Architectural Technology BSc (Hons)

UCAS code: K130 (Full-time), K101 (Sandwich)

Start year

Apply Book an open day Get email updates

Level of study:
Undergraduate
Typical offer:
104 - 112 UCAS tariff points
Start date:
September 2026
Duration:
Three years full-time, four years with placement
Attendance:
Full-time, Placement year
Course delivery:
On-campus (City Campus)

Information for 2026

About this course

This professionally focused course is your gateway to a career in the architecture industry. You’ll explore how buildings are created, procured, constructed and managed, and develop a practical and imaginative approach to design through project-based learning.

As a specialist in architectural technology, you’ll be the link between concept and reality. You’ll learn to identify, assess and challenge client and user requirements, translating ideas and possibilities into effective, practical and sustainable building solutions.

Based in our Grade II* listed Gothic Revival style Arkwright building, you’ll study in a studio culture that reflects modern practice. Specialist facilities and expert guidance from staff will prepare you for a successful graduate career from day one.

Explore the work of our graduating students in our Student Showcase.

Compare our courses to find out how this course differs from BArch (Hons) Architecture and BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Design.

4th

Architecture at NTU is 4th in the UK for the percentage of full-time undergraduate students in graduate level jobs within 15 months of finishing their degrees (latest Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2022/23
5th

for the number of undergraduate students in Architecture, building and planning (HESA 2024/25)
Top 3

Architecture at NTU is Top 3 in England for the percentage of full-time undergraduate students in graduate level jobs within 15 months of finishing their degrees (latest Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2022/23).
A year in industry

Gain vital skills and experience in the workplace by undertaking a one-year placement on our sandwich route. Previously students have spent their placements at Benoy, Foster + Partners, Gensler and Pozzoni Architecture Ltd.

The first two years of the course focus on the introduction and integration of technological and design theory into practice.

The final year modules are designed to provide opportunities to develop your professional portfolio of work. All modules have been designed to meet the QAA subject benchmarks and CIAT course learning outcomes.

Module information

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll be studying throughout the course:

Core modules

Placement year routes

Core modules

We regularly review our course content based on student and employer feedback to ensure they remain current and relevant. This may result in changes to module content or availability in future years. Optional modules will only run where there is sufficient demand. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis to protect the academic and student experience.

Annie Lattimore

Architecture student

“The course staff are incredibly supportive, and they always give feedback when asked. They’re easy to talk to and to get along with and have made my university experience so much easier to enjoy with their continuous support.”
Read Annie's profile
Meetraj Singh

Architecture student

“Nottingham is the greatest and most secure city for students. I believe that people in Nottingham are highly courteous and helpful to one another, which makes me happy.”
Read Meetraj's profile

You’ll learn through a mix of:

lectures - covering the key theories
studio projects - working both independently and as groups
workshops - explore model-making techniques
live briefs - from industry and competitions
project work - self-directed study with the support of NOW, our virtual learning environment.

Outside of timetabled sessions you will undertake self-directed independent study. This will include preparing for lectures, researching, completing coursework, developing a portfolio, and directed reading to expand your knowledge.

A placement year may be taken between year 2 and year 3 of study.

The course is supported by external professional practitioners, ensuring that your learning is continuously enhanced through exposure to real world perspective. This includes our guest lecture series, where an industry expert is invited to give a guest lecture to expose our students to the work currently happening in architectural technology practices.

97% of BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology sandwich students are positive about the teaching on their course (NSS, 2024).

Study trips

Optional trips may also be organised which can provide additional opportunities to enhance your knowledge and experience. Optional trips will incur an additional cost of approximately £500 for participating students.

A valid passport and any associated visas will be required for trips outside of the UK.

How you're assessed

People excel in different ways, and we want everybody to have the best possible chance of success. You will be assessed through:

coursework, including the presentation of projects, drawings and models as well as essays, reviews and critical discussions.
practical assessments, such as individual presentations of project work

Contact hours

For each 20-credit module, you’ll spend about 200 hours learning overall. Around 40 of those hours will be taught in lectures, seminars or practical sessions. The rest of the time is for independent study, reading, research, or working on assignments.

