BlogUniversityWhat It’s Like Studying a Bachelor of Design (Architecture) QUT

What It’s Like Studying a Bachelor of Design (Architecture) QUT

QUT Architecture - Fact Sheet

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 QUT encourages 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 on design projects in studio-settings from the get-go which you can add to your portfolio for future employers. You’ll also learn how to use various digital design tools, how to create physical models and different techniques for sketching.

Of course, you’ll be taught about the principles and theories of design and how the use of architecture can benefit the world we live in today. 

QUT Architecture - Quote

Can it be studied with another degree?

If you go on to complete a Master of Architecture (extra two years), then you’re able to sit the Architectural Practice Examination which 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 either Business (4.5 years), Engineering (5.5 years), Property Economics (4.5 years) or even Construction Management (5 years). 

Career Paths 

You can go on to become 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: 

    • 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.

Check out the Top Art and Design Schools in Australia and see if QUT made the list!

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:

    • A lab that focusses on developing your design identity and prepares you for the work environment
    • An internship 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 help develop your skills through practical-based learning in studio settings.

There’s a mixture of design, history and construction units as well as impact labs! Now, you’ll complete four impact labs throughout the degree and these are basically about how design can influence and bring about change in society.

So, Impact Lab 1: Place is all about design processes and different viewpoints, while Impact Lab 2: People focusses on the ways in which design can address challenges in society. Impact Lab 3: Planet looks at innovative and sustainable design solutions for big global issues and Impact Lab 4: Purpose is 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 is about the history of architecture and you’ll look at how critical moments in time have informed architectural design. In the subject Small 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 six Architectural Design subjects which are project-learning based and taught in a studio-setting. These classes are where you develop your design skills and learn about the principles of architecture.

For example, in Architectural Design 2: Spaces, you’ll have to create 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 right here! 

Electives

So, the electives are where you have the freedom to choose what you want! There are recommended creative industries units 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 called Design Visualisations which was all about different design techniques to express your designs including both analog and digital design visualisation techniques.

Have a look here to 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! With Work Integrated Learning 1 and 2, you complete an internship throughout the semester and have to submit a number of assessments along the way.

This includes reflections 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 a Bachelor of Design — International (Architecture) (4 years in total) which means you 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 is the possibility to go on exchange for one or two semesters and study at one of the many QUT partner universities! There’s also the chance to go on an international 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 a Diploma in Creative Industries which 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 scored at 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 found here! 

What’s the Teaching Format?

A Bachelor of Design in Architecture at QUT combines lectures, tutorials, studios and workshops. You’ll complete the degree through semesters.

Class Structure

QUT Architecture - Class Structure

Lectures

It really depends on the subject but there are usually 50 plus people in 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! 

Studios

Studios can go for as 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 to collaborate with others and get feedback on your ideas.

The studios are fairly self-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 are interactive classes where you’ll have discussions following the lectures or the content for that week. You can also expect to have around 20 people in the class and tutorials can last up to two hours. 

Workshops

These are fairly small in size with around 20 to 25 students and 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?

Lucky for you, there are hardly any exams for this degree (woohoo!). There’s a mix of reports, essays, presentations, weekly reflections and portfolios — both individual and collaborative!

Sometimes you’ll have to work in a team and come up with a design proposal in response to a brief, other times you’ll have to create a whole portfolio including sketches, rendering and physical models.

The assessments are definitely practical-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

QUT Architecture - skills

You’ll learn how to use digital design tools which architects actually use such 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 also develop 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 your communication skills with presentations, essays and reports!

You’ll learn how to work well in a team and collaborate effectively by brainstorming ideas and 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 projects and 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 the QUT Architecture Society as it’s a great place for collaboration, professional development and also to mix with other students who are just as passionate about architecture and design as you are!

They offer various 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 are really 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 get great one-on-one feedback about your designs and they facilitate interesting discussions in class! 


Tanna Nankivell is 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. 

 

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