Applicants for this course should have achieved a High II.i Honours Degree .
If your degree is not from the UK, please check International Qualifications to find the equivalent in your country.
University Minimum Academic Requirements
Score : Grade A & B (overall score of 193, with no element lower than 185 plus a Language Centre assessment)
Score : Grade A, B, or C (with at least 200 with no element lower than 185).
The MPhil in Architecture and Urban Studies (MAUS) is a programme of sustainability science and design for buildings and cities, and advanced study on modern and contemporary architecture and the continued development of cities around the world. Students from a variety of academic backgrounds work in an interdisciplinary environment with urbanists, environmental and technology specialists, architectural theorists and historians and design practitioners. Students will explore a wide range of ideas, research methods and theoretical approaches in order to undertake a critical and rigorous analysis of issues relating to both architecture and the challenges and complexities of the world’s rapidly changing cities.
The course offers a flexible structure that is tailored to the needs of individual student’s research interests. Seminars and lectures are organised along two basic streams:
1) A Theoretical Stream focusing on the socio-political and cultural context of architecture and cities with an approach rooted in the humanities and social sciences;
2) A Technical and Sustainability Stream offers a more quantitative approach to architecture and urban planning (including transport, health and well-being, sustainability and environmental design, artificial intelligence (AI) and technology for society). Students are encouraged to participate in and draw from or combine both streams.
In the second term, there is a choice of more specialist seminars within both streams. Students are actively encouraged to explore issues across these basic disciplinary boundaries. The course asks students to expand upon their own experiences by pursuing research in their areas of interest. Teaching in the course is closely integrated with the Department’s research groups which cover a wide range of issues and geographical areas. The MPhil benefits from direct input in the form of lectures, seminars and individual supervision.
Teaching is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops, all held together by regular individual supervision. Individual supervisions are an essential part of the programme: they help to assist, direct and monitor the progress of students' work, while at the same time providing continuous feedback throughout the course.
The weekly lectures and seminars provide a framework to explore a variety of research approaches from a range of relevant disciplines available in the Department. Students receive general seminars and specific guidance on research methods, the use of libraries, and writing techniques. Upon arrival at Cambridge, students will be given a handbook including guidance on how to submit the required coursework, and on all the lectures and seminars available to them.
Research methods, techniques and analytical skills are developed through the lectures, coursework and dedicated training courses.
The teaching methodology also includes individual research activities, oral presentations and written essays to encourage students to identify and solve problems. These activities are supported by regular feedback sessions and in supervision. This methodology, particularly through specialist supervisions, is built upon when the student embarks on their independent dissertation or design dissertation research programme.
Students are also offered physical laboratory testing and receive guidance on the use of environmental sensors and data loggers.