The AA is a Higher Education Institution (HEI) and is one of the oldest schools of architecture in the UK. It is not a member of UCAS and all applications are made directly through the school. The application procedure is the same for UK, EU/EEA and international students, and there is one point of entry each year in September for all our programmes.
We are eager to hear from students who demonstrate initiative in entering the forms of presentation, discussion and debate that permeate the school, the architectural community and the world at large. We are looking for students who have a combination of curiosity and ambition to define a unique path through a school that fosters a multitude of methods and agendas.
The Foundation Programme is a one-year full-time course that focuses on observation, conversation and the development of key skills. This course is aimed at students who are at the very start of their architectural studies, and facilitates individual and group project work.
The Intermediate Programme (BA(Hons)) is a three-year full-time programme. The First Year is characterised by its shared, open studio, where students work individually and together across a series of projects. Years two and three introduce students to the unit system, in which small design studios (12–14 students) operate a vertical structure of Second and Third Year students.
The Transfer Programme (GradCert) is the world’s first one-year graduate access programme in architecture. Designed for graduates from non-architecture disciplines who wish to transition into architectural study and practice.
The Diploma Programme (MArch) is a two-year full-time programme that accepts students who have completed the Intermediate Programme at the AA, as well as eligible new students who have studied elsewhere. The programme leads to the AA Final Examination (ARB/RIBA Part 2) and is structured around a unit system, in which small design studios (12–14 students) operate a vertical structure of Fourth and Fifth Year students.
The AA offers ten Taught Postgraduate Programmes for students with prior academic and professional experience. Most of the programmes are full-time courses of advanced study, except for Conservation and Reuse, which provides a part-time study option.
The PhD Programme at the AA is a full-time, four-year course that trains scholars and researchers in the fields of architectural history and theory, urban studies and technology. Its ambition is to learn from architectural knowledge and its history in order to understand the built environment at large.
Professional Practice is a RIBA Part 3 course and examination that allows successful candidates to register as architects with the Architects Registration Board (ARB). The course is open to AA RIBA Part 2 graduates and eligible non-graduates.