Key information
Our two-year Master of Architecture (MArch) programme will enhance your appreciation of architecture as a design-led discipline, emphasising on the latest technological advances and application of innovative solutions to current global challenges within the built environment.
- Level
- Postgraduate Taught
- Delivery type
- Full Time, Part Time
- Degree qualification
- MArch
- Mode of delivery
- On-Campus
- Duration
- 2 years
- Location
- Dubai
- Start date
- September
Our Master of Architecture (MArch) Part 2 will enhance your appreciation of architecture as a design-led discipline, emphasising on the latest technological advances and innovative sustainable solutions to current and future societal challenges within the built environment industry. Taught within state-of-the-art facilities for designing, the programme will be of interest to individuals possessing an undergraduate architectural degree and offers the opportunity to develop appropriate solutions to a range of global challenges. This degree will further complete your educational journey as an architect, and you’ll graduate suitably prepared to work professionally in the dynamic built environment industry.
During your studies you will:
- Conceive, resolve and execute sustainable architectural designs of varying scale and complexity, underpinned by creativity.
- Evaluate the physical, cultural and societal context within the process of place-making.
- Integrate aesthetic, compositional, spatial and functional principles to produce technically sound and environmentally sustainable projects.
- Critically analyse and research cultural, environmental and social values to produce effective and user-centred architectural outputs.
- Demonstrate climate literacy and ethical approaches to increase wellbeing through the design of innovative and energy-efficient buildings.
- Identify, evaluate and integrate appropriate materials, technologies, systems and construction processes for design proposals.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the legal frameworks necessary to protect current and future communities.
- Write, communicate and evaluate business plans and project outputs.
- Appraise architectural propositions individually and as part of a team.
Your student experience
Your learning will be informed by the expertise of our research-active architects, architectural engineers, civil and structural engineers, construction professionals, industry leaders, and academics.
Our Master of Architecture programme is directly informed by the world-class research carried out by Heriot-Watt’s Institute for Sustainable Built Environment (ISBE), which sits within the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS). EGIS is one of the United Kingdom’s leading institutions for multidisciplinary research and teaching in areas critical to economic development and societal equity. The institute’s academic team conduct high-value and high-impact research on fields covering sustainability, digital innovation, design, and management of the built environment.
This programme is also part of the Institute of Sustainable Built Environment, which conducts pioneering research aimed at driving technological innovation and shaping government policy on critical global challenges such as climate change, sustainable development, infrastructure provision, energy management, and digital transformation.
Go Global
There are currently no Go Global opportunities for this particular programme. However, other Go Global opportunities may be available. Please contact studywithus@hw.ac.uk for more information.
Course content
September Intake - Dubai
Mandatory September
- Design Project 1
- Urban Design for Health and Wellbeing
- Urban Design Theory
Mandatory January
- Sustainable and Intelligent Buildings
- Design Project 2
- Research Methods
September Intake- Part Time - Dubai
Semester 1
- Design Project 1
Semester 2
- Sustainable and Intelligent Buildings
- Research Methods
Fees and funding
AED 99,450 per year
- All tuition fees inclusive of VAT.
Additional information
Fee is applicable for each year of this two-year MArch degree.
Entry requirements
We have standard entry requirements for all of our courses that you will have to meet.
You should hold a minimum 2.2 Honours degree or an equivalent overseas qualification and an excellent design portfolio. Relevant industry experience will also be considered. In certain cases, you may be invited to attend an interview either virtually or in person. This programme attracts students in possession of the RIBA Part 1 but it is not necessary to have this to apply for the programme.
To find out more about the specific entry requirements for your country, please refer to our International Entry Requirements.
To find out about the entry requirements for this programme, please send an email to dubaienquiries@hw.ac.uk
Why Heriot-Watt
As the first British university to set up a campus in Dubai in 2005, we have established ourselves as a pioneer in the higher education market in the UAE. The three consecutive five-star ratings by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is a testament to our reputation for world-class teaching.
The futuristic Dubai campus is designed to offer interactive and collaborative learning experiences with innovative classroom styles fostering group work and engagement like Collaborative lecture theatres, Digitally Classrooms and Seminar rooms. The campus also has dedicated cutting-edge laboratories and workshops that span various engineering disciplines along with Psychology, IT, Photography, Design and Architecture.
Our practical, leading-edge research combined with strong links to business and industry, have made our graduates highly employable and sought after by the best organisations worldwide, with over 90% in graduate-level jobs or further study within six months of graduation. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education through our Go Global programme.
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