So, you’re interested in studying a Bachelor of Design in Architecture at QUT?
You’ve come to the right place because we’ll take you through everything there is to know about the degree including core units, assessments, the uni culture and more!
Let’s dive in!
What is a Bachelor of Design (Architecture) at QUT?
Core Units for this Degree
How to Get into a Bachelor of Design (Architecture) at QUT
What’s the Teaching Format?
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?
What is a Bachelor of Design (Architecture) at QUT?
A Bachelor of Design in Architecture at QUTencourages you to express your creativity as a designer and really think outside the box!If you’re planning on becoming a practising architect, this degree is a great stepping stone in which you’ll learn both the practical and theoretical skills that you’ll need for your postgraduate studies.
You’ll start working ondesign projects in studio-settingsfrom the get-go which you can add to your portfolio for future employers. You’ll also learnhow to use various digital design tools, how to create physical models and different techniques for sketching.
Of course, you’ll be taught about theprinciples and theories of designand how the use of architecture can benefit the world we live in today.
Can it be studied with another degree?
If you go on to complete aMaster of Architecture(extra two years), then you’re able to sit theArchitectural Practice Examinationwhich means you can work as a practicing architect in Australia!
To be eligible,you’ll need to have an overall GPA (Grade Point Average) of at least 4.5.You’ll also have to submit a digital portfolio with at least four of your projects!
You can also take your degree to the next level by combining it with eitherBusiness(4.5 years),Engineering(5.5 years),Property Economics(4.5 years) or evenConstruction Management(5 years).
Career Paths
You can go on tobecome a registered practicing architect— as long as you successfully complete a Masters in Architecture. However, there are also a ton of other exciting jobs that you can do with this degree!
Below are just a few examples:
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- Town planner
- Interior and spatial designer
- Structural engineer
- Set designer
- Historic buildings inspector
- Construction manager
- Sustainability design consultant
…and way more! This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Core Units for this Degree
How is the degree structured?
The degree is pretty much already set out for you!As of your second year, you get to choose an elective each semester (4 in total).
In your final year semester 1, you can choose one of three options:
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- Alabthat focusses on developing your design identity and prepares you for the work environment
- Aninternship subject
- A study tour
Apart from that, the rest are subjects which you are required to complete.
What are the Core Units?
The core units cover the practical skills and theoretical knowledge that you need to become an architect! They helpdevelop your skills through practical-based learning in studio settings.
There’s a mixture ofdesign, history and construction units as well as impact labs!Now, you’ll complete four impact labs throughout the degree and these are basically abouthow design can influence and bring about change in society.
So,Impact Lab 1: Placeis all about design processes and different viewpoints, whileImpact Lab 2: Peoplefocusses on the ways in which design can address challenges in society.Impact Lab 3: Planetlooks at innovative and sustainable design solutions for big global issues andImpact Lab 4: Purposeis all about building your identity as a designer and the transition from uni into the workplace — you’ll work on a Design Portfolio that can shown to future employers.
Spatial Histories是关于the history of architecture and you’ll look at how critical moments in time have informed architectural design. In the subjectSmall Scale Building Construction, you’ll learn about the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and different building systems. Throughout the subject, you’ll have to create small-scale physical and drawn models.
There are also六个建筑设计主题which are project-learning based and taught in a studio-setting. These classes are where youdevelop your design skills and learn about the principles of architecture.
For example, inArchitectural Design 2: Spaces, you’ll have tocreate a small-scale building and have to produce digitised drawings of your designs.So this subject helps you develop your freehand drawing skills (and digitised) and model making skills!
Check out the rest of the core units righthere!
Electives
So, the electives are where you havethe freedom to choose what you want!There are recommended创意产业单位that focus on improving your design skills and complement the degree really well.
There’s a ton of different units for you to choose from and you can even do units from other design majors! Antonio took one elective calledDesign Visualisationswhich was all aboutdifferent design techniques to express your designs including both analog and digital design visualisation techniques.
Have a lookhereto see the recommended units — make sure you look under the Creative Industries Undergraduate University Wide Unit Options.
Internships
There is the option to do an internship during the degree! It’s always a great idea to do one because you gain industry-experience and start to create a network of people! WithWork Integrated Learning 1and2,you complete an internship throughout the semester and have to submit a number of assessments along the way.
This includesreflections during your internship and an evaluation of it as well as a professional career plan.Do keep in mind that your industry-partner or where you intern at also have to evaluate your contributions to the workplace so be sure to make the most of your time and work hard!
Opportunities to Travel
There’s also the option to choose aBachelor of Design — International (Architecture)(4 years in total) which meansyou get to experience design in another country for one whole year!If you’re interested in International Studies and Architecture, this is the perfect option for you.
