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Architecture Professional Certificate

  • Level(s) of Study: Professional
  • Start Date(s): Flexible start date, supporting you for a maximum of 15 months
  • Duration: 15 months
  • Study Mode(s): Part-time
  • Campus: City Campus
  • Entry Requirements:
    More information

Introduction:

This course is designed to support graduates from a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Part 1 accredited qualification in architecture, who are undertaking experience in professional practice, prior to entry on a Part 2 course.

The course aims to provide easy access to professional, work-related and educational advice, at the same time as monitoring and helping you interpret your practice-based experience. This is recognised by the RIBA and the Architects Registration Board (ARB) as part of the UK system for ensuring high quality entrants to the profession. Whilst not a mandatory requirement for progression, it's an excellent opportunity for formal support from leading academics.

Why study this course?

  • Benefit from full NTU student status - enrolment on this course entitles you to use of the University's industry-standard facilitieslibrary and learning spaces.
  • Develop your personal design style, supported by a University with a strong design heritage; NTU began life as the Nottingham Government School of Design in 1843. Your learning is also underpinned by the School’s significant expertise as a built environment educator.
  • Access NTU's NOW e-platform, a space to share relevant content and facilitate discussion with your peers. You'll also be encouraged to communicate regularly with your Professional Studies Advisor, either face-to-face or by email.
  • Take advantage of NTU's expert Employability team, who can assist with refining your CV, developing professional skills, and sourcing relevant employment opportunities.
  • Benefit from a peer-to-peer support network, facilitated by a series of recall days that you'll be invited to attend. Have the opportunity to meet with other practising professionals at a similar career stage, expanding you industry network.

You might also be interested in

  • We offer an MArch Architecture course here at NTU, which satisfies the educational requirements for the RIBA Part 2. It is prescribed the ARB for the purpose of entry on to the UK Register of Architects.
  • If you’re interested in pursuing a career as an architect, you will need to complete an ARB/RIBA Part 1 qualification, before progressing to our MArch Architecture course for Part 2. We offer a BArch (Hons) Architecture qualification at NTU to fulfil the education requirements for Part 1, which is studied full-time over three years.

This course is designed to support graduates from a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Part 1 accredited qualification in architecture, who are undertaking experience in professional practice, prior to entry on a Part 2 course.

The course aims to provide easy access to professional, work-related and educational advice, at the same time as monitoring and helping you interpret your practice-based experience. This is recognised by the RIBA and the Architects Registration Board (ARB) as part of the UK system for ensuring high quality entrants to the profession. Whilst not a mandatory requirement for progression, it's an excellent opportunity for formal support from leading academics.

Why study this course?

  • Benefit from full NTU student status - enrolment on this course entitles you to use of the University's industry-standard facilities, library and learning spaces.
  • Develop your personal design style, supported by a University with a strong design heritage; NTU began life as the Nottingham Government School of Design in 1843. Your learning is also underpinned by the School’s significant expertise as a built environment educator.
  • Access NTU's NOW e-platform, a space to share relevant content and facilitate discussion with your peers. You'll also be encouraged to communicate regularly with your Professional Studies Advisor, either face-to-face or by email.
  • Take advantage of NTU's expert Employability team, who can assist with refining your CV, developing professional skills, and sourcing relevant employment opportunities.
  • Benefit from a peer-to-peer support network, facilitated by a series of recall days that you'll be invited to attend. Have the opportunity to meet with other practising professionals at a similar career stage, expanding you industry network.

You might also be interested in

  • We offer an MArch Architecture course here at NTU, which satisfies the educational requirements for the RIBA Part 2. It is prescribed the ARB for the purpose of entry on to the UK Register of Architects.
  • If you’re interested in pursuing a career as an architect, you will need to complete an ARB/RIBA Part 1 qualification, before progressing to our MArch Architecture course for Part 2. We offer a BArch (Hons) Architecture qualification at NTU to fulfil the education requirements for Part 1, which is studied full-time over three years.

What you’ll study

Your Professional Studies Advisor

You'll be allocated a Professional Studies Advisor, who will support you in evidencing your experience gained in practice via Records of Practical Experience ('RPE sheets' - our purpose-designed alternative to the online Professional Experience and Development Records system). Such records are a mandatory component of the RIBA Examination in Professional Practice and Management, in conjunction with your Part 3 studies.

Please note that this course doesn't represent a placement programme; instead it can be understood as a 'graduate monitoring service', offered in relation to professional practice.

Recall days

Four times a year, you'll be invited to participate in a recall day; this is a day of lectures, seminars and case study presentations at, or near, NTU. You'll be encouraged to discuss your work experience and compare with your peers. Such exercises will broaden your awareness of the variety of work-based situations encountered, and the lessons these may offer in terms of professional practice.

In the interests of ensuring flexibility and relevance, you'll be invited to suggest some of the content for lectures to be offered, and for questions to be addressed in seminars.