Vincent Conway

Senior Lecturer

Vince is the Programme Leader for BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology and module leader for the Planning, Surveying and Development and Projects modules at levels two and three.
Visit Vincent Conway's staff profile
Moulay Chalal

Senior Lecturer

Moulay Larbi Chalal is a qualified Architect with three years of experience in practice. He is currently a full-time lecturer in Architectural Technology at Nottingham Trent University.
Visit Moulay Chalal 's staff profile
Nacer Bezai

Senior Lecturer

Nacer Bezai is a qualified architect with over five years of international experience in practice. He is course leader for BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology.
Visit Nacer Bezai's staff profile
Bhavna Crossley

Principal Lecturer

Bhavna Crossley, Lecturer and Course Leader for BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology.
Visit Bhavna Crossley's staff profile
Richard McHarg

Senior Lecturer

NTU staff profile for Richard McHarg, Senior Lecturer for the BSc (Hons) Product Design course.
Visit Richard McHarg's staff profile
Philip Shilton

Senior Lecturer

Philip Shilton
Visit Philip Shilton's staff profile

Entry requirements

UK students

Standard offer: 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications (two of which must be A-level equivalent)

Contextual offer: 104 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications (two of which must be A-level equivalent)

To find out what qualifications have tariff points, please use our tariff calculator.

Additional requirements for UK students

There are no additional requirements for this course.

Contextual offers

If you don’t quite meet our entry requirements, we might be able to make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and your individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer, and we get data from UCAS to help make these decisions. We do this because we believe everyone with the potential to succeed at NTU should have the opportunity to do so, no matter what barriers you may face.

Meeting our entry requirements

Hundreds of qualifications in the UK have UCAS Tariff points attached to specific grades, including A-levels, BTECs, T Levels and many more. You can use your grades and points from up to four different qualifications to meet our criteria. Enter your predicted or achieved grades into our Tariff calculator to find out how many points your qualifications are worth.

Other qualifications and experience

NTU welcomes applications from students with non-standard qualifications and learning backgrounds, either for year one entry or for advanced standing beyond the start of a course into year 2 or beyond.

We consider study and/or credit achieved from a similar course at another institution (otherwise known as credit transfer), vocational and professional qualifications, and broader work or life experience.

Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route. If you wish to apply via Recognition of Prior Learning, please contact the central Admissions and Enquiries Team who will be able to support you through the process.

Getting in touch

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

International students

Academic entry requirements: 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications. Two of which must be A-level equivalent. We accept equivalent qualifications from all over the world. Please check your international entry requirements by country.

English language requirements: See our English language requirements page for requirements for your subject and information on alternative tests and Pre-sessional English.

Additional requirements for international students

If you need help achieving the academic entry requirements, we offer a Foundation preparation course for this degree. The course is offered through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC) based on our City campus.

English language requirements

View our English language requirements for all courses, including alternative English language tests and country qualifications accepted by the University.

If you need help achieving the language requirements, we offer a Pre-Sessional English for Academic Purposes course on our City campus which is an intensive preparation course for academic study at NTU.

Other qualifications and experience

If you have the right level of qualifications, you may be able to start your Bachelors degree at NTU in year 2 or year 3. This is called ‘advanced standing’ entry and is decided on a case-by case basis after our assessment of your qualifications and experience.

You can view our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy which outlines the process and options available, such as recognising experiential learning and credit transfer.

Sign up for emails

Sign up to receive regular emails from the International Office. You'll hear about our news, scholarships and any upcoming events in your country with our expert regional teams.

Getting in touch

If you need advice about studying at NTU as an international student or how to apply, our international webpages are a great place to start. If you have any questions about your study options, your international qualifications, experience, grades or other results, please get in touch through our enquiry form. Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world.

Policies

We strive to make our admissions procedures as fair and clear as possible. To find out more about how we make offers, visit our admissions policies page.

Fees and funding

UK students

- see the fees for this course, as well as information about funding and support.

