise in, research, project design and project management, and your ability to work collaboratively – an essential skill for all design professionals.
Year three
We’ll help you as you use your own creativity, knowledge and practical skills to successfully realise real-world collaborative and interdisciplinary projects. You’ll consolidate your experiences, expertise and professional practice into a comprehensive portfolio that clearly articulates the skills and professional experience you've developed during your BA Architecture degree.
Our Architecture course is entirely assessed by coursework. You'll be assessed by a variety of methods that may include:
We combine academic study with practice-based teaching. You’ll learn through a variety of activities including lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials, online activity and discussion, work-based learning, research projects and practical real-world projects.
Staff on this course offer access to a wide range of academic and practical expertise in the interconnected disciplines that make up architectural studies. You’ll benefit from one-to-one tutorials, workshops, peer-support and shared learning.
We work with you to ensure that what you learn on the BA Architecture degree translates into effective practice in the workplace, and develops your professional potential.
To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.
This course offers or includes the following modules. The modules you take will depend on your pathway or course combination (if applicable) as well as any optional or open modules chosen. Please check the programme document for more information.
As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.
The broad scope of skills developed on this course prepares you for a range of professional employment opportunities, both within and outside of architecture, including:
If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.
You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.
Develop a wealth of indispensable digital skills that you can take into your future career. One of only three Adobe Creative Campuses in the UK, we provide all Bath Spa students with access to the full Adobe Creative Suite, giving you the tools to communicate creatively, whatever your course or chosen professional field.
The course is taught at our RIBA Award-winning Locksbrook Campus.
As a BA Architecture student you’ll benefit from access to comprehensive digital workshops and specialist art and design facilities, including:
Locksbrook Campus is a Grade II listed building designed by Nicholas Grimshaw in 1976. It has now been transformed into an innovative, open plan space, redesigned to meet 21st century environmental standards, with technical workshops surrounded by flexible studio spaces and large social areas.
Locksbrook has received both a RIBA South West Award 2021 and RIBA National Award 2021, recognising and celebrating what an amazingly inspirational space it is to come together to design, make, do, create and learn in.
The preliminary and intensive Integrated Foundation in Art and Design is designed to develop your ideas, skills and confidence in readiness for progressing to year one of your degree programme.
This year provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.
By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.
Before your Professional Placement Year, you'll work to secure your placement, constructing a development plan with your module leader and your placement coordinator from our Careers and Employability team.
On your return to University for your final year, you'll submit your Placement Portfolio, detailing your development on your placement, for assessment.
Please note that the Professional Placement Year does not count towards the year of professional experience required for Part One of the qualifications to become an architect.
Please note: Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland are not generally eligible for the UK (Home) fee status. Please refer to the international student rate. Irish citizens and those granted Settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme are eligible for UK (Home) fee status. There are also other circumstances where this may apply: See UKCISA for more information.
Year 1 | £9,250 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2024 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2025 |
Year 1 | Published Jan 2024 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2025 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2026 |
Year 1 | Published Jan 2025 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2026 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2027 |
Year 1 | £4,625 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2024 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2025 |
Year 1 | Published Jan 2024 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2025 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2026 |
Year 1 | Published Jan 2025 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2026 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2027 |
Year 1 | £16,800 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2024 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2025 |
Year 1 | Published Jan 2024 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2025 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2026 |
Year 1 | Published Jan 2025 |
Year 2 | Published Jan 2026 |
Year 3 | Published Jan 2027 |
During the placement year, the fee is reduced to 20% of the full time fee. Otherwise, fees are the same as for full time study. This applies to UK, EU and International students.
We’re looking for motivated, committed students who wish to push the boundaries of their academic knowledge and get the best possible preparation for their future career. You’ll want to become a socially engaged global citizen, ready to make a difference.
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed below:
In addition, all applicants will normally be expected to hold a minimum grade C or 4 in GCSE Maths (or equivalent).
English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants
IELTS 6.0 - for visa nationals, with a minimum score of IELTS 5.5 in each element.
Course enquiries
For further information about BA Architecture or entry requirements, please email us at admissions@bathspa.ac.uk.
Ready to apply? Click the 'apply now' button in the centre of this page.
Need more guidance? Head to our how to apply webpages.
Applicants who meet the entry criteria will be invited by email to bring a portfolio of creative work to interview. Applicants will also be asked to bring a short piece of set work. Interview will take place at our Locksbrook Campus. More details will be supplied on invitation.
Course leader: Ian Parkes
Email: i.parkes2@bathspa.ac.uk
Website feedback to web@bathspa.ac.uk