Why choose the msa?
What our students say
Watch a video about undergraduate studies at the Manchester School of Architecture.
Best in UK
MSA was voted the top school in the UK offering courses for the full range of qualifications necessary to become a professional architect. (Guardian newspaper poll result 2006).
New opportunities
We continue to extend and improve the opportunities for students: September will mark the second year of both our new MA in Architecture and Urbanism; as well as creating a BArch ‘flexible delivery’ path tailored to the needs of those individuals who wish to work simultaneously in practise.
Manchester – Venice of the North
The vibrant city of Manchester has an important place in the history of urban development and industrialisation, and continues to be a fascinating site for the investigation of complex architectural and urban design issues: a tremendous local socio-economic and historic context for the study of architecture.
Local talent
MSA uses this remarkable context through engaging internationally-renowned Manchester-based practices in teaching within the school, and engaging the school directly with the issues of the city and its surrounding suburbs and countryside through live collaborative projects.
Undergraduate, Professional, Graduate
MSA is structured in three parts that integrate professional and academic career development in architecture. Undergraduate – leads to a BA and ARB/RIBA Part 1. Professional – leads to BArch and ARB/RIBA Part 2. Graduate – leads to MA, PhD
Famous names
The school also collaborates directly with the Manchester Society of Architects through MSA² which makes lectures and workshops by leading architects and urbanists available to students and professionals alike in a series of events throughout the academic year.
Serious research
The launch of the new MA in Architecture and Urbanism is part of a continued strengthening of the research capabilities of the school whereby internationally recognised researchers from MARC input directly into the graduate teaching. MARC is an internationally renowned, multidisciplinary research team based at the University of Manchester; its staff are leading researchers in a variety of affiliated fields of study, and offer an impressive interdisciplinary context for architectural research at MSA.
UoM / MMU
MSA is a collaboration between the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. MSA students can therefore draw on the facilities and resources of both institutions. Respected and experienced researchers and lecturers, across an impressive range of fields, represent numerous exciting and innovative avenues for creative collaboration, consultation and experiment.
Flexible Delivery
In the study path section, the traditional routes of study for an architect are explained in more detail. In response to the introduction of top up fees, MSA has designed a flexible delivery of existing teaching units in the BArch programme creating a positive engagement with practises for students who find it increasingly necessary to combine paid work and education.