Choosing a Course

Most building-related courses are three- or four-year BScs; the range of degrees is so varied that few institutions offer exactly the same degree course. So make sure you understand what you're getting. If you know you want to do, for example, building techniques or computer-aided design, make sure it's on offer.

There is often an emphasis on individual learning, so be aware of whether a lecture and class-based course would suit you. Assessment is similarly quite varied, but do expect a large element of coursework for most degrees.

Certain building courses also offer the opportunity to attain chartered engineer status - this requires studying for the Engineering Council examinations - which may help gain employment further down the line.

Four-year courses nearly always include a sandwich year in industry, which can be a great way to get to know the industry and find your niche in the job market. Ask about the provision an institution has for work placement.

In order to practise as an architect in the UK, it is necessary to be on the register of architects, which is held by the UK statutory regulator for architects, the Architects Registration Board. ARB is the sole body charged with prescribing the qualifications, so if you want to practise as an architect, it is important that you check out whether or not the qualification you are thinking of is prescribed by the ARB. If it is, then your route on to the UK Register of Architects will be more straightforward.

And if you want to be a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, the course needs to be recognised by them too. Not all courses are recognised by the ARB and/or RIBA so check with them which courses they approve. A number of courses are currently awaiting validation, and ARB-prescription is reviewed periodically - normally every four years - so they will be able to provide up-to-the-minute information.

Go and see a range of schools in action before making a choice. Although they must all comply with professional criteria they are surprisingly different in their character depending on their home institution and the interests of the teaching staff.

Course content will vary according to research interests and institutional histories. Some courses are more technical and academic than others, and could include areas such as sustainability, waste management, electronic modelling, or structural engineering, so think carefully about what suits your skills and temperament best. As with all courses, careful examination of prospectuses and visits to departments (ask about their links with architects' practices and arrangements for the 'years out') should enable you to make informed decisions about the most suitable place for you.

Another possibility is architectural technology, which is a relatively new profession and deals with the technical aspects of the specification, design and construction of a building, often acting as the project manager, connecting client and architect. These courses are shorter than the full requirements for architecture "proper" - three years, or four with a sandwich course, usually followed up with a work placement.

And as with building, see what the work placement opportunities are like: are the possibilities wide-ranging, enabling you to pursue the particular types of project you want to be in? Could you even be working abroad?