With a Bachelor of Design in Architecture, there still isthe possibility to go on exchange forone or two semestersand study at one of the many QUT partner universities!There’s also the chance to go on aninternational study tour.
How to Get into a Bachelor of Design (Architecture) at QUT
You’ll need an ATAR of 80 to get into this course!Don’t stress if you didn’t get the ATAR required for the degree because you can still study Architecture if you wish to.
You can complete aDiploma in Creative Industrieswhich can get you exactly where you want to! After successfully completing the Diploma,you’ll already have 96 credit points that count towards your Bachelor of Design in Architecture(sweet!).
Assumed Knowledge
You should have scoredat least a Grade C in Units 3 and 4 of English/Literature or English/Literature extension.
Scholarships
There are many scholarships for different faculties at QUT which can be foundhere!
What’s the Teaching Format?
A Bachelor of Design in Architecture at QUTcombines lectures, tutorials, studios and workshops. You’ll complete the degree throughsemesters.
Class Structure
Lectures
It really depends on the subject but there areusually 50 plus peoplein them and they go for around 1-2 hours.
During the lectures,you’ll learn all the content for each unit and there’s also the chance for you to ask questions.Make sure you’re ready to really listen and take notes!
工作室
工作室can go foras long as four hours as there are more students (around 40 per studio)and lots of different tasks you have to complete. It’s the chance for you tocollaborate with others and get feedback on your ideas.
The studios are fairlyself-paced so you can work on the various tasks at your own speed.The coordinator sets out different tasks that relate to the content you’re learning and then you’ll either work on these tasks individually or in groups.
Tutorials
These areinteractive classes where you’ll have discussions following the lecturesor the content for that week. You can also expect to havearound 20 people在课堂上和教程可以持续p to two hours.
Workshops
These are fairly small in size witharound 20 to 25 studentsand go for around 1-2 hours. The workshops are the most practical kind of class.
For example,you might have to create some kind of model for an assignment and the workshops are where you would do this. The tutors are there to help you out with using the different tools so there’s wood-making tools, laser-cutting, metalwork and so on.
How many hours do you spend at uni?
If you study a Bachelor of Design in Architecture at QUT full-time,you’ll complete four subjects a semester which means you’re looking at around 20-24 contact hours a week. So, it is quite a contact-heavy degree and you also have to spend a fair bit of your own time working on your assignments.
What are the assessments like?
幸运的你,there are hardly any exams for this degree(woohoo!). There’s a mix ofreports, essays, presentations, weekly reflections and portfolios— both individual and collaborative!
Sometimes you’ll have towork in a team and come up with a design proposal in response to a brief, other times you’ll have tocreate a whole portfolio including sketches, rendering and physical models.
The assessments are definitelypractical-based, focus on developing your design skills and help create a range of different portfolios that you can show future employers(plus you need at least four projects for your Masters application).
Skills That You Refine and Learn
You’ll learnhow to use digital design tools which architects actually usesuch as BMI (Building Information Modelling). Basically, this makes it a lot easier to express your designs and it’s all about 3D modelling and drafting software.
You’ll alsodevelop your analog drawing skills, so hand-drawing skills as you’re required to sketch up your designs for various projects. Of course, you’ll refine yourcommunicationskills with presentations, essays and reports!
You’ll learn how towork well in a team and collaborate effectively by brainstorming ideasand working together to create a design solution.
What’s the Faculty and Culture Like?
It’s a very friendly and professional environment!You’re bound to find friends throughout the degree because you work collaboratively on different design projectsand when it comes down to crunch time, you’ll definitely spend a few late nights at uni together, trying to finish off that assignment!
You should definitely join theQUT Architecture Societyas it’s a great place forcollaboration, professional development and also to mix with other studentswho are just as passionate about architecture and design as you are!
They offervarious design workshops (model-making, sketching, design and sustainability— just to name a few),industry networking events and even an end of semester party!
What are the tutors and lecturers like?
The lecturers and tutors arereally engaging and more than happy to help you out with anything!They’ve all got a lot of experience in the industry which means they really know what they’re talking about.
You’ll getgreat one-on-one feedback about your designs and they facilitate interesting discussionsin class!
Tanna Nankivellis a Senior Content Writer at Art of Smart Education and is currently in Germany completing a year of study for her double degree in Communications (Journalism) and Bachelor of Arts (International Studies). She has had articles published on Central News – the UTS Journalism Lab and wrote a feature piece for Time Out Sydney during her internship. Tanna has a love for travel and the great outdoors, you’ll either find her on the snowfields or in the ocean, teaching aqua aerobics or creating short films.
