Architecture (Undergraduate)
We would like to formally welcome you to Manchester School of Architecture (MSA)!
Welcome messages
Welcome information
Congratulations on securing your place here at both the University of Manchester (UoM) and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)! We are sure you are excited to commence your studies and enjoy a fantastic student experience here at both Universities. You should be proud of all your achievements and hard work in reaching this point. We wish you well on your journey to get here and look forward to meeting you soon! MSA studios are based at Manchester Technology Centre.
Before you begin, it is good to think about where you are going! Explore our most recent end of year show, celebrating all students, showcasing events and listing awards: 2026 Exhibition.
Welcome Week for the University of Manchester begins Monday, 21 September. Welcome Week for Manchester Metropolitan University begins Monday, 28 September.
At MSA we use the term dates of MMU, which means your induction week will begin with a welcome lecture on Monday, 28 September 2026. Our first teaching week begins on Monday 1 October. On days where you have no timetabled activities, we expect you to be studying. This is a full-time course.
You can learn more about Manchester School of Architecture on our website.
Please note, if you are unable to join us on campus on 28 September, all induction talks should be available for you to read through.
First Year Motto: Remember that Architecture is a doing word!
Registering
You are in the unique position of being registered at two universities, with all their facilities at your disposal - but first, you must register at each university.
You will be receiving or will have already received, emails from The University of Manchester which explain to you how to obtain an IT account at Manchester.
This is the first step to follow - once you have IT access, you can register as a student.
You will be paying your tuition fees to MMU so the financial stage of registration at UoM should state that no fees are due, but you must still complete all the stages of registration, including the financial stage, to register. If fees are listed in error at this stage, call the UoM registration helpline on +44 (0)161 306 5544.
Once you are enrolled at The University of Manchester, you must also enrol at Manchester Metropolitan University. For details of any steps you need to take with MMU, please visit the MMU Welcome website.
Welcome handbook
Your BA1 Welcome handbook is essential reading, introduces the course and is available here:
BA1 Architecture Welcome Handbook 2026
We recommend you download the apps suggested in the welcome booklet to give you a head start.
Timetable
Make sure you familiarise yourself with your course welcome timetable which you can access using the My MMU app. You will also be able to access a PDF of the full year timetable once you access Moodle, your learning platform.
International students
As you join the University you are required to complete pre-enrolment.
This is where we scan originals of your passport, immigration permission (visa), and the qualifications that helped you get an offer for your course (these would normally be the certificates/transcripts listed on your CAS).
The scanned documents are kept securely on your student record as part of our license requirements with UKVI.
If you are an overseas, study abroad, or exchange student, you must attend pre-enrolment before you can complete online enrolment with the University and begin your studies.
Find out more:
Year 1 Course Modules
Studio takes place throughout the year and is split in to Design 1 and Design 2. It is where you will learn how to test and experiment with form, debate ideas and present your own unique proposals.
We will challenge your existing knowledge of space and how space is created. Projects begin from a variety of starting points and increase in scale over the year. Through studio projects, you will become independent designers capable of developing complex briefs and beautiful ideas.
We will encourage you to draw and model your ideas. Designing is a place where we consider and experiment, it is a journey, a process where your first idea develops, changes and iterates until the result is something you didn’t necessarily imagine. Get comfortable with being messy, with failing, with testing, with questioning, sharing and listening to each other as well as your tutors.
Over the summer perhaps think about your own home and watch how you use the space and live there. Think about the activities and how much (or how little) space they require. Maybe have a go at measuring yourself and objects around you and try to draw people doing different daily activities. Have you ever tried to draw your home as a plan?
In first year, context is split into two courses; Histories of Architecture and Sustainable Global Futures.
Histories of Architecture will illustrate how to situate architectural thought and production in a historical and socio-political context, exploring the emergence of different architectural trends and movements in relation to key economic, political, technological, and theoretical shifts occurring throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries and beyond. Drawing on post-colonial approaches, the course aims to provide students with the tools to analyse architectural production and interventions in space beyond aesthetic formalisms. Understanding architecture beyond pure aesthetics stands at the core of a socially informed approach to practice, building the foundations for the architecture student to become a reflexive practitioner.
Sustainable Global Futures will introduce you to the complexity of the climate and biodiversity emergencies, and the plurality of architectural approaches to these issues. Through situating human interference with the environment within a broader context of climate and environmental justice, you will engage with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for your personal and professional development. Through understanding broader global changes that shape architectural practice, you will be provided with the critical tools to ensure that you can develop ethically informed positions on climate and environmental change that respond to social and spatial justice concerns.
Before you arrive, observe the built environment and see if you can work out the age and style of the buildings you see. Have you ever wondered why buildings look like they do? Also perhaps think about how you feel about the climate crisis and how it affects the way people live. How might we reduce energy use in buildings? Any ideas?
In first year, Production is split into two courses: Principles of Technology and Collaborative Practice
Principles of Technology focuses on the analysis of contemporary case studies of small scale and complexity to introduce key technological principles. The course is delivered through a study of Materials, Structures and Environment & Construction. You will be introduced to climate and associated technological rationales in architectural design and develops skills in analysis and visual representation.
Collaborative Practice is a group project where you will work on ‘live’ projects with external clients and in collaboration with students from different years. Using real-world situations, projects in this module are led by your groups and centred around peer-to-peer learning enabling you learn from each other and to determine productive and mutually beneficial group-working approaches. A professional working relationship will be developed with an external Collaborator who will present a starting point from which you will develop a brief to establish a project for social impact and/ or community benefit. This ends in a final 2 week design project known as MSA Live where you may develop exhibitions, installations, built projects, workshops, charrettes, processions, and protests.
Get inspired over the summer by reading the incredible MSA Live 2026 blog and maybe get involved in some architectural events where you live from visiting an exhibition to volunteering for a community building project.
Reading list
A specific reading list will be provided for each module, however, there are four key texts which will serve as an essential reference in Year 1 and will prove useful throughout your architectural education.
- Architecture Since 1400 (James-Chakraborty, K)
- Architect’s Pocket Book (Hetreed, J., Ross, A., Baden-Powell, C.)
- Designing for the Climate Emergency: A Guide for Architecture Students (Pelsmakers, S., Donovan, E., Hoggard, A., Kozminska, U.)
- Studio Craft & Technique for Architects (Delany, M. & Gorman, A.)
These can be bought as a bundle exclusively from the Blackwells on University Green in Manchester for a discounted price. Please see the welcome booklet for further information.
Support and advice
If you have any questions about your course, you can get in touch with our teaching and learning team at seed.hub@manchester.ac.uk.
For the latest engagement and support information, events and activities, follow SEED Student Support and Guidance on Instagram or Eventbrite.
For more information about the whole range of support available from the University, please visit the University's Student Support website.
Preparing to start your course
Visit the Get Ready pages. There are a few practical things we need you to complete in your first few weeks to get things started.
Take a look at the Welcome and Induction pages. We're looking forward to welcoming you to Manchester.