We offer two professionally accredited architecture degrees:

• BA Architecture is a three-year, full-time undergraduate degree
• MA (Hons) Architecture is a four-year, full-time undergraduate degree. 

The Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA) recognises architecture as a cultural, environmental, and societal practice. It is a civic endeavour concerned with people and how they live.  

Our undergraduate programmes build knowledge and expertise across a range of disciplinary concerns:

• design
• technology
• the environment
• history
• theory
• the fine arts

We establish broad horizons in which the depth and intensity of work unfolds. We offer tools and techniques of inquiry, analysis, and projection for a rigorous engagement with contemporary and future challenges.

ESALA operates at the intersection of advanced creative practice and a world-leading research environment. We bring the two together to enable critical architectural responses to the social and environmental crisis facing the contemporary world.

Our ambition is to reimagine architectural education in the climate crisis context by celebrating diverse voices, practices, and forms of knowledge.

We strive to educate ethical practitioners, thinkers, and creators who will make a positive social impact. 

Through design and critical reflection, ESALA is an exceptionally rich environment for the exploration of architecture’s capacity to improve the communities it serves. 

How long it takes to complete this degree programme

This programme will take three or four years to complete.

You will begin on the MA (Hons) Architecture programme but at the end of Year 2, you will choose one of two pathways: 

• three-year BA Architecture
• four-year MA (Hons) Architecture

Accreditation

The BA Architecture and MA (Hons) Architecture form part of a three-step process that will enable you to register and practise as a professional architect in the United Kingdom.

Studying for a BA or MA (Hons) in architecture is Part 1 of this three-step process.

• Part 1: BA Architecture and MA (Hons) Architecture
• Part 2: Master of Architecture (MArch)
  • Architecture, Master of (ARB/RIBA Part 2)
• Part 3: Examination in Professional Practice (Administered by APEAS)

After completing this process you can register as an architect with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and join the RIBA as a Chartered Architect.

We have full validation of both MA and BA Architecture programmes from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). We are visited regularly by the RIBA Visiting Board. The last visit was in December 2022.   

Entry to the profession in the UK is overseen by the Architects Registration Board (ARB). We currently retain full validation of both MA and BA programmes from the ARB.

From 2027, only Part 2 (Masters level) architecture programmes will be accredited by the ARB. However, entry onto Part 2 programmes will continue to be based primarily on having a Part 1 or undergraduate qualification in architecture.

For more information, please visit the ARB website.

ARB - Practical training requirements

ARB - Changes to how architects are trained and educated

Career paths

The BA and MA (Hons) Architecture programmes both offer routes into the architecture profession. 

Our graduates typically continue their studies to qualify as architects working in a wide range of established and emerging contexts. These include: 

• private practice
• local and national government
• large commercial organisations in the UK and overseas

Architecture students gain a strong and adaptable skill set in:

• design
• spatial awareness
• problem-solving
• project-based production

Careers Service

Our Careers Service can help you to fully develop your potential and achieve your future goals.

The Careers Service supports you not only while you are studying at the University, but also for up to two years after you finish your studies.

With the Careers Service, you can:

• access digital resources to help you understand your skills and strengths
• try different types of experiences and reflect on how and what you develop
• get help finding work, including part-time jobs, vacation work, internships and graduate jobs
• attend careers events and practice interviews
• get information and advice to help you make informed decisions

Visit the Careers Service website

Further study

After you complete your programme, you may want to go onto further study at Edinburgh or a different university. You could progress to:

• a masters degree
• a postgraduate diploma or certificate
• a PhD
• a second undergraduate degree

Find out about options for further study 

Postgraduate degrees you might be interested in could include:

• Master of Architecture ARB/RIBA Part 2
• Architectural and Urban Design
• Interior, Architectural and Spatial Design MA
• Urban Strategies and Design MSc
• Advanced Sustainable Design MSc
• Architectural Conservation
• Landscape Architecture
• Architecture PhD
• Architecture by design

If you'd like to study on an undergraduate programme at Edinburgh College of Art, you must apply through UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. You can find out how to do this on the University of Edinburgh website, where you'll also be able to

• see the structure of the programme and what you will study each year
• see detailed entrance requirements for each programme on the Degree Finder
• get information on what to expect after you apply
• find out about fees
• find out where to go for further advice and guidance.

If you have any questions about the application process, our Undergraduate Admissions Office will be happy to help you.