The MSc Global Housing Design offers an advanced architectural design graduate course in housing for future designers, policy makers and researchers. Through its unique research-led design curriculum, it offers a one year, three semester long programme focused on housing and cities.
Introduction
The programme aims to negotiate the practical, theoretical, and speculative aspects of housing design, rethinking housing for future urbanities. It will prepare you to engage in ever more diverse and dynamic global landscapes in housing production, culture, and politics. You will learn various research methods to construct a critical overview of housing issues in different metropolitan contexts. An interdisciplinary approach and multi-scalar lens will lead you to re-envision the city, its housing types, its homes, and its inhabitants, as part of a system that is mutually and retroactively produced.
The programme is underpinned by a strong professional network, including practices, developers, and government bodies.
Who is this course for?
This master’s programme is suitable for experienced architects, as well as graduates from a design background.
What you'll learn
On this course, students will:
Understand and investigate theoretical and practical issues of housing design on a global scale
Gain a holistic understanding of housing production (disciplines, stakeholders, impacts) and develop skills to intervene in housing production through design on a local, national, and global level
Develop research and design skills to identify challenges and to provide design solutions in our residential environments in different urban contexts
Improve their digital fluency (BIM, Modelling, GIS, Environmental modelling)
Acquire skills to effectively communicate to different stakeholders, develop impactful, systematic solutions, and become active participants in shaping residential/urban environments
Gain individual development through academic enquiry, peer discussion, scholarship, and research skills in investigating housing design
Gain academic and practical experience, specifically tailored for future employment and/or the pursuit of postgraduate studies.
Course content
Discover what you'll learn, what you'll study, and how you'll be taught and assessed.
Semester 1
Semester 1 will focus on the housing crisis. Each student will be asked to identify a specific phenomenon, identify its causes and urban variables.
Please note: This is a newly launched programme – some modules may therefore be subject to change prior to the course start date.
Compulsory modules
Housing Design Crisis (ARCH751)
Credits: 30 /
Semester: semester 1
The design studio uses the notion of “crisis” as an operational tool to critically evaluate aspects of our housing production and respond to current urgencies. Thus, this studio module explores in detail a current and relevant issue in housing design detected by the students. Set in a particular urban context, students are asked to analyse the circumstances and criticise current responses to housing demands. Students’ design framework for the projects will aim to respond, through distinctive design strategies, to particular social, economic, and political questions. Students are motivated to choose a specific urban context as ground for their research throughout the entire year and context for their design explorations for this module. The students will be given ownership of their research-by-design activities and can discuss their work with leading housing professionals and academics. The module aims to link rigorous academic practices and research methodologies to real world scenarios.
Housing History and Theories from 1900 to the Present (ARCH753)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
The module introduces key architectural concepts, themes, and theories influential in architecture globally from 1900 onwards, particularly related to housing. By looking into notable housing case studies, it introduces a theoretical and historical framework for the understanding of the ongoing discourses in housing design. It engages with a wide range of written texts on housing theory – whether these originate from within architecture or from other disciplines.
The module provides the students with a comprehensive understanding of housing case studies across the globe, both in western and non-western contexts, with a broad perspective on the urban policies and practice-related constraints that made these projects possible. Discussions will integrate the perspective of different stakeholders, including policy makers, architects, planners, local governments, practitioners, users, and the community.
Optional modules
Climatic Design for Sustainable Architecture (ARCH716)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
This module introduces the key principles of climate sensitive design for different climates around the world. Students will learn how to use relevant software to help in climate design and will apply this knowledge to an assignment involving the conversion of shipping containers to climate-sensitive passive dwellings. The module is taught through a series of lectures, tutorials and workshops.
Heritage Management: Approaches and Methods (ARCH736)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
This module addresses the need for managing heritage and assessing the international and local factors that affect cultural heritage and its sustainable care and management. This module complements and develops further concepts and approaches outlined in the introductory module and instils methodological approaches and skills to apply heritage management within the context of conservation, architecture and urban design practice. The module equips the students to apply heritage management methods in following modules in semester two.
This module is based on active learning through interactive lectures and workshops. The students will be given the opportunity to apply their learning practically under the same or similar conditions as practitioners outside academia. Students will not only acquire research skills but they will also obtain analytical and interpretative skills of situations and facts towards making appropriate choices and developing effective solutions in relation to heritage management approaches. They will be assessed against both coursework and oral presentation, which give them an opportunity to develop both written and oral literacies.
