Program Overview

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Architecture (Joint Programme with MTU)

Course Fact File

Code	MEAT
Duration	1 Year Full-time
Teaching Mode	Full-time
Qualifications	MArch
NFQ Level	Level 9
Fees	See Fees and Costs for full details.
Closing Date	This course is now closed for applications.
Non-EU Closing Date	This course is now closed for applications.
Start Date	8 September 2025

Course Outline

Our Master of Architecture programme is offered by the Cork Centre for Architectural Education (CCAE) in conjunction with the Munster Technological University (MTU).

Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland

This full-time course, extending over 12 months, has been designed to provide a qualification in architecture under the Building Control Act 2007. This qualification is required by the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI) before starting a minimum period of post-qualification supervised practical experience in preparation for the RIAI Examination in Professional Practice, Registration and/or RIAI Membership.

Course Content

During your study, you will be introduced to a diverse programme, approached through creativity and scholarship, and where there will be significant opportunities to anticipate, speculate upon, and define new possibilities in the field of architecture.

The established academic infrastructure and philosophy of the CCAE are defined by a commitment to excellence in design, and consideration of wider cultural and theoretical phenomena. This framework is extended into the master's programme, where students will pose certain questions on the spaces and cities we inhabit, through a process of critical questioning and the dual acts of text and assemblage.

Central to enabling these investigations and explorations will be the series of prominent academics and architectural practitioners contributing to this programme. You will be encouraged to participate in a stimulating academic environment. You will be required to address the wider problematics that are raised by changes in contemporary society and provide clues as to how architecture might operate in such an environment.

The course is intelligently paced and driven by a thematic framework. You will acquire a comprehensive set of skills that will help you to understand the role of the architect in shaping the modern city.

Modules

The course is arranged over three teaching periods during the academic year (September to September). You will take modules to the value of 90 credits as follows:

• AT6011 Design Research: Cultures and Context (5 credits)
• AT6012 Design Research: Technology Transformations (5 credits)
• AT6013 Design Research Studio: Investigation and Formation (20 credits)
• AT6014 Design Project (30 credits)
• AT6015 Exhibition Design and Implementation (15 credits)
• AT6016 Documentation and Dissemination of Design and Design Process (15 credits)

Course Practicalities

Each year we usually adopt and visit a major European city. Specific scenarios or narratives for investigating these cities will be established at the beginning of each year and will be explored under the direction of full-time academic staff, with contributions from practicing architects, guest critics, and other contributors.

Why Choose This Course

We encourage a distinctive, design-based culture through the development of a conceptual and innovative design. This is achieved by a combination of technical explorations, finding new trajectories in design, and forming programs for advanced spatial analysis. The year will begin with an introduction of the city of study, the theme, and the range of interests for that year. The wider theoretical concerns of the course are then tested and elaborated through an intensive period of fieldwork study in the selected city.

Student Awards

Our students are exposed to national and international architectural competitions and their successes can be viewed in the profile link above. Most recently Áine Walker (MArch ) was awarded the distinguished Serjeant Award by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for her design project Anamnesis: Connective (Re)Collections based in Lisbon Portugal.

Our students have also achieved European Architectural Medals for Best Diploma Projects. In 2015 Kieran Cremin and Eoghan Horgan's project Entangled City: Reconciling Cultural Dissonance was awarded a European Architectural Medal in Architecture (Prize for Innovation). That year Aisling Byrne was also shortlisted for the European Architectural Medals (Best Diploma Project) for her project Collective Amalgam Ephemeral Traces.

Skills and Careers Information

On graduating from the course you will have the ability to think critically about architecture. You will be able to form studies involving advanced spatial analysis and develop an innovative architectural design. You will also be able to apply an international context when designing. These are supported by your representational skills, including advanced analogue and digital media skills including 2D and 3D CAD and 3D Studio Max, and sophisticated model-making skills. Our graduates are highly sought for this range of expertise.

Many opportunities exist for our graduates both in Ireland and abroad, not only in the field of architecture, but also in other related spatial practices and disciplines, such as film, new media, and exhibition design. The way in which students investigate and develop their design thesis project also means that they are aware of the requirements of postgraduate research, and may choose to pursue available doctoral studies through a PhD by Creative Practice.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Candidates must meet the following criteria:

• (a) Hold a BA/BSc (Hons) degree in Architecture, awarded on the equivalent of not less than 240 ECTS credits, from an accredited school of architecture, passed at Second Class Honours Grade II or higher;
• (b) *holders of BA/BSc (Hons) Architecture degree with less than Second Class Honours Grade II a period of work-based learning presented in the form of a portfolio of a standard equivalent to, or higher than, Second Class Honours Grade II.

Note

In addition to the minimum criteria, all applicants are required to submit a portfolio of architectural design work to be evaluated by at least two of the following: Centre Director, Associate Director and Programme Coordinator or their nominees who will assess the suitability of the candidate for the Cork Centre for Architectural Education Master of Architecture course.

Fees and Costs

Postgraduate EU and International Fees 2025/2026

See our Postgraduate EU and Non-EU (International) Fee Schedule for the latest information.

Deposits

If your course requires a deposit, that figure will be deducted from your second-semester fee payment in January.

Fee payment

Fees are payable in two equal instalments. First payment is at registration and the balance usually by the end of January.

How can I pay?

See different options on our How Do I Pay My Fees? page.

How To Apply

1. Check dates

Check the opening and closing dates for the application process in the yellow fact file boxes at the top of this webpage. The UCC online application portal usually opens around mid October.

2. Gather documents

Scanned copies of supporting documents have to be uploaded to the UCC online application portal and include:

• Original qualification documents listed on your application, including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC.
• Any supplementary items requested for your course, if required.

3. Apply online

Apply online by clicking the red 'Apply Now' button below. Note most of our courses have a non-refundable €50 application fee.

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)

Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following questions:

• All applicants are required to submit a portfolio of architectural design works. This should be submitted directly to Cork Centre for Architecture or uploaded directly with your online application.
• Please see our Portfolio Guidance Document MArch for further information on the requirements of this portfolio.
• You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.
• In addition to your previously declared qualifications, please outline any additional academic courses, self-learning and professional training relevant to this programme.
• Please describe your motivation and readiness for this programme.
• Please upload your CV here.
• Please detail your research interest(s).
• For applicants who have received less than a Second Class Honours Grade II in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) in their undergraduate degree and those from other accredited programmes (i.e students who haven’t completed their degree through MTU/UCC), you will be required to submit two reference reports with your application. Please download the relevant reference form here: MArch Reference Form.