Architecture
Planning for your future starts here
Key Information
A Foundation Year Pathway in Architecture builds strong foundations in design, critical thinking, research and preparing you for a future in Architecture. You will study in the impressive ARU School of Architecture and Planning on our beautiful Chelmsford Campus.
Key information
Undergraduate course
Duration
- Two Trimesters
Intakes
- January
- September
Location
- Chelmsford
“I chose ARU because it helps me develop the skills and knowledge needed to become the architect I have always dreamed of being. In addition, I liked that it is close to London, which gives me access to many cultural and architectural opportunities while studying in a quieter and more focused environment.”
– Hanna Dorado, ARU College Architecture student from Colombia
Architecture overview
From the design of a family home to an entire city, architects shape the world in which we live.
You can start your journey towards becoming a qualified architect with a Foundation Year – no portfolio is required to begin your degree! During your Foundation Year, you will be introduced to practical art and design skills including visual storytelling, image-making both in traditional and digital media, visual language and communication.
Your Foundation Year prepares you for progression onto the BA (Hons) Architecture degree. You’ll gain a strong understanding of university-level study and develop the essential skills needed to succeed.
As an ARU Architecture student, you will benefit from site visits and the School’s strong connections with national and international architects, designers, artists, historians, and theorists. You will also have the opportunity to take part in European study trips each year, enhancing your learning through real-world exploration and experience.
BA (Hons) Architecture is RIBA Part 1 validated, ensuring your studies meet the highest professional standards in architecture.
Pathway progression
Successful completion of this pathway will lead to the award of the following from ARU:
Please see our International and UK course matrix for entry point, intake and study location information.
Foundation Year Course Structure
This module is designed to build on your academic learning, together with life and employability skills, ensuring you reach your full potential through a clear understanding of Higher Education expectations.
Alongside developing your skills in communication and academic writing you will explore your best strategies for learning, develop skills in team building, cooperation and resilience and know how these will support your further studies and employability.
This module works in partnership with ARU Personal and professional Development (PPD) Pulse, to support your personal and professional development throughout your four years
The module comprises of 16 Student Standards that will evidence your preparation for undergraduate study.
During your two trimesters of study, you will submit evidence to the sixteen student standards. This allows you to demonstrate your learning journey throughout the module with a focus on learning to learn, resubmissions and improvements support your portfolio and demonstrate your cheerful outlook and resilience to learning.
It will ensure you have a confident understanding of the institutional culture, practices, norms and expectations of British higher education together with personal skills in resilience, teamwork and an understanding of the responsibilities of belonging to a higher educational establishment.
The module aims to ensure you develop:
- Academic Communication
- Effective resilient learning skills
- Career and Life-building skills
Learning to Learn is benchmarked to the Common European Framework of Reference for Language Learning. Standards 1-7 have clear referencing to the benchmarking within the standard. Your portfolio of evidence will demonstrate competence in each of the four skills of academic reading, writing, speaking, and listening and are included to confirm that you meet the appropriate exit threshold in English language proficiency.
Within this module you will be introduced to various fundamental crafts, skills, and techniques required to support and study of a range of subjects associated with Art, Design and Architecture. Creative Workshops 1 is delivered via a series of craft related, hands-on workshops and art practice, which will encourage and facilitate your individual creative expression through experimentation, observation and responding through drawings and image-making, using traditional and digital processes and techniques in a variety of contexts.
Approach to design is designed to introduce you to some of the fundamental aspects of design and visual language that is required to support a range of subjects associated with Art, Design and Architecture. Teaching for this module is centred on practical exploration and problem-solving in response to a series of lectures, workshops, activities/tasks, and project-based assignments.
Critical and Contextual Studies introduces you to some of the key aspects of visual, contextual, and cultural studies required to support a range of subjects associated with Art, Design and Architecture. This module combines historical and present conceptions on a variety of related topics and has been designed to support you in developing a wide range of study skills needed for your intended pathway subject; this includes research, critical thinking, referencing, reflective practice, communication, visual literacy, and presentation.
Engineering Design has been created to help you progress to Engineering, Computer Science, or Architecture degree programmes. This module focuses on putting your studies into context in the wider world, by considering how different professions must collaborate in the world of work. This module will consider several unique design processes, and how they might be implemented by multi-disciplinary teams, as well as how the design activity fits within the wider business context.
Creative Workshops 2 has been designed to help you develop competencies in drawing, visualisation, and image-making which in turn will help to support core skills and techniques required for various subjects associated with Art, Design and Architecture. Within this module, you will explore further elements and principles of art, design, and the built environment. You will combine different techniques to interpret and respond to creative themes and produce creative work.
The purpose of this module is to give you the opportunity to confirm your independent areas of interest through a major Specialist Project. You will apply what you have learnt and developed in other modules and visually communicate your work via a portfolio presentation. Language, communication, and presentations skills will be further explored through report writing and conducting active research with regards to intended study routes, careers, and associated industries. You will be guided towards developing a self-initiated Specialist Project proposal which clearly explores aspects of your intended progression route e.g., graphic design, interior design, architecture, digital arts, game design, photography, illustration, fine art.
Related links
For more information about intake semesters and campus location please see our course matrices.
Find out the academic entry requirements for our courses listed by country. Unless stated, requirements are standard across all courses.