Architect, Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship MArch / PGDip

Architectural Theory and Research Methods

20 credit points

• Supported by lectures and student-led seminars, this module will introduce you to a variety of current research in architecture and related areas, and discuss their relevance in relation to design and present day architectural thinking.
• You’ll look at key issues including the influence of history and theory in spatial, social, cultural and technological aspects of architecture; theories of urban design, cities past and present and the influence of fine art; epistemological and philosophical trajectories underpinning architectural research; and, humanities-based inquiry and the role of technology.
• By considering relevant methodologies, conducting literature reviews and establishing research questions, you’ll develop and extend your methods of analysis and interpretation in architectural thinking an design.

Management, Practice and Law

20 credit points

• This module addresses professional issues relating to the architectural and construction industry, including the architect’s role in the process of procurement, building production and compliance with legislation.
• The purpose of the module is to strengthen your experience from your Part 1 qualification and from your time in industry.
• You’ll explore issues of ethics, health and safety, codes of conduct, legal rights and responsibilities, as well as looking at areas of business strategy, marketing and practice. You’ll also consider legal responsibilities including briefing, contracts, negotiation, time and fee management, procurement options, warranties and post-occupancy evaluation.

Dissertation/Research Project

20 credit points

• This module serves as the culmination of the research methods module in Year One, giving you the opportunity to demonstrate your advanced research methodology, analytical and interpretation skills.
• You’ll produce an extended piece of academic research in an appropriate area related to your field of study; the format can either be a written dissertation, or a research project combining both written content and empirical work, such as laboratory-based experimentation or field work.
• Student-led research is at the heart of this module, which will be supported by group and individual tutorials with allocated supervisors.

Research Implementation

20 credit points

• Building upon the foundations of good practice established in your Architectural Theory and Research Methods module, this module takes the findings or recommendations developed in your concurrent Dissertation / Research Project module and applies them to a practice-based project in order to test their external validity and relevance.
• This module requires you to apply your findings to a situation encountered in your own workplace. It will test your ability to interpret and critically evaluate research findings, develop complex design ideas underpinned by research and analyse how design ideas reflect social, political, economic and professional issues in architectural practice, the construction industry and related professions.
• You'll work closely with your Employment Mentor on an approved coursework brief that explores the applicability of your research findings in context and in different situations.

This will be a work-based learning module in the form of an applied research project or similar.

Vertical Studio II

20 credit points

• The Vertical Studio module in Year Two will be delivered alongside Year One students, however you will now be expected to take a mentor and leadership role, supervised by a visiting practitioner or academic.
• You will have grown and matured in your design approaches, therefore this module offers the opportunity to demonstrate your ability and widen your understanding of the scope and challenge of current and emerging architectural issues.
• As in the Vertical Studio module in Year One, you will explore a complex technical condition, with a focus on the relationship between context, structure, material, environment and users. You will develop your own personal leadership and design mentorship skills in your work with Year One MArch Architecture students.

Design Thesis

60 credit points

• This studio project module forms the key design module in Year Two. Your design thesis is the culmination of design work in your MArch Architecture in Practice award, and is a demonstration of your advanced architectural design ability, your ability to apply technological, material and environmental knowledge, and show a clear understanding of contemporary architectural debates.
• You will develop and execute an extensive, complex design project, showing originality in the application of subject knowledge, exploring themes including architecture, urban design and technology.

RIBA Part 3 Exam 1: Practice Management

30 credit points

This module is studied in conjunction with the Project Management module and assessed via office based exam.

• The module is designed to enable you to demonstrate you have met the ARB/RIBA Part 3 criteria, qualifying you to pass through the apprenticeship gateway and to present yourself for the EPA process.
• Your learning will require you to draw on experiences from your workplace – especially those captured in your RPE sheet reflections – as well as your broader understanding of architectural practice and management, including professional ethics, regulations, conduct and discipline, external factors affecting national and international construction, practice structures, legal status, business styles, personnel management, business planning, finances, quality management, planning and leadership.
• The module places a strong emphasis on group learning, reinforcing your teamwork skills alongside promoting the role of workplace teamwork as a learning situation for all stakeholders, considering the interests of the UK construction industry as a whole.
• You'll compare your experience to those of your course mates, which will provide you with insights into a broader range of practice situations.

RIBA Part 3 Exam 2: Project Management

30 credit points

This module is studied in conjunction with the Practice Management module and assessed via office based exam.

• The module is designed to enable you to demonstrate you have met the ARB/RIBA Part 3 criteria, qualifying you to pass through the apprenticeship gateway and to present yourself for the EPA process.
• Your learning will require you to draw on experiences from your workplace – especially those captured in your RPE sheet reflections – as well as your broader understanding of areas including client management, organising and programming services, Architects' contracts, budget and financial awareness and cost monitoring, coordination and integration of design teams, intellectual property rights, copyright law, professional liability, external factors affecting national and international construction, practice structures, legal status, business styles, personnel management, business planning, finances, quality management, planning and leadership.
• The module places a strong emphasis on group learning, reinforcing your teamwork skills alongside promoting the role of workplace teamwork as a learning situation for all stakeholders, considering the interests of the UK construction industry as a whole.
• You'll compare your experience to those of your course mates, which will provide you with insights into a broader range of practice situations.

