New and revised degrees in 2004
Course structure and duration
Course aims
Subject strands

New and revised degrees in 2004

In 2003 the Architecture program introduced revised versions of the following degrees:

• Bachelor of Arts in Architecture
• Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Architecture, and
• Bachelor of Architecture.

The Architecture program also introduced a new degree:

• Bachelor of Architecture (Honours).

The old courses were phased out from 2003, and new students will enter directly into the revised course.

Course structure and duration

The Architecture program at UTS offers disciplinary and professional education through two distinct but consecutive and strongly interconnected degree courses. The first tier of this two-tier structure comprises a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture (BA), awarded after successful completion of three years of full-time study (or part-time equivalent). The second tier comprises a Bachelor of Architecture (BArch), which involves a further two years of full-time study (or part-time equivalent).

In general terms, the BA can be seen as a liberal introduction to the study of architecture as a discipline. This degree can stand alone, and equips students well to join other design fields or related disciplines, or to go on to further academic research and study. It also has an important role in preparing students for the second, BArch degree. In this second degree the emphasis lies on educating students for the practice of architecture. Together, the two degrees acknowledge the nature of architecture as both a discipline and a profession.

The Bachelor of Architecture is a professional degree, i.e. a qualification accepted for candidates seeking to take the professional examination of the Board of Architects and Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) as a prerequisite to registration under the provision of the Architects Act. The Bachelor of Architecture may be undertaken only after the successful completion of the Bachelor of Arts in Architecture degree (or equivalent), a degree that by itself does not lead to professional recognition.

The following regulations are to be read in conjunction with the University's Rules and By-law, as contained in the UTS: Calendar and online at:

www.uts.edu.au/div/publications/policies/index.html

Course aims

This course aims to equip students with sufficient skills and knowledge for the practice of the architectural profession, and equally to encourage in students a capacity for critical thought and an understanding of the humanistic and sociocultural aspects of architecture. The program ensures a balance between theoretical and conceptual approaches and the pragmatics of practice. Upon graduation, UTS students have typically gained a broad architectural education as well as significant practical experience, and hence they are highly regarded by the profession. The course also enables all students, including those who work part time in architectural practice, to complete two degrees, BA and BArch, in a minimum of five years.

Within the course, students have the opportunity to pursue areas of particular interest in depth. Electives can be taken from within the Architecture program, or from other programs within the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, or from the wider University. These electives can contribute to a sub-major in a specialist area of interest.

Attendance patterns range from part-time to full-time mode and are designed to permit students to tailor their study to their professional and personal lives. In many cases, full-time students are able to gain extensive professional experience in architectual offices. Specific attendance information is available from the Faculty Office.

Practice-based learning

Students who are working also have an opportunity to reflect analytically on this experience through selected core and elective subjects that can be taken in practice-based learning mode.

The practice-based learning option reflects the true roles played, respectively, by the institution and the workplace in architectural education. This mode offers academic support and supervision for practice-based subjects, thus encouraging critical and reflective modes of practice. The practice-based learning mode reinforces a conception of architecture as both a discipline and a profession, and allows for these to be mutually informing.

Although they are conducted through flexible delivery, the practice-based learning subjects, like normal academic subjects, require assignments and some academic contact hours. The distinctive feature is that architectural practice is treated as the source of learning, while the university remains the site of learning.

In the Architecture program there are a range of subjects that may be undertaken in practice-based learning mode. This maintains and supports the value of practical industry experience, and acknowledges this through academic credit. Across the BA and the BArch there are a maximum of six subjects (a total of 36cp) available in practice-based learning mode: a suite of four practice-based elective subjects (11294, 11295, 11296 and 11297 Architectural Experience A, B, C and D) that may be taken over Years 2 and 3 of the BA, and Years 4 and 5 of the BArch. A student who takes all four of these subjects has the potential for a sub-major in Architectural Experience. There are also two compulsory subjects in the BArch that offer the option of practice-based learning mode: 11261 Architectural Design – Thematic Design, and 11265 Integrated Technologies.

Those students who choose not to work have the option of pursuing an entirely academic program, and not taking up the practice-based learning option.

Subject strands

The subjects in the program are ordered into four strands. While the four subject strands offer a 'vertical' structure and continuity throughout the program, they do not represent rigid disciplinary specialisations. Indeed, their boundaries should be regarded as permeable, since it is desirable to encourage 'horizontal' integration between the threads in a strand, and bridging between the strands.

Architectural Design

This strand is the core of architectural education, as it combines and integrates the knowledge and skills taught in all other areas. The Architectural Design strand necessarily has an interdisciplinary focus, and is the primary site for the application and synthesis of theoretical knowledge. Architectural design education has traditionally centred around the studio-teaching mode. This acknowledges the unique role of architectural design in architectural education, wherein honourable labour and long apprenticeship are essential for its craft.

History and Theory

This strand includes four interrelated threads: Architectural History, Urban Studies, Architectural Research Methods, and Architectural Theory. The strand addresses the historical, sociocultural and conceptual context of architecture. It aims to inform contemporary architectural practice by drawing tangible links between history, theory and architectural design.

Science and Technology

This strand includes four interrelated threads: Structure, Construction, Environmental Science, and Applied Services. It is concerned with the scientific, technical and environmentally sustainable aspects involved in the materialisation of architecture.

Professional Practice

This strand serves to link architectural education with the specific knowledge, skills, and competencies required in the ethical, legal, and technical practice of the architectural profession.