Architecture Design Studies BA (Hons) K10D

The Architecture Design Studies BA (Hons) K10D, is offered by the School of Architecture as an alternative undergraduate programme to the “standard” BA Architecture, Code: K100.

From 2024/25 the K10D degree is offered as direct entry through UCAS. In the first year of the course K10D students will follow the same studio and lecture courses as K100, and will then split away at second year to pursue non-studio courses provided by departments outside of the School of Architecture. This allows K10D students to get a grounding in design process and architectural convention before being able to pursue their personal interests.

Students who are initially registered on K100, and who have sufficient credits, can, subject to University approval, transfer from K100 to K10D at the end of Year 1 or Year 2 of their studies. This option is often taken by those students whose developing interests do not require them to undertake studio practice, or who do not see their ambitions needing RIBA accreditation.

Transfer from K100 to the K10D course is open to students who have joined the School from XJTLU. However, because there is not an equivalent course at XJTLU, students who graduate from K10D will receive only a Liverpool degree certificate.

The structure and content of the K10D degree has a number of consequences, principally:

  • If you have decided that you do not want a career in Architectural design, the K10D programme offers the opportunity to design part of your undergraduate programme to suit your ambitions and interests.

  • K10D is not accredited by RIBA or ARB. If your ambition is still to be a professional architect, you should remain on the K100 program. However, changes to architecture course structures means that taking the K10D option will not necessarily prevent you becoming an accredited architect in the future.

  • The programme allows students to graduate with a good degree which is more aligned to their needs, without having to change department or repeat a year of study in another programme.
  • The programme is subject to the standard University rules for progression between Years – unlike the K100 programme where all modules are mandatory – which makes progression more straightforward.

The essence of the K10D programme is that students undertake the non-studio modules of K100 after first year, and fill the remaining sixty credits in each year with modules from the School or from other departments, of each student’s choice (subject to approval and the University’s degree regulations) and, in Year 3, they undertake a thirty credit dissertation on a topic of their choice (again subject to approval).

In recent years, students have taken option modules provided by a number of other departments in the University, including: Geography and Planning, Philosophy, Archaeology and History. In general, we work together with the student to help them choose option modules and to design a programme that best fits their individual interests and ambitions. It may also be possible to undertake an assessed work experience module in Year 3, but this does depend on availability and specific arrangements.

Architecture is a magnificently broad discipline, with countless careers associated with it, from planning to curation, from sociology to virtual environments.  Many of these paths do not require an accredited architecture degree, or its restrictive course requirements. Design Studies course uniquely offers Liverpool students the opportunity to follow their own self-defined routes, maintaining a home in the School while exploring fascinating subjects beyond it.

Click here to read the course overview and apply