Digital Craft in Architecture

MA

Start dates: September 2025 / January 2026 / September 2026

Full time: 1 Year (September start); 17 months (January start)

Part time: 2 Years (September start only)

Location: Headington

School(s): School of Architecture

Overview

Digital technology continues to disrupt and transform how we design and build with sustainable materials. Our Digital Craft in Architecture MA is a unique transdisciplinary course that will equip you to engage with an evolving industry, as part of a vibrant community of practice. You will learn to craft designs with advanced digital tools, drawing on traditional knowledge of building to innovate with sustainable materials.

You will gain skills in:

3D printing
CNC Manufacture
Mixed Reality Making
Parametric and Computational Design
Generative AI

Networking forms an intrinsic part of the course; you will collaborate with industry partners and practices to develop innovative research projects with real world implications.

As a professional, architect, designer or engineer, our course provides the ideal environment to make connections and create sophisticated designs that will be valuable in your career.

By joining our community of practice, you will have access to our high quality design studios, providing a risk-free environment to explore and implement new, creative ideas.

Attend an open day or webinar Ask a question Order a prospectus

Why Oxford Brookes University?

Workshops

Discover advances digital techniques using scripting, parametric and computational design.
Networking

Collaborate with a project team and industry partners.
'Hands on' experience

With state of the art digital fabrication technologies
Teaching Expertise

In Advanced Architectural Design, Digital Architecture and Virtual Reality.

Great partnerships

At Grymsdyke Farm which houses a digital fabrication facility.

Course details

Working both individually and collaboratively, you will develop a unique body of design research, while considering advancements in the design and construction industry.

You will develop methods of exploration, significantly between the digital and the physical, which include:

Digital prototyping
Computational design
1:1 making with digital fabrication
3D visualisation
Technical drawing for manufacture and assembly.

In order to promote networking and development throughout our course, you will work closely with your tutors, while engaging with practices and researchers. Your research will be guided by a collaborative research question that is influenced by industry approaches to sustainability and how digital tools can enhance the utilisation of traditional materials.

The modules you will study combine a ratio of taught to self-led study.

As an example, a module of 20 credits approximates to 200 hours of student effort. Up to 36 hours of which usually consists of:

Lectures
Seminars
Individual tutorials
Hands on digital and making workshops.

The remaining time is devoted to student-led study and assessment.

Your assessments will be diverse, and will support different learning styles - you’ll have a real opportunity to showcase your strengths. Your learning may be assessed by a combination of individual or group coursework, examinations, and presentations. The assessment methods chosen will be based on your learning needs, individual aims and the academic standards expected for the course.

There is no official field trip on the course.

We will encourage you to visit areas of interest that are relevant to your thesis, and to visit exhibitions and galleries. We recommend you should budget about £300 for trips such as these for your thesis.

Start this course in January or September

You have the option to start this course in January. You will study a range of modules between January and May. During the summer months you will begin work on your dissertation and then between September and December you will focus on your final modules. You will complete your dissertation by the following May, 17 months after the start of the course.

Find out more about January entry

Study modules

The modules listed below are for the master's award. For the MArchD award your module choices may be different. Please contact us for more details.

Taught modules

Compulsory modules

Advanced Digital Practice (30 credits)

This module is designed to teach you how to design using a range of geometry, data, and scripting methods. It will also help you develop an understanding of the role of computational design in both theory and practice, and enhance your skills and control of digital tools to generate and rationalise complex geometry. Additionally, the module will assist you in developing the ability to systematically work through complex design problems using digital tools and communicate your process and key principles effectively.
Design for Digital Manufacture and Assembly (30 credits)

This module offers you the opportunity to learn and develop skills in both analogue and digital manufacturing techniques, as well as develop an awareness of materials and their uses, performance, and application in an industrial setting. You will develop your skills in transforming digital geometry into manufacture-ready information and designing parts and components with automation and digital manufacturing in mind. Throughout the module, you will build prototypes to test materials, processes and assembly, gaining an understanding of tacit knowledge of construction and embedding that in your design.
Contextual Theory (30 credits)
You'll attend lectures and seminars on the history of the master builder and the aspects of:
- The significance of building tectonics from the perspective of anthropology
- The relationship between designing, making and knowing
- The 'modern' approach to materials and details in buildings.
On this module you'll gain an understanding of how building knowledge has developed and been broadcast in cultures. In the past, as well as in modern times, both in ceremonial and everyday contexts.
Collaborative Project (30 credits)

You will collaborate with practices, industry, academic researchers and tutors for your research project. They will help you plan a research proposal that has clear ambitions and impact in its outcome.

