BA (Hons) Architecture

Year 1
 

Students studying for the BA (Hons)course are introduced to foundational knowledge and skills that influence the production of architecture. Initial short design projects in the first year introduce students to drawing and making projects. A suite of lectures and workshops introduces critical thinking in key subject areas such as Construction Technology, Shaping Tomorrow Together and History of the Built Environment. These enrich students' knowledge of architecture and help them conceptualize space and realize design proposals using drawings and models. Students undertake the conceptional design development using the medium of fine arts in their first semester. In the second semester, small-scale architectonic explorations in residential architecture are explored. In addition to the core design studio, students are introduced to courses in Histories and Theory, Construction and Environment.
 

Year 2
 

Year two builds on the foundational knowledge of design and architectural vocabulary introduced in the first year. Critical thinking, reasoning, research-informed design, structures and materials are themes explored within the development process in the design studio. Students are introduced to digital packages as design and representation tools. Extensive digital prototyping is used for design exploration and to understand the relationship between digital and analogue processes. Taught courses expand knowledge in Construction and Histories and Theories, Environmental studies, and Building Services Technology.
 

Year 3
 

Year Three advances knowledge, critical thinking and design skills working in various complex local-regional urban and social settings. Core design projects consist of medium-scale public buildings and design intervention within the public realm. The design projects undertaken have the urban and landscape context that ranges from the dense traditional neighbourhoods to the more contemporary fragmented parts of the city. Taught courses in Histories and Theories, Energy and Environment, and Professional Practice further bridge between theory and practice in the design studio.
 

Year 4
 

Year 4 is designed to consolidate the previous three years of learning with complex and critical challenges in design, technology, and writing. The year also aids students' transitions into the industry. Students complete a capstone design project where they develop a detailed and rigorous design project linked over two semesters allowing the student to develop a comprehensive body of work that can meet RIBA Criteria and the RIBA Graduate Attributes for Part One. In developing these projects, students are required to conceive in parallel and integrate technology in their design, demonstrating their knowledge of environmental design, structural innovation, constructional and material choices, and legislative requirements. Students in Year 4 also develop a History and Theory-based dissertation, take a course in Innovation in Construction Practice, and participate in a Collaborative Design Project with Architectural Engineers and Civil Engineers where they work in multi-disciplinary teams.

Our entry criteria are listed below. However, please note that the final decision remains at the discretion of the course director after evaluating scores of individual relevant subjects.
 

Students who are eligible to be admitted directly into second year can choose to join the first year, where available.
 

First year entry
 

• GCE A-Level CCC (or AABB at AS-Level)

• CBSE 65%.

• American High School Diploma + SAT 1s - 1000

• Tawjihiyya 80%

• International Baccalaureate 24 points.

• BTEC Level 3 Ext Diploma MMM

• Foundation year Successful completion of Heriot-Watt University Degree Entry Programme (Engineering,Design) with a BBBB.

• FBISE grade 12 or equivalent – 70%

• Curriculum Russian/Kazakhstan (Attestat) with minimum grade of 5 + IELTS 6.0

• EmSAT minimum 1400 English and 1200 Maths

• Compulsory subjects to include English.

Second year entry
 

Consideration is subject to:
 

• A design portfolio

• An interview with the programme director

• The completion of Year 1 of a design programme in which the learning outcomes and progression are similar to Heriot-Watt University, Dubai. Applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

We also welcome Year 2 and Year 3 students from other universities with architectural educational qualifications, provided they meet our evaluation process.
 

English language requirements
 

Where English was not the medium of instruction at secondary school, applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 6.0 Academic (with no element below 5.5).

AED 73164 per year

Graduates from the Architecture BA(Hons) programme can expect to find jobs as architectural assistants in multinational architecture and engineering companies, government organisations and small to medium-sized private sector firms (architecture, urban design and interior design).
 

The BA (Hons) Architecture degree offered by Heriot-Watt provides an excellent first step in an architectural education that can lead towards becoming a professionally qualified Architect with further studies, examinations and experience.