Heritage Perspectives and Policies (ARCH735)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
This module introduces heritage as a complex phenomenon with significant values that play a vital role in all cycles of its life, including our current and future eras across the world. It provides the students with a comprehensive understanding of heritage and conservation policies and practice, and what heritage means; besides understanding how different stakeholders, including, policy makers, architects, planners, local governments, practitioners, international and local/ indigenous communities value it. The students will also be able to demonstrate international perspectives as professionals/citizens by being able to locate, discuss, analyse, and evaluate information from both local and international sources; besides considering issues from a variety of cultural standpoints. The students will be given ownership of their research activities and will have the opportunity to discuss their work in lectures and workshops, some of which will be directed by leading heritage professionals. The module also aims to link rigorous academic practices and methodologies to real world and employment-related scenarios. Additionally, the module aims to provide opportunities for the development of presentation, academic writing, and time management skills via variable and flexible activities throughout the semester.
Assessment is based on a coursework assignment and an oral presentation of the research background and methods, analysis findings and discussions.
Net Zero Carbon Design (ARCH747)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
Net zero carbon design is a key response to how buildings will reduce their environmental impact and help combat climate change. This module considers developments in the environmental design of buildings, from the vernacular architecture of the past to the 21st Century target of net zero carbon. The module covers key carbon issues, such as embodied carbon, life cycle analysis and the retrofitting of existing buildings. The health of building users is an important factor in sustainable design, and the module reviews indoor conditions and their effects on physical and mental wellbeing. The module will be delivered as lectures (from tutors who are active researchers in net zero carbon design), as workshops, as site visits and as guest talks from practitioners. Assessment will be a detailed case study report (70%) and presentation (30%) of net zero carbon buildings located in two different climate regions.
People and Planning (ENVS636)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
This module aims to emphasise the centrality of people and communities to planning and provide a theoretical and practical foundation to the interactions between people and planning. It will include reflections on the historical development of community-focussed planning; analysis of the importance of planning working with and for people; and provide a theoretically-informed toolkit of methods to engage with communities.
Planning for Housing and Home (ENVS635)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
This module aims to understand the relationship between housing, home and planning through social, economic and political processes at local to international scales. Students will reflect on historical development in housing policy and practice, understand housing’s relationship to and centrality within key societal challenges, and be able to compare and contrasts housing and planning issues at local, regional, national and international scales.
Spatial Planning Challenges (ENVS411)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
This module provides students with an understanding of the conflicts facing planners in trying to deliver sustainable development. It introduces students to the range of social, economic and environmental issues that face contemporary society. It outlines the role of spatial planning in managing development pressures while protecting the built and natural environment, and it explores different planning responses to address and reconcile these competing interests.
URBAN DESIGN (ARCH731)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
This module aims to help students develop in-depth knowledge on urban design and enhance their design skills to address the complex urban challenges of our age. It intends to prepare students to become creative and problem-solving professionals. To do so, this module will introduce students to a wide range of urban design theories, design principles and processes which underpin the discipline of urban design. Students will have the opportunity to study and debate key issues in urban design, the disciplinary foundations of urban design, various topics about public spaces, the application of urban analytical techniques and methods for practice, as well as urban design governance in relation to the planning system. The module will draw examples or case studies from both the local and international contexts and encourage students to think critically about possible design interventions in different urban environments towards sustainable development and place-making.
Since this module is taught together with ARCH406 Urban Design which is a compulsory module for the accredited MArch programme in Architecture, ideally students who select this module need to have some design skills from previous training in Architecture, Planning or Landscape Architecture.
Any optional modules listed above are illustrative only and may vary from year to year. Modules may be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved and staff availability. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed.
Semester 2
Semester 2 will research housing types, understanding the design variables at stake and suitability of certain types in addressing specific urban issues.
Please note: This is a newly launched programme – some modules may therefore be subject to change prior to the course start date.
Compulsory modules
Housing Types and Context (ARCH752)
Credits: 30 /
Semester: semester 2
The term Housing “types” refers to a systematic analysis and classification of residential buildings and their context, history, spatial organisation, socio-political aspects, construction and development. By understanding the particulars in the production of a housing type, students will manipulate and reorganise—invent new ones. In this studio we invite students to analyse housing types in particular urban contexts and reflect on how these portray specific subjects, their living and urban conditions, as well as the politics, policies, and socio-economic factors that lead into their development. Design projects will address the multi-scalar nature of housing types, from the smallest home unit to the larger urban neighbourhood.
As part of “Housing Types and Context” design studio students will develop a project resulting in a detailed urban or building design that addresses the relationship between built form and how people live. The design project will challenge preconceived notions of housing reflecting on ideas of lifestyles, standards, community and climate emergency. The project begins building on ideas developed in semester 1, within ARCH751 Housing Design Crisis studio.