£9,790 per year

If you choose to do a placement year or year abroad, you'll pay a reduced fee for that year:

Placement year - £1,905
Year abroad - £1,430

Find out about the extra support we may be able to provide to help pay for uni, including NTU bursaries and scholarships.

You will need to pay tuition fees for each year that you are at university. The tuition fees, including the placement year and study abroad options are subject to government policy and may change in future years of study.

Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but we don’t want you to feel anxious or confused about it. Visit our fees and funding pages if you have any concerns.

International students

- see the fees for this course, as well as payment advice and scholarships.

£17,950 per year

If you choose to do a placement year or study abroad placement year, you'll pay a reduced fee for that year:

Placement year - £1,905
Year abroad - £1,430

You will need to pay tuition fees for each year that you are at university. The tuition fees might increase from the second year of your undergraduate course, in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government.

Scholarships

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

Living costs

See our advice on managing your money and the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham.

Paying fees

As an international student, you'll need to make an advance payment as part of your offer conditions. You'll then need to pay your tuition fees in full, or have an agreement to pay in two further instalments, in order to enrol on the course.

Find out how and when to pay your fees, including information about your advance payment, instalment dates and how to make payments securely to the University.

Enquiries

If you have any queries relating to advance payments or arrangements to pay, please contact our friendly and experienced international enquiries team.

Additional costs

Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses. There are just a few additional things you may need to budget for:

Textbooks and library books

Your modules will point you to key textbooks and recommended reading. Many are available online, and in our libraries, but some students choose to buy their own copies. You’ll receive resource lists showing where to access eBooks, digital resources and physical copies. Our friendly Library team is always on hand to help you find what you need.

Printing and photocopying costs

The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance please see the printing and photocopying information on the Library website.

Material costs for BSc (Hons) Architectural Technology

Students on this course may incur some additional costs as follows:

Year 1: Drawing equipment and materials £150 (estimate) and printing £50 (estimate)
Year 2: Drawing equipment and materials £100 (estimate) and printing £100 (estimate)
Final Year: Drawing equipment and materials £60 (estimate) and printing £350 (estimate)

Our Students’ Union Shop and Bonington Art Shop are great places to pick up drawing and writing equipment at reasonable prices and are located right in the centre of our City Campus.

Field trips

Field trips and study visits are an important part of your learning. Trips may include site visits and visits to practices, museums, exhibitions and events. Where a trip is mandatory it will be aligned to your modules and inform project work, and substantive costs – including travel and accommodation – will be paid for by the school. Optional trips may also be organised which can provide additional opportunities to enhance your knowledge and experience. Optional trips will incur an additional cost of approximately £500 for participating students. A valid passport and any associated visas will be required for trips outside of the UK. Please note that field trip locations may vary and are subject to availability and change.

Placements

If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students do earn a salary whilst on placement which can help to cover these living costs.

Year abroad

If you choose to study abroad for a year, you may need to consider additional costs such as visas, vaccinations, accommodation and travel expenses.

Student Showcase

In Final Year, the School will provide infrastructure costs for your Student Showcase, including course catalogue and exhibition set-up costs. If you’re selected to exhibit your work at a graduate show in London, the School will cover the cost of transporting your work, the exhibition stand and event set-up.

Building Blocks financial package

As a student at the School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, you’ll also benefit from our Building Blocks financial package, which aims to help minimise the additional costs of study, while you’re here at NTU.

What you’ll receive

All of the materials needed for induction workshops and activities, working within our workshops and laboratories.
Free personal protective equipment (PPE), which usually includes hard-wearing boots, goggles and high-vis vests, to keep you safe on site visits and while working in our workshops.
Access to the free professional body accreditation, as appropriate for your course.

IT resources and specialist software

All current students have access to Adobe products on campus via NTU computers such as in the Libraries and specialist computers in the school.

Current students at the university can purchase a single Adobe Creative Cloud licence directly from our online store at a discounted rate. This allows use on personal devices. For 2025/26 this is £49.90. Terms apply, visit the NTU online store for further details.

Fees and funding advice

For more advice and guidance, phone the Student Money Team on +44 (0)115 848 2494.

Cost of living information and support

Managing your money can help you make the most of life at NTU. Here's how we can support you, and now you can make your funding go further.

Cost of living in Nottingham

Our student benefits and free services

Money advice for international students

Careers and employability

NTU is 1st for the number of UG students studying Architecture, building and planning (HESA, 2021/22).

Our course is designed to prepare you to succeed in the architectural technology industry. Through working on real projects from industry, fieldwork and regularly updated course content, you'll be equipped with skills and experience to carry with you for the rest of your professional career.

Our Employability team

Our expert Employability team will work closely with you at every stage of your career planning, providing personal support and advice. You can benefit from this service at any time during your studies, and for up to three years after completing your course.

Throughout the year, our Employability team runs a series of events specifically for students studying in the School of Architecture Design and the Built Environment. Our Architecture Exchange events bring together current students and prospective employers for an evening of presentations, table discussions and networking. We also run a Property, Design and Construction Fair, offering employers the opportunity to advertise graduate roles to our final year students.

Excellent placement opportunities

By choosing our sandwich (four year) route, you’ll have the opportunity to take a year-long work placement during your studies, giving you the opportunity to gain real experience in industry. The majority of our placement students receive a salary.

Students typically gain placements in architecture companies across the UK and abroad. Recent destinations have included:

Foster + Partners
Benoy
Gensler
ISG
CMPG

Professional qualification

Successful completion of the 36 weeks leads to an extra qualification – the Diploma in Professional Practice.

Your year on placement also counts towards Chartership for the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists.

Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT)

This course is accredited by CIAT, which is the global membership qualifying body for Architectural Technology. It's a membership organisation representing 10,000 members practicing and studying in the discipline who wish to be professionally recognised.

CIAT accreditation implies that the course has been assessed in terms of content, structure, resources and has met the Institute's requirements. Studying on a CIAT Accredited course makes you part of a worldwide network of professionals and supports you in progressing to Chartered Architectural Technologist (MCIAT) status.

Find out more on the CIAT website.

Employability Promise

Personalised support, one-on-one coaching and industry-specific advice – it’s all part of our Employability Promise. And it doesn’t end when you leave NTU – you’ll have access to all our careers services for three years after you graduate (conditions apply).
Graduate employers

Graduates from this course have successful careers in organisations such as:
- Foster + Partners
- Whittam Cox Architects
- Benoy
- Gensler
- Pozzoni Architecture Ltd
Our graduates are…

Graduates from this course now work in a wide range of roles such as:
- Architectural Designers
- Architectural Technologists
Assessed work-like experience

We’ve embedded at least eight weeks of assessed work-like experience into all of our courses. This gives you the opportunity to apply your learning in real-world scenarios, build your confidence, and develop the experience employers are looking for.
NTU Enterprise

If you’re a budding entrepreneur, NTU Student Enterprise can help you to develop your ideas and innovations and turn them into a reality. We also offer training, mentoring, workshops, financial advice and more to develop your business skills.

Where your degree could take you

Discover how our students and alumni used their Architecture degree to further their careers. Take a look at our other profiles and explore the possibilities awaiting you.

Kelly's life as an Architectural Technologist

Hear about Kelly's experience as an Architectural Technologist at Pick Everard, a consultancy practice specialising in property, infrastructure and construction.

View Kelly Humphries's profile

Campus and facilities

Historic setting, modern practice

Architectural Technology students have their own studio space, based in our Grade II* listed Arkwright building. You'll be supported by our expert team of academic and technical staff through seminars and workshops in this space, which includes desktop computers and desk space.

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, as well as free printing allowance for each student.

We have dedicated computers equipped with all the necessary software to help you complete your projects. Our teaching team will work with you on a range of industry-standard programmes, including REVIT, AutoCAD and Sketchup to develop and realise your designs.

Applying

UK students

You can apply for this course through UCAS.

Keeping up to date

After you've applied, we'll send you important emails throughout the application process – so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder. You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page.

Apply through UCAS