This programme enables students to complete their professional training and follows the ARB’s criteria for Part 3, thereby enabling graduates who have completed all three examinations to apply for professional registration as Architects in the UK. The course is prescribed by the ARB (Architects' Registration Board).
The University of Kent’s PDip Architectural Practice programme is a one-year postgraduate course which forms the third and final part of the UK’s traditional professional pathway leading, for graduates with the required exemptions from professional examinations, toward registration in the UK as an ‘Architect’.
Our PDip Architectural Practice programme is prescribed by the Architects' Registration Board (ARB) as giving exemption from Part 3 of their professional examinations.
The programme draws on the academic and professional knowledge with the Kent School of Architecture and Planning and explores alternative building procurement strategies, reflecting innovative practice based on published sources and the staff team’s personal experience. UK practice is presented in a wider International context, meeting ARB’s criteria and equipping graduates to work in a wide range of professional roles and environments.
Research at Kent School of Architecture and Planning achieves excellence in both the history and theory of architecture and in sustainable urban, peri-urban and environmental design. School staff have design expertise and specialist knowledge; they are at the forefront of current architectural issues, including sustainability, technology, professional practice and research. Our staff are active at academic and professional conferences, both nationally and internationally, and appear and publish in local and national media. The School promotes innovative and interdisciplinary research, emphasising sustainable design.
Much of the project work involved in the Kent School of Architecture and Planning is located on 'live' sites in the local region, using real clients and engaging challenging issues. Students in all stages of the school have been introduced to real urban and architectural design challenges in Lille, Margate, Folkestone, Dover, Rye, Chatham and, of course, Canterbury. Much of this work involves liaising with external bodies, such as architects, planners, council and development groups.
Entrants will normally be required to hold undergraduate (ARB Part 1) and graduate (ARB Part 2) qualifications.
Exceptional students who do not hold such qualifications but can demonstrate an equivalent academic ability and depth of professional experience may be enrolled but would need ARB Part 1 and Part 2 qualifications prior to applying for professional registration.
Please contact the School for further information, email: artshumsadmissions@kent.ac.uk
All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications.
Please see our International Student website for entry requirements by country and other relevant information. Due to visa restrictions, students who require a student visa to study cannot study part-time unless undertaking a distance or blended-learning programme with no on-campus provision.
This course requires a Very Good level of English language, equivalent to a high B2 on CEFR.
Details on how to meet this requirement can be found on our English Language requirements webpage.
Examples:
IELTS 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component
PTE Academic 67 with a minimum of 59 in each sub-test
A degree from the UK
A degree from a Majority English Speaking Country
Half the course content comprises four lecture-based modules delivered in two block study sessions following the ARB’s criteria. The remaining half of the course comprises a Case Study, based on the student’s current professional experience, with a reflective self-appraisal and extended CV.
These modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.
How do you turn designs into completed buildings? You will study traditional and innovative approaches to building procurement, including traditional, design-build and management contracts as found in standard and bespoke agreements, with reference to both generic scenarios and situations based on your individual prior experience of professional practice.
What knowledge and skills have you acquired through your individual professional experience? How does this experience compare to best practice, and how might you do things differently in future? Focusing on a limited number of case study projects in which you exercise a significant level of responsibility, you will record the overall progression of the design and procurement process and specifically illustrate the relationship between theory and practice with reference to professionalism, legal frameworks, practice management and building procurement. You will present and reflect on the totality of your professional experience, as documented in your Professional Experience and Development Record (PEDR) diaries using the RIBA’s standard templates, and submit a detailed curriculum vitae.
How does the law constrain and inform architectural practice? You will learn about the sources and fundamental principles of the law (concentrating on England and Wales) and look in greater detail at laws and regulations which have the greatest impact on professional practice, referencing your own practical experience and specific scenarios applied to contract, employment law, land law, planning and development management, and dispute resolution.
What are the most effective approaches to strategic and operational practice and management of organisations and projects in the context of the architectural profession, and specifically with reference to the inter-relationships between architects, co-professionals, clients, contractors and other stakeholders? Referring to both generic scenarios and situations based on your individual prior experience of professional practice, you will consider how to manage and promote a professional practice and administer a construction contract.
What does ‘professionalism’ mean in the context of the architectural profession, and how do architects collaborate with co-professionals, clients, contractors and other stakeholders, in order to design and deliver excellent buildings and services? Referencing both generic scenarios and situations based on your individual prior experience of professional practice, you will learn about the regulatory framework within which architects operate in the UK, in the broader context of a range of management theories, considering the roles of the ARB, RIBA and other bodies at a time of dramatic changes in the ways in which architecture is taught and regulated.
