Courses in architecture for students working in practice.
We regularly hold Open Session webinars to explain more about the RIBA Studio programme. The Open Sessions provide an opportunity to meet the RIBA Studio team and ask any questions you may have about studying on our courses. The programme includes the
Our series of Open Sessions have now finished. Please refer to our webpages to check when our next series of webinars will take place.
For more information about the courses available on the RIBA Studio programme, and for the entry requirements for each course, please follow the links below. These links include details on how to apply.
The RIBA Studio programme is designed for students who work full-time in practice while studying part-time to earn their registration as an Architect. Unlike any studio and lecture-based programme in architecture, students work towards achieving their Part 1 or Part 2 qualification whilst working full-time, under the direct supervision of an architect where they are employed. The supervising Architect is the office mentor. Their role is to oversee the work the student is undertaking in practice and to ensure they are supported by the practice during their studies.
Students also work on a one-to-one basis with a personal tutor who supports their tutees on the range of academic submissions. The personal tutor is chosen by the student and where the tutor meets the RIBA Studio criteria for selection they will be approved to act as personal tutor for the student. As part of the criteria for selection of a personal tutors, they must currently be tutoring in design, in an architecture studio with a substantial role within a School of Architecture.
If a student is already working in an architectural practice, or in the architectural department of a multi-disciplinary practice, and wishes to complete either Part 1 or Part 2, the RIBA Studio programme allows students to work at their own pace whilst investing their time in practice and earning a salary. All of the policies, the course schedule and timing are designed to support the practice-based student.
The RIBA Studio is a truly unique programme and the original route to registration in the UK. Eligible applicants will be working a minimum of 24+ hours/week in practice and working within the EEA / UK including the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Switzerland. Architecture is a professional practice and the courses on this route bring the value of practice-based learning and academic learning together. Supported by the office mentor in practice and in conjunction with the personal tutor, students will investigate chosen themes and curate design briefs in academia. This will have a direct influence on the student’s capabilities in practice. The RIBA Studio is a relatively affordable route into the profession and incorporates flexibility for the timing and planning of studies, with the main contact mechanism for submission being virtual. There are a number of events through the academic year both online and in person to develop skills, knowledge, exposure to new ideas and peer engagement.
The RIBA Certificate in Architecture (Part 1) and the RIBA Diploma in Architecture (Part 2) are validated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and accredited by the Architects Registration Board (ARB). These are necessary steps to becoming a registered architect.
The RIBA Foundation supports students to develop their first design portfolio and gain first experiences in practice. For those who wish to join the profession of architecture and other design fields within the built environment, work experience and a portfolio are required to progress onto a Part 1 or undergraduate level course. The RIBA Foundation in Architecture supports students to develop the skills and confidence to thrive at Part 1 level while creating their first portfolio. The placement during the RIBA Foundation supports students to gain their first salaried experience in practice and a sense of recognition that the profession is open to them.
The RIBA Studio is a unique programme in that formally assessed academic work begins to directly impact the learning in the student's place of employment. The design proposals in particular are designed with milestone submissions which mirror the development and realisation of design projects in architectural practice from an academic, conceptual, and technological perspective.
Coursework submissions or examinations whilst studying the course take place online. Thus students will not need to travel to Oxford Brookes University whilst studying on this programme. The online design reviews also allow for students to observe the work of students in the years ahead of them. There are several opportunities for in person meetings both at Oxford Brookes University and at the RIBA London Headquarters through the academic year. This expands the learning, experiences and exposure for students as well as encouraging peer engagement opportunities.
The RIBA Studio is offered as an alternative route to qualification for those that may not be looking for traditional full-time degree courses and for those who learn best while practicing. The programme is operated flexibly to accommodate fluctuations in students' circumstances and is managed through a system of annual learning contracts. The programme allows students to take a year of suspended studies to make room for a range of circumstances, like family changes or work pressures, while remaining registered on the course and continuing to attend virtual live events through the academic year.
Individual study for both courses must be supported by day-to-day learning and experience of architectural practice. To facilitate this, each student appoints a registered Architect from their practice to be their office mentor (the practice itself does not need to be RIBA Chartered). The office mentor Architect would be registered in the country where the student is working (within the UK / EEA). The office mentor ensures that the practice experience is wide ranging and contributes to the student’s career development and their learning on the course.
Tutors are appointed by students for the duration of the course and must be completely independent of the student’s office. The personal tutor is chosen by the student and where the tutor meets the RIBA Studio criteria for selection they will be approved to act as personal tutor for the student. As part of the criteria for selection of a personal tutors, they must currently be tutoring in design, in an architecture studio with a substantial role within a School of Architecture.
Students who qualify to Diploma level through this route are then eligible to take the UK Part 3 which leads to:
Students on the RIBA Studio programme also participate in the Oxford School of Architecture Digital Exhibition. Architecture is a professional practice and the courses on this route bring the value of practice-based learning and academic learning together. RIBA Studio students are self-directed, committed and deeply inspired by the issues in the world and opportunities the profession offers to study and approach these. Supported by their office mentor in practice and in conjunction with their personal tutor, students investigate chosen themes and curate their design briefs in academia which have a direct influence on their capabilities in practice. There is a strong correlation between the learning on the courses and the student’s professional progression.
RIBA Studio final year projects have been strong contenders for the RIBA President’s Medals. Explore our students’ work and visit the digital galleries created from their projects by visiting our online exhibition. RIBA Studio students have won a number of awards including RIBA Part 1 Bursary and the RIBA Wren Insurance Association Scholarship as well as a number of drawing prizes, artist in residence awards, and a range of research awards.
"Completing the RIBA Studio qualifications had a considerable influence in my approach to the design of my practice projects.
Taking the course has vastly improved my skill base, knowledge, attitude and confidence, allowed me to grow as a person and given me a route to qualification not offered anywhere else.
The course has broadened my perspective on architectural thinking and set about widening my understanding of architecture as a whole.
I have found that engaging in practice work and academic studies simultaneously has allowed me to improve in both areas, with each informing the other."
Chris Rogers, RIBA Studio Diploma Part 2 graduate
"We have long been advocates of RIBA Studio (formerly known as the RIBA Office Based Examination) – beginning when our Founding-Partner undertook the process in the 1960s. Our practice has since encouraged and supported a further six members of staff in the completion of their architectural qualifications through RIBA Studio over the past two decades.
We have found that RIBA Studio enables those who may not have had the financial or geographical availability of educational support to undertake their full architectural studies in the first instance, a chance to fulfil their academic aspirations.
While the course is indeed challenging - particularly when undertaken in the context of full time employment - we feel the process leads to well-rounded architects, with an understanding of both the theory and practice of architecture.
The practice would have no hesitation in recommending the examination, or indeed encouraging further members of staff to undertake the same in the future."
Juneanne Falconer RIBA ARB MRIAI, Partner at C.J. Falconer & Associates
Banner image credit: Ioli Belezini (2020)