RIBA Foundation in Architecture

Develop a first design portfolio to gain access to the creative professions.

Live information sessions

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:

RIBA Foundation in Architecture
RIBA Certificate in Architecture (Part 1)
RIBA Diploma in Architecture (Part 2).

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 Foundation in Architecture

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.

Course overview

The RIBA Foundation in Architecture course is designed to develop the important skills and sensibilities that form part of the creative and conceptual thinking of architecture through the development of course work which assembles into a portfolio of work required for further studies in the field of architecture.

The course will support students to:

evolve the receptors and sensibilities to observe like an architects
develop the skills in creative and conceptual reasoning for architectural study
build a portfolio of work that will enable access to the profession
build on the experience and confidence required to begin pursuing a career in a creative field including architecture
search for, apply and prepare for a first salaried placement in creative practice.

On this part-time course, students will meet the RIBA Foundation team on a regular basis throughout the 34 weeks of the course. Students will meet separately with their personal tutor. At some point during and exceptionally beyond the course, students undertake their first salaried work in practice in a creative field for a minimum of 200 hours. If students do not already have a placement opportunity, the RIBA Foundation course includes employment sessions and other workshops to work with students in finding the 200 salaried practice hours which form part of the experience of the course.

For the purposes of defining work in practice, we define a design practice as either:

architecture practice
interior design practice
landscape or urban design firm
theatre production company
furniture or fashion design practice / production firm
a range of other closely related design fields.

A professional in the practice will act as a mentor to ensure your range of experience helps prepare you for further studies in architecture. We welcome exceptional recent graduates from the Part 1 and Part 2 courses to act as mentors in practice.

After the course

Upon completion of the course, students graduate with a portfolio of work which enables them to take the next steps in their career including progression onto a Part 1 Architecture qualification. Students who complete the RIBA Foundation course with merit or distinction are offered automatic entry to the RIBA Studio Certificate (Part 1) course. Those with a passing to fair grade will be in good standing and invited for an interview after applying.

The course is modeled on the RIBA Studio and directly prepares students for the Certificate Part 1 course. Students also use the course to prepare for other Part 1 routes including the Apprenticeship and the full time taught routes. We discuss the details of these applications as part of the course.

How to apply and entry requirements

The first step in the application process involves submitting an eligibility form.

Applicants are required to have:

Maths and English GCSE Grade C or level 5 or above, or
Functional Skills, Key Skills or Skills for Life Certificates in Number and Communication at Level 2.

The above applies mainly to school leavers. For applicants with previous studies in higher education including certificate or degrees, these would be considered in lieu of the GCSE and Level 2 requirements.

Applicants who are eligible to apply are then invited to attend a series of applicants events which guides on the development of the applicant portfolio.

Portfolio submissions are due by mid-October and interviews take place that same week.

Those offered a place will join the course which runs from November until July.

Being online, this course allows students to remain in their current employment (usually unrelated to a creative field). For the RIBA Foundation, students do not have to be British citizens and they do not need to be based in the UK and can be of any nationality and be based in any country in the world. The same course fees apply to all students.

(Note that in the next stage of study on the RIBA Certificate (Part 1), students do not need to be British citizens but must be working in a practice within the UK / European Economic Area / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Switzerland.)

Portfolio tips

We encourage applicants to include a range of work in their portfolio including examples of relevant, creative work. A portfolio guide will be shared with eligible applicants to help assemble the portfolio. The following are examples of elements to consider including:

sketches, models, drawings on any topic
photography
collages
music
videos
art in any medium
illustrated literature
favourite keepsakes and the story behind them.

Applicants who are in career transition are encouraged to include aspects of current career work envisioned from the perspective of the skills and experience relevant to architecture.

Applications are now closed

Applications for 2025 entry will open April 2025.

Applicants are encouraged to submit their Stage 1 Eligibility Form as soon as possible. Once these are received, eligible applicants will be notified and invited to application events.

Student testimonials

“The RIBA Foundation gave me so much confidence in myself and in my work, and not just in the work I completed on the course. It has inspired me to be brave enough to express what I care about and consider how something complicated or difficult can begin to be addressed – even if only at a small scale. The course encourages deep observation of the world around you enabling you to see your environment as it is before you consider how to intervene. It is this observation that allows you to tell the story of a place and the inhabitants of it, giving you the tools to understand what it needs.”

Ingrid McLaren - RIBA Award for outstanding work, RIBA Foundation.

“The RIBA Foundation experience has awakened something in me that had been dormant for years. The programme allowed me to learn a lot in such a short time and showed me that architecture surrounds us like air. Thus, learning through creativity and creativity through learning go hand in hand, creating an infinite circle of newness and originality. I found the teaching and tutoring style to have the perfect blend of guidance, encouragement, connection and camaraderie. The lecturers, in addition to their unquestionable architectural skills, are highly sensitive and insightful individuals, which infuses this programme with a beautiful soul that I cannot recommend enough. I would like to express my gratitude for creating this foundation "and beyond" year, and for believing in us.”

Amal El Mchrafi - RIBA Foundation 2021 Graduate.

Course content and assessment structure

Students will study 6 modules on the course. Each one covers a different area of thinking within architecture and will encourage the development of the skills and critical thinking required at Part 1 level. These modules include:

learn to research people and place
learn how to develop conceptual ideas
practice transferring concepts into design responses
establish expectations in academia and practice
gain the awareness of an architect
learn to represent ideas like an architect.

Students create a study schedule that works for them and incorporate time to meet their tutor. At induction before the course begins, tutors introduce themselves and a best match is made for each student from a diverse group of exceptional Part 1 and Part 2 graduates. All of the course work is developed in conjunction with the personal tutor who meet with students on a one-to-one basis every 10-14 days. When it comes to submitting work for assessment, students will use Oxford Brookes University’s platform which students gain access to upon registering to take the course.

For the design modules, this work is presented at twp stages in live online meeting with reviewed with two design examiners. This is a great opportunity to get feedback on the work from both academics and professionals in the industry in order to further personal and professional development.

Information for practices

For practices interested in hiring a student for a 200 hour placement, the RIBA Foundation team will support the practice in a variety of ways including:

help schedule the course to allow employees to participate
clarify the roles and tasks students are ready to undertake
outline remuneration expectations and responsibility of practices
celebrate and realise the impact practices make in terms of diversifying the profession.

For more information, please get in touch with the Programme Director, Dr. Maria Faraone: ribafoundation@brookes.ac.uk.