Modules in Professionalism and Law are assessed by means of essays, whilst Practice and Management and Building Procurement are assessed in written examinations. The Case Study submission is followed by an interview for all candidates.
The School of Architecture and Planning studios include a dedicated computing suite with a range of environmental construction software, and a Digital Crit Space. There is a fully equipped architectural model-making workshop for constructing models and large-scale prototypes.
The School has excellent contacts with businesses and culture in the local area, including regional organisations such as the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Kent County Council and European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE). The Sustainable Communities Plan is particularly strong in south-east England, making the region the ideal place in which to debate innovative solutions to architectural issues.
Kent also has excellent links with schools of architecture in Lille, Istanbul, Rome, Tokyo, and, in the USA, Virginia.
Academic study is complemented by a mentoring scheme organised in collaboration with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and involving students in events with local practices.
Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: Architectural Research Quarterly; The Architectural Review; Building and Environment; The Journal of Architecture; and The World of Interiors.
All students registered for a taught Master's programme are eligible to apply for a place on our Global Skills Award Programme. The programme is designed to broaden your understanding of global issues and current affairs as well as to develop personal skills which will enhance your employability.
KSAP incorporates the Centre for Research in European Architecture (CREAte), which focuses on research in architectural humanities and design, the Centre for Architecture and Sustainable Environment (CASE), which promotes research in the field of sustainable architecture, and the new Digital Architecture Research Centre (DARC), which researches the use of digital technologies in architecture and the built environment.
The Centre provides a focus for research in architecture in the European context. Its emphasis is on the role and contribution of humanities to architecture and urban design in the context of urban and regional regeneration, nationally and internationally.
CREAte provides a platform for evening lectures by contemporary architects and scholars; hosting debates and events that are in the heart of architectural agenda of today.
The Centre builds upon its staff specialisms, interests and skills in the following areas: regional studies, contemporary architectural and urban theory and design, architectural history and theory (ranging from antiquity to contemporary European cities), sustainability, European topographies (landscape, urban, suburban and metropolitan) etc. Staff participate in the activities of AHRA – Architecture Humanities Research Association and are internationally published authors.
CASE promotes research in the field of sustainable environment regionally, nationally and internationally.
Its research focus encompasses different aspects and scales of the sustainable built environment from the individual building to the urban block, promoting the wider environmental agenda and keeping the School at the forefront of research and development in the field. CASE also pursues research into the historical and cultural dimension of environmental design to foster links between the sciences, arts and humanities. There is a strong interest in understanding the environmental behaviour of historic buildings and the strategies originally deployed to manage the internal environment.
The Centre is the newest research centre at Kent School of Architecture and Planning (KSAP) in the application of digital technology in architecture. The focus of the Digital Architecture Research Centre (DARC) will be the creative use of digital technologies to enhance design and fabrication possibilities for architecture and the built environment.
The centre will have three streams headed by members: 1) Generative design and computational creativity, 2) Digital fabrication and robotics and 3) Digital visualisation and mixed reality.
DARC will promote an innovative interdisciplinary research environment exploring intersections between architecture and digital technologies, to open up and expand the schools research agenda and funding possibilities. The new research centre will promote a fundamental shift in architecture and design thinking to develop design methods for the utilisation of computational technologies in architectural design, fabrication and assembly.
The centre is a new interdisciplinary direction for KSAP, founded on members' expertise and international research profiles to open up new avenues of research activity. The centre draws on university-wide contacts and expertise, and attracts additional expertise, knowledge and research in the field of digital architecture through existing and future collaborations, adding to its high quality research output, and looks to enhance the faculty's Digital Humanities theme, principally in the areas of Digital Creative Arts and Digital Heritage.
Full details of staff research interests can be found on the School's website.
Studying at KSAP will equip you for a successful career in architecture. In addition to your professional skills, you will also develop a wide range of transferable skills in areas such as communication, team-working, problem-solving and computer literacy.
The 2025/26 annual tuition fees for this course are:
The annual tuition fees for students starting this course in January 2025 can be found on the Student Finance page.
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
Tuition fees may be increased in the second and subsequent years of your course. Detailed information on possible future increases in tuition fees is contained in the Tuition Fees Increase Policy. If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk.
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
Tuition fees may be increased in the second and subsequent years of your course. Detailed information on possible future increases in tuition fees is contained in the Tuition Fees Increase Policy. If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk.
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