Work towards Part 2 qualification whilst working full-time in practice.
Join us for an Open Session webinar to learn 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.
The RIBA Diploma in Architecture (Part 2) is for students working in practice, who are looking for an affordable and flexible route towards qualification as an architect. Unlike any studio and lecture based programme in architecture, students work towards Part 2 qualification whilst working full-time in practice, under the direct supervision of an Architect.
This course allows students who have already completed Part 1 qualification to undertake Part 2 qualification while remaining in full time practice and without having to return to education full-time. Students are required to remain in full-time employment (min 24 hours per week), continuing to earn a salary, whilst working towards RIBA Diploma in Architecture Part 2 qualification.
This unique course brings together the value of practice-based learning and academic learning. Supported by an office mentor in practice, and in conjunction with a self-chosen personal tutor (subject to approval), students investigate chosen themes and curate design briefs in academia which have a direct influence on their capabilities in practice. The course is accredited by the ARB and validated by the RIBA.
This is an affordable and flexible route into the profession. Contact with the RIBA Studio team, coursework submissions and examinations all take place online, meaning your proximity to Oxford Brookes is not an obstacle to studying this course.
Students who qualify through this route are then eligible to take the UK Part 3 which leads to:
All applicants must be working at least 24 hours per week in suitable architectural practice in the UK, EU or EEA and be directly supervised by a registered architect, the Office Mentor (although the practice itself does not need to be RIBA Chartered), employed in the same practice, and meet the following academic qualifications:
All applicants must be working at least 24 hours per week in suitable architectural practice in the UK, EU or EEA and be directly supervised by a registered architect, the Office Mentor (although the practice itself does not need to be RIBA Chartered), employed in the same practice, and meet the following academic qualifications:
The RIBA Studio is a unique system of practice-based study, in which formally assessed academic work is supported by learning through experience in the student's place of employment, with the academic syllabus sequence mirroring the development and realisation of design projects in architectural practice.
Students will deepen their skills for synthesis of architectural precedent, while becoming more aware of their individual position in the sphere of architecture. There is an emphasis on expanding the methods of developing, testing and presenting ideas, placing high value on the iterative design process.
The dissertation is a key element of the Diploma, enabling students to raise their cultural, technological or professional understanding of architecture and encouraging a culture of research based work. Students will also sit one formal written examination in Management, Practice and Law that will be delivered online.
There are 5 subjects covered across each course, 4 of which require the digital submission of course work including technology, cultural context, professional studies and dissertation.
The design subject work is assessed in person through design examinations.
There are no lectures or seminars, but there are a number of workshop supporting the development of specific submissions. The syllabus contains a series of reading lists to guide on the important preliminary resources. The work is developed in conjunction with a personal tutor through tutorials that take place very regularly and on a one-to-one basis.
Alert Applications for are now closed and will reopen in April 2025.
For any questions please email ribastudio-applications@brookes.ac.uk
Applicants are encouraged to submit their Stage 1 Eligibility Form as soon as possible in order to take advantage of the pre-course online workshop sessions.
The application process consists of 3 stages:
Stage 1: The eligibility form
Stage 2: Full application and supporting documents
Stage 3: The interview day
Students remain in full-time practice while on the course so we often find that they have progressed within their practices becoming Project Architects, Associates and often creating their own architectural practices. The blended learning means that they put into practice the confidence, knowledge and skills they are developing through their academic studies which helps advance both their potential in practice as well as their growth within academia.
Applicants should be aware that in order to register as an architect in the UK, they will typically need to hold all of the following:
Banner image credit: Vjosa Bytyqi (2019)