Architecture is truly interdisciplinary: it combines arts and sciences, exploring not just how we make buildings, but how human beings interact with their environment.
The need for a more sustainable and resilient built environment is recognised in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainability lies at the heart of everything we do on the course, but it does not end there. Architecture looks at how people react with buildings and how we can create design processes that are more inclusive and accessible and how we can encourage as many people as possible to participate in the designing process. The lectures and seminars, site visits and supervisions cover a huge range of topics and in higher years students get the opportunity to explore their particular interests through the dissertation. The course is taught in our state of the art studios and workshops. The course aims to have 45 students a year and prides itself in offering a friendly atmosphere and having an active and supportive student society (ArcSoc).
From October 2026 the course is changing from a three-year undergraduate course leading to a BA(Hons) to a four-year integrated BA(Hons) and MArch degree which is seeking accreditation to cover all the ARB Academic Outcomes.
The undergraduate course in architecture at Cambridge has an international reputation and is ranked as the top Architecture course in UK in the Guardian Best University subject rankings 2023 and has been for many years. There is a strong emphasis on academic research in the Department which feeds directly into the teaching. The Department came top in the Research Excellence Framework and boasts world-leading research in a wide range of fields. The range of topics covered is very large, allowing students to concentrate in the second and third years on the areas they most enjoy and the opportunity to explore diverse fields.
In terms of accreditation, the three-year course BA (Hons) combined with the 1 year MArch seeks to meet all the ARB Academic Outcomes as a level 7 qualification. Students who wish to register as architect would still need meet the Practice Outcomes which is done while working and is likely to take at least two further years. Students need to get a sufficiently high mark in the BA to proceed to the fourth year.
Students receive a mark in. each year and a final BA degree mark which is based on 30% second year and 70% third year. Ether is a separate grade for the final year. Many students use the transferable skills gained in the architecture degree to work in a wide variety of careers and students can choose to leave after three years with a BA(Hons).
To find out more about the structure of the course, follow the links below. Prospective students should be aware that the courses continue to change in reaction to changes in practice and new discoveries in research. The details shown on this website and in the various prospectuses are thus subject to change and revision.