How you’re taught

How will I learn?

  • You'll be supported for a period of up to fifteen months. This reflects the period of time that Part 1 graduates tend to spend in practice, before proceeding to a Part 2 course.
  • Start dates are flexible, and can be negotiated based on your needs.
  • This course is suitable for students who don't live near NTU. Support will be provided via one-to-one tutorials on a face-to-face basis, or can be conducted via email if this better suits.

How you'll be assessed

You'll be awarded the Professional Certificate in Architecture (PCiA) upon review of a professional diary that you're required to maintain, recording reflections on your experience over the fifteen month support period.

Staff Profiles

Anthony Dalby - Senior Lecturer

School of Architecture Design and the Built Environment

Anthony Dalby is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment

Careers and employability

Following completion of the PCiA, students generally continue in the professional pathway in architecture, either securing a place on a Part 2 course, such as our MArch Architecture course, or extending professional practice, gaining more than one year of professional experience, before applying to a Part 2 course.

NTU Enterprise

You'll also have the opportunity to turn your ideas into a viable business with help from NTU Enterprise, NTU's purpose-built Centre for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise, a support centre to help students create, develop and grow their own businesses.

Campus and facilities

IT resources

Our IT resource rooms and PC clusters are distributed across our City Campus, with PCs providing access to Microsoft Office, email, web browsing, networked file storage and high-speed online printing services, with a free printing allowance for each student.

Resource rooms are available 24 hours a day.

Books and library resources

Our state-of-the-art Boots library will give you access to an extensive and diverse range of books and periodicals that focus on specialist areas within Architecture. The library's OneSearch system provides access to all our electronic resources, journals and books.

Within the library there is a liaison librarian who has specialist subject knowledge and can offer detailed help in finding and using print and electronic resources, and also with areas such as Harvard referencing and research skills.

Bonington Art Shop

Our specialist in-house art shop is based in the Bonington building. Run by experienced and friendly University staff, the shop stocks a wide variety of arts and crafts materials to support your project work.

Entry requirements

What are we looking for?

  • Applicants will need to hold an undergraduate qualification with RIBA/ARB Part 1 status.
  • Students on this programme are expected to be in either architectural practice, relevant qualified employment or voluntary work.

Getting in touch

If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form

What are we looking for?

  • Applicants will need to hold an undergraduate qualification with RIBA/ARB Part 1 status.
  • Students on this programme are expected to be in either architectural practice, relevant qualified employment or voluntary work.
  • International qualifications 

    We accept qualifications from all over the world – check yours here:

    Postgraduate preparation courses (Pre-Masters)

    If you don’t yet meet our entry requirements, we offer Pre-Masters courses through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC), based on our City Campus:

    English language entry requirements 

    You can meet our language requirements by successfully completing our pre-sessional English course for an agreed length of time, or by submitting the required grade in one of our accepted English language tests, such as IELTS:

    Would you like some advice on your study plans? 

    Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.

    Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.

Fees and funding

Fees for 2024 entry

To be confirmed.

As a guide, the fee for the Professional Certificate in Architecture for 2023 entry is £250.00, payable on acceptance to the programme.

Getting in touch

For more advice and guidance, you can contact our Student Financial Support Service by calling +44 (0)115 848 2494.

Fees for 2024 entry

To be confirmed.

As a guide, the fee for the Professional Certificate in Architecture for 2023 entry is £250.00, payable on acceptance to the programme.

Tuition fees are payable for each year that you are at the University. The level of tuition fees for the second and subsequent years of your postgraduate course may increase in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government.

Scholarships 

We offer scholarships of up to 50% of your tuition fee. You can apply for your scholarship when you have an offer to study at NTU.

Living costs

Get advice on the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham and how to budget:

Paying fees 

Find out about advanced payments, instalment plan options and how to make payments securely to the University:

Would you like some advice on your study plans? 

Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.

Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.

How to apply

Applications for this course can be made to our Continuing Professional Development (CPD) team.

  • Complete our application form, providing full details as requested.
  • Return your completed form to cpdbe@ntu.ac.uk.
  • We'll review your application, notifying you if you're successful.
  • Successful applicants will then be asked to complete an application via our online form, enabling us to register you onto the course. We'll also request payment of the course fee at this stage.

Please don't attempt to pay the course fee before you are accepted on to the course, as unsuccessful applicants may experience a delay while a refund is issued.

Applications for this course can be made to our Continuing Professional Development (CPD) team.

  • Complete our application form, providing full details as requested.
  • Return your completed form to cpdbe@ntu.ac.uk.
  • We'll review your application, notifying you if you're successful.
  • Successful applicants will then be asked to complete an application via our online form, enabling us to register you onto the course. We'll also request payment of the course fee at this stage.

Please don't attempt to pay the course fee before you are accepted on to the course, as unsuccessful applicants may experience a delay while a refund is issued.

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