Using your acquired skills, you will explore the potential of digital technologies. To reformulate and reinvent traditional knowledge of materials, craftsmanship and practice.

You will create and test to produce your ‘proof-of-concept’; which starts your final project.

Final project

Compulsory modules

Final project (60 credits)
Your final project will represent a culmination of your research and skills learned throughout the programme. It's your opportunity to show your:
- Research skills
- Technical skills
- Design skills.
Contextualised as an architectural project.

You will develop a body of research into your chosen topic and propose and build an original work at 1:1 in groups. You will show a maturity of purpose and deep understanding. With your research in its wider context through the submission of a thesis report.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Research

Oxford Brookes is renowned for its world-class research into how architecture has evolved in different cultures around the world, notably the Paul Oliver Vernacular Architecture Library and the network of hundreds of researchers connected to this body of work. This unique collection of traditional or vernacular architectures represent an extensive and detailed knowledge database, expressed as an architectural language specific to the spirit and ecology of a place. It also represents an extensive body of research into the way economies and cultures relate to, and utilise, sustainable materials in the construction of architecture.

Careers

In the rapidly evolving design and construction industry, there is an increasing demand for specialist knowledge of digital manufacturing. Robotics, augmented reality and 3D printing technologies continue to play a more significant role in how we design and build.

Greater value is placed on first-hand experience and knowledge that can harness these processes in the design and making of our built environment. As a graduate of this course there are many opportunities to find work in the many sectors of design, architecture and the building industry, which includes:

Architectural and engineering practices
Industrial designers, designer-makers
Digital design and manufacture consultancies
Building contractors.

Watch our School of Architecture Employability video.

Related courses

Entry requirements

Specific entry requirements

Admission to the programme will be open to applicants who hold a minimum of a second class honours degree (2:2), or an equivalent overseas qualification, from courses covering skills in design, making, graphic communication, architecture, industrial design or fashion.

Alternatively, applicants will be considered with an appropriate background working in a design practice, with a portfolio demonstrating 3 years of experience.

Please also see the University's general entry requirements.

Selection process

All applicants will be invited to submit a portfolio for review. You can make your submission via Google Drive or similar and then share the link as part of your admission. Matt Gaskin talks about what we're looking for in this video about what to include in your portfolio.

Information on portfolio specifications & how to submit it, will be emailed separately upon initial processing of an application.

English language requirements

Please see the University's standard English language requirements.

Pathways courses for international and EU students

We offer a range of courses to help you meet the entry requirements for your postgraduate course and also familiarise you with university life in the UK.

Take a Pre-Master's course to develop your subject knowledge, study skills and academic language level in preparation for your master's course.

If you need to improve your English language, we offer pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirements of your chosen master’s course.

English requirements for visas

If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.

Terms and Conditions of Enrolment

When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.

International qualifications and equivalences

How to apply

Application process

Apply now

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note

Home (UK) full time

£9,700

Home (UK) part time

£4,850

International full time

£16,600

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Tuition fees

2024 / 25

Home (UK) full time

£9,700

Home (UK) part time

£4,850

International full time

£16,600

2025 / 26

Home (UK) full time

£10,200

Home (UK) part time

£5,100

International full time

£17,950

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page

Financial support and scholarships

For general sources of financial support, see our Fees and funding pages.

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Materials

Performing physical experimentation means that you may incur costs for materials. Access to our workshops is free, but you will need to source your own materials to use. It is possible to gain free materials. Or to use natural occurring materials. We recommend a budget of £300 to £400 for your model making materials. The amount is a guide as your actual cost can vary depending on your area of interest.

Printing and binding

We provide access to show your work in a digital format. Your hardcopy portfolio elements of the course will need a high quality print finish. Therefore, we recommend a budget of £100 for your printing costs over the year.

Information from Discover Uni

Full-time study

Part-time study

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.

Digital Craft in Architecture

Find a course

Overview

Why Oxford Brookes University?

Course details

Course structure

Start this course in January or September

Study modules

Taught modules

Compulsory modules

Research

Careers

Related courses

Entry requirements

Specific entry requirements

Selection process

English language requirements

Pathways courses for international and EU students

English requirements for visas

Terms and Conditions of Enrolment

International qualifications and equivalences

How to apply

Application process

Tuition fees

Questions about fees?

Tuition fees

Questions about fees?

How and when to pay

Financial support and scholarships

Additional costs

Materials

Printing and binding

Information from Discover Uni

Full-time study

Part-time study