Bachelor of Architecture

General Information

"Everything, influencing the way in which the built environment is made, used, furnished, landscaped, and maintained, belongs to the domain of the architects."
UAI Charter on Architectural Education

The School of Architecture at the University of Limerick offers a 5-year undergraduate degree in architecture.The objective of the School is to educate architects with a strong set of integrated skills, balanced with a clear understanding of the environment - built, existing and imagined - and vital to professional practice.The Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI) is the professional accreditation body for architecture degree programmes in the Republic of Ireland.

The School of Architecture embraces all parts of an architect's education; it is a place where the study of architecture is undertaken with passion and inventiveness, an open and transparent society of mobile thinkers. The School of Architecture teaches an architecture that is integrated with Environmental and Structural engineering, as disciplines that set us free from the limitations of our own knowledge and help us to achieve a balance with the environment by focusing human abilities.

Course Structure

The syllabus is organized over a 5-year course. Training as an architect is engaging in a process of learning by doing with the course curriculum structured around the design studio. The design studio is a creative laboratory where learning is developed through experimentation and reflection.Woven into the design studio will be courses of study in structures (structural engineering), environmental science (environmental engineering), history (of architecture, society, technology), and philosophy, sociology, law and management (professional practice).

The course is designed to equip students with a broad range of skills fundamental to becoming an architect. These skills include hand drawing, sketching, modelmaking, photography, computer-aided drawing, audiovisual and verbal presentation, as well as core skills including problem solving and working with other people.

Architecture is a high creative endeavour, and it requires a student to be creative as well as achieving a high academic standing.The study of architecture is rigorous, challenging and requires that students are firmly committed to the discipline.

For further details, log on to www.ul.ie/architecture

Entry Requirements

Applicants are required to hold at the time of enrolment the established Leaving Certificate (or an approved equivalent) with at least Grade C3 in two Higher Level subjects and Grade D3 in four Ordinary or Higher Level subjects (including Mathematics; Irish or another language; and English). All applicants for theArchitecture Degree must submit a Portfolio of personal work.The portfolio should demonstrate the candidate's interest and motivation for studying architecture and how work experiences to date supports this motivation. Suitable areas for the portfolio presentation are drawing, painting, graphics, photography,woodworking, ceramics, sketchbooks, design journal illustrating the design process followed in a project, printmaking, textiles, dress or clothes making, sculpture, computer game design, or any other visual media that demonstrate an interest, experience, and aptitude in creative and graphic areas. For further information on the portfolio requirement, please contact theAdmissions Office 061-202015, or the School ofArchitecture 061-213438.

Mature students
Applications are particularly welcome from mature candidates (at least 23 years of age on the 1st of January of year of enrolment).Application forms are available from the Admissions Office and the closing date for receipt of completed applications is 1st April. A Special Mathematics Examination will be offered at UL following the Leaving Certificate results for those students who did not achieve the Mathematics requirement.

Career Prospects

Students can expect rewarding careers as Architects.