The undergraduate teaching programme in the Department of Architecture is designed to provide an education suitable for a career in the architectural profession (awarding ARB/RIBA Part 1) and a wide range of related fields. Studies in Architecture at the University call for a wide range of skills and commitment for success.
Overview
A*AA at A-level, or 7 7 6 (42+ overall) in the IB. For other qualifications, please see the University entrance requirements page.
None
Mathematics or Physics, History, and Art.
Written work required to apply
We require all Architecture applicants to submit a PDF (6 A4 pages, and less than 15MB in size) of their own artwork where selection of images should, in part, reflect material in the portfolio you might show during your interview, if invited.
Architecture at Clare
Teaching for the Architecture Tripos is mainly conducted in the Department of Architecture with the College providing an overall framework for architectural students and a strong supporting environment for their studies.
Clare College has a strong history of supporting the Arts, Architecture and Design, which is reflected in the continuing number of applications made for admission to Clare to read Architecture and the generally high standard subsequently achieved by those admitted.
Design is taught in the Architecture Department’s studio where most students have their own dedicated design space. You are set projects that put an emphasis upon ‘making’, requiring you to produce models and drawings to communicate your ideas, as well as using a full range of digital media.
Lectures, classes and visits to completed buildings or buildings under construction/restoration cover the rest of the curriculum. In addition to the two studio days, in the first year you typically attend six or seven lectures each week as well as three classes and three small-group supervisions each fortnight, for which you’re required to complete written essays and undertake preparation.
Visit the University's subject page for more information.
Professor Nicholas Simick Arese's advice for prospective applicants: The most important thing when applying to study architecture is to demonstrate an organic and committed interest in the subject. As much as showing creative abilities, we look for an ability to observe and discuss the built environment nuanced ways. For some, this could mean being very familiar with some of the most famous examples of architecture and urbanism around the world, or with the history of specific kind of architecture. However, for others, this could just as well mean demonstrating careful understanding of the strengths or weakness of one's everyday environments, whether its a school, a local train station, or a specific street intersection. The best thing an applicant can do, beyond performing well at school, is to go on excursions, with or without friends, into parts of built environment that appeal most to the applicants senses and hobbies, and to try to document and interpret the ways different people relate to their surroundings.