Record of Practical Experience (RPE) sheets

• This module provides the framework for demonstrating how you meet the qualification requirements to have completed the equivalent of at least 24 months of supervised professional practice experience before undertaking your Part 3 examination.
• Throughout the Degree Apprenticeship you'll be required to record your work-based experience using RPE sheets, including provision (signed and dated) by your Employment Mentor based upon quarterly appraisal meetings in which the information recorded has been reviewed and discussed.
• Your completed RPE sheets are then to be submitted to your Professional Studies Advisor (PSA), who will provide written feedback (signed and dated) intended to assist you in your progression towards Part 3 qualification. You are expected to respond to your PSA’s feedback in your reflections within the RPE sheets related to the next 3 months’ experience in practice.

Case Study: Design Challenge Report

• The Case Study is an integral part of the End-Point Assessment process associated with the Architect Apprenticeship, and therefore be assessed by an Independent End Point Assessor and Industry Expert who are independent of NTU’s teaching team. This module centres around your development and production of an illustrated report related to a challenging design project that you have recently completed in the workplace. You will be required to identify critical issues and incidents, and to discuss how they were addressed – or how they should have been addressed – in evidence of your command of the professional knowledge, skills and behaviours demanded of an Architect in practice.
• This module provides the opportunity to demonstrate how you have met design obstacles and concerns in the workplace in relation to a project that has demanded the exercise of a wide range of professional knowledge, skills and behaviours. As part of the Case Study, you will be required to undertake a ‘Design Challenge’ in their workplace after the Gateway. The subject of the Design Challenge must be agreed between you, your Employer, and NTU within 4 weeks of the EPA starting date. You will collate evidence that you are able confidently to exercise good judgement in resolving problems associated with difficult situations, using analytical skills reinforced by appropriate reference to specific sources of guidance and information. The exact nature of the project described and analysed in your Case Study will vary according to your particular employment situation. The subject and content of your study, together with the approach to be adopted, will be negotiated and agreed with your Professional Studies Advisor (PSA) in advance.
• The module requires you to identify, reflect and critically evaluate the processes and procedures followed in a project with which you have been personally engaged from inception through to completion, as a means of demonstrating the breadth and depth of your familiarity with the knowledge required of a practising architect and your personal competency to carry the lead responsibility in such situations.

Professional Interview: Career Appraisal

15 credit points

• The Career Appraisal is an integral part of the End-Point Assessment (EPA) process associated with the Architect Apprenticeship, and it will be the basis for the Professional Interview carried out by an Independent End Point Assessor and Industry Expert. It will therefore be assessed by individuals who are independent of NTU’s teaching team.
• This module marks the final stage in an architect’s education and training, and is intended to provide the foundation for life-long learning and development as a member of the architectural profession. As the profession embraces a wide variety of practices of different sizes and organisational structures, many specialising in particular forms of development or sectors of the construction industry, it is appropriate that membership (via registration with the ARB) should be dependent upon the recommendations of Independent Professional Assessors committed to ensuring consistency in terms of the quality of candidates presenting themselves for entry. Therefore, the EPA process requires each apprentice to engage in an one-hour oral interview with an Independent End Point Assessor and an Industry Expert, who will review their route through academic and practical experience towards qualification, and their aspirations for the future, in order to determine their suitability for admission to the ARB register.
• The material presented should therefore be written to the standard of a job application, with detailed attention to the quality of language and presentation, and a concern for the consistent display of professionalism. The minimum standard expected in the EPA is that of an ordinary, competent practitioner exercising the duties of skill and care that are considered reasonable for an architect working on buildings of medium complexity at the outset of their professional career.

Completing your Apprenticeship

To achieve the apprenticeship, all apprentices must complete an End-Point Assessment (EPA). The EPA is an independent assessment that ascertains whether an apprentice is competent in their occupation.

Gateway

Gateway is the period of time between the end of the off-the-job training (practical period) and the beginning of the assessment period when EPA will take place.

At Gateway, the apprentice, employer and training provider will review the apprentice’s knowledge, skills and behaviours to determine whether they are ready to take their EPA. This is normally done at a Gateway review meeting which takes place near the end of the apprenticeship. At this meeting, all three parties will check that the mandatory aspects of the apprenticeship have been completed and that the apprentice is ready to take their final assessment(s).

Apprentices must meet the Gateway requirement set out in the assessment plan before taking their EPA.

End-Point Assessment

This apprenticeship is integrated. This means that the end-point assessment is administered by Nottingham Trent University and is usually linked to the academic award that apprentices study whilst in their off-the-job training period. The assessments are conducted by Independent End-Point Assessors who have been selected to assess apprentices against industry-specific competences.

Details of the assessment elements can be found in the assessment plan.

There are two elements to this end-point assessment:

1. Professional Interview supported by Career Appraisal
2. Case Study

Successful completion of this apprenticeship will give access to Chartered Membership of the Royal Institute of British Architects following successful registration with the Architects Registration Board (ARB).