Architecture: Professional Practice (PgDip)

How will I be taught?

You will be taught through a wide range of distance learning methods, both synchronous and asynchronous, using a range of platforms including the University’s e-leaning platform, Learning Central. Course material will be available in the form of detailed course notes, wikis, and pre-recorded video presentations. There will be regular live-streamed events, including webinars and online workshops given by leading experts, and a weekly blog updating you on course events and current industry developments relevant, as well as guiding you on study and course assignments.

There will be regular contact with staff throughout the year, including the Programme Leader. Each module will have two days of online events with at least one lunch time webinar, meaning that there will be one online event approximately every four weeks. This will be supplemented by discussion boards relating to specific topics, regular written feedback on your work, and individual and group on-line tutorials.  You will be encouraged to maintain a reflective journal on your professional experience, which will inform the assignments and the tutorials. All events are designed to encourage you to share experience and knowledge gained in practice. Recordings of material will be available on-line through Learning Central.

Due to the nature of this course, you are responsible for reading any emails sent by module tutors or announcements made through Learning Central on a frequent basis.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed through a range of course work, including structured assignments, case studies, reports and essays (see module descriptions for more details), together with a professional interview. There are no written examinations or class tests.

How will I be supported?

You will be allocated a personal tutor when you enrol. A personal tutor is there to support you during your studies, help you reflect on your performance on the course and advise you on study techniques, module selection and career planning (in conjunction with the University’s Career Service). You should have regular meetings through Collaborate (the University online package for virtual seminars, and one-to one or group meetings) with your personal tutor to ensure that you are fully supported.

You will normally receive at least three individual tutorials, using Collaborate (as above)

All modules content will be shared via the University’s Virtual Learning Environment, Learning Central, where you can access discussion forums and find course materials including recordings of lectures and links to related materials.

Cardiff University also offers a wide range of online support services which are easily accessible to our distance learning students, such as counselling and wellbeing, financial and careers advisors, the international office and the Student Union.

What skills will I practise and develop?

The Learning outcomes for this Programme describe what you will be able to do as a result of your study at Cardiff University. They will help you to understand what is expected of you and academic staff will focus on precisely what they want you to achieve within each Module. 

Knowledge & Understanding:

• Demonstrate a systematic and in depth understanding of the methods used to regulate development, the construction industry and the provision of architectural services within and outside the UK;
• Critically evaluate and compare procurement systems, including collaborative arrangements, assessing their implications for the role of architects, for risk distribution and management and for methods of handling claims and resolving disputes;
• Demonstrate a systematic and in depth understanding of the methods of procuring architectural services, the use of appropriate terms of appointment, the meaning and extent of professional liability and the requirements of PI insurance;
• Critically evaluate procedures for managing architectural firms, the design process and the provision of architectural services throughout all stages of a project;
• Outline the principles of project management and quality assurance and discuss examples of how these systems may be applied in practice;
• Explain the key methods of managing the design process, including the integration of the work of all members of the team.

Intellectual Skills:

• On completing the Programme you will be able to:
• Identify and critically evaluate sources of information (including current research work), relating to the construction industry within and outside the UK, to determine their authority and reliability;
• Construe the individual and combined effect of key terms (express and implied) in professional services and construction contracts on the obligations, rights, and level of risk assumed by those involved, including duties to third parties;
• Reflect on and critically evaluate the management of a real-life practice and project;
• Analyse complex situations, and exercise independent judgement in evaluating and reaching decisions regarding those situations; explain reasoning behind this evaluation clearly and logically.

Professional Practical Skills:

On completing the programme you will be able to:

• Undertake a comprehensive analysis of the enablers and constraints (including institutional, legal and economic) relevant to the feasibility of a proposed development project;
• Explain and follow the Codes of Conduct and Standards of Performance relating to the profession of architecture.;
• Assess the architectural services required for a project, and propose with justification appropriate procurement arrangements, terms of appointment and fee arrangements, explaining how those fees would be presented and negotiated;
• Propose effective project and practice management procedures, including for the management of physical, financial and human resources, for communication, and for business development and marketing;
• Compare and critically evaluate procedures for tendering (at various levels of design development), and for post tender negotiations and project planning;
• Administer a construction contract of a small to medium scale and contribute to the administration of a large and complex construction contract;
• Make informed judgements when presented with complex problems encountered in architectural practice, including the assessment of claims, explain reasoning behind this evaluation clearly and logically, and communicate the conclusions to the rest of the project team;
• Coordinate and manage the work of the project team for a small project, and contribute to the management of a larger project within an inter-disciplinary team;
• Communicate effectively with the client and the project team, including managing the forms of documentation used and the flow of information between members of the team.

Transferable/Key Skills:

On completing the Programme you will be able to:

• Plan your continuing professional development over a set period, including the acquisition of new knowledge and skills, and evaluate whether these aims have been achieved;
• Exercise initiative and personal responsibility in managing tasks at a professional level, including time management, recording, planning and review, and demonstrating the ability to act in a collaborative manner;
• Plan and undertake a study of a relevant topic, justify and communicate the results clearly and in a manner which would be accessible to a client, to professionals and to other researchers, using a range of formats and media, including essays, reports, and on-line presentations.