Research Methodology (ARCH707)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 2
Research methods training for MA/MSc thesis
Optional modules
BIM Implementation in Collaborative Environments (ARCH725)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 2
The module is designed to develop the necessary understanding of the design and management of effective workflows in BIM-enabled collaborative settings. The focus of the module will be to introduce new ways of working, strategies and implementation plans necessary for the successful adoption of BIM on project and organisational levels. Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) will be introduced and its contribution to early collaboration and effective decision making will be discussed and exemplified with real projects on both local and global scales. Students will be introduced to the concepts of data sharing in file-based and model server environments, basics of different models and data formats and interoperability. An important focus will be understanding the necessary information and data flows in different stages of the project and building life cycle. The module will also aim to develop a comprehensive awareness of the BIM requirements by the UK Government and the current global use of BIM as an integrated platform.
Students will have the opportunity to undertake tasks and activities similar to those BIM specialists undertake in real practice, such as presenting the opportunities, obstacles, tasks and activities associated with BIM implementation within collaborative project delivery, and working within groups to provide a BIM implementation plan for a hypothetical project.
Digital Transformation and Construction 4.0 (ARCH743)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 2
The module will introduce students to the cutting-edge technologies and the state-of-the-art methods to foster an understanding of the development of the construction industry. It will offer students the opportunity to explore, analyse and scrutinise those innovative technologies and methods, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Off-site Construction/Modular Construction, Digital Twins, Internet of Things, and Reality Capture.
The students will be able to investigate the technologies, methods and factors that are driving the digital transformation in the construction industry based on a critical understanding of the nature of the construction industry, the typical role of construction managers and the inefficiencies in traditional construction methods.
Environmental Assessment Techniques (ARCH717)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
This module covers the scientific study of dynamic building simulation, how building designers can model a building and simulate its environmental and energy performances using software packages, and how the simulated data can be interpreted and assessed according to regulations and green building rating systems.
Any optional modules listed above are illustrative only and may vary from year to year. Modules may be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved and staff availability. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed.
Semester 3
Semester 3 will consist of a thesis, specifically designed and formatted to address relevant audiences.
Compulsory modules
Thesis: Design (ARCH723)
Credits: 60 /
Semester: summer
A primary aim of this module is to offer the opportunity to submit a design thesis with supporting documentation on an approved topic or brief of their choice It is expected that the majority of students will work individually but, with the prior agreement of the Director of Studies, students undertaking a Design Thesis may be permitted in pairs where the project is of sufficient complexity. Clear demarcation of individual contributions to the project must be evident in the final submission.
Any optional modules listed above are illustrative only and may vary from year to year. Modules may be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved and staff availability. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed.
How you'll learn
This is a full-time, yearlong programme consisting of 180 credits over three semesters (60 credits in each semester). Teaching takes place on site, at the University of Liverpool, and online, via Teams. In the first two semesters, students join one Studio group and one Seminar course, and choose one optional module. Semester 3 will focus on the thesis. Tutorials take place on a weekly basis, and students are asked to continuously engage in group work.
How you're assessed
The course will explore authentic assessment by continuously engaging with stakeholders of the housing production in reviews. As part of the outputs of your thesis, you will be required to produce websites, manuals, reports, and/or exhibitions.
Liverpool Hallmarks
We have a distinctive approach to education, the Liverpool Curriculum Framework, which focuses on research-connected teaching, active learning, and authentic assessment to ensure our students graduate as digitally fluent and confident global citizens.
Your experience
The MSc in Global Housing Design is an inclusive and diverse course, connecting research and design. You will actively learn through case studies and by discussing your projects with partners from industry, local governments, and developers. You will increase your confidence through continuous presentations and reviews with local and international experts from various fields, becoming global housing experts.
Support for students with differing needs from the Disability advice and guidance team. They can identify and recommend appropriate support provisions for you.
Why study Architecture at Liverpool?
Established in 1894, the Liverpool School of Architecture was the first university in the UK to award a RIBA-accredited degree in Architecture
As one of the UK’s premier centres for architectural research and education, the Liverpool School of Architecture is the ideal place to pursue your architecture studies
We are ranked 3rd in the UK for Architecture (The Guardian University Guide 2025) and 7th in the Times and Sunday Times Higher Education Good University Guide 2025.
In the latest Research Excellence Framework assessment (REF 2021), we were rated 5th in the sector for overall research classified as world leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*).
We are strongly focused on research, and have many leading architectural experts based amongst our teaching staff
Our membership of the School of the Arts and wider University presents intriguing specialist opportunities, in fields such as autonomous building systems, arts and building design, and climate change risk mitigation
Work is underway on a major refurbishment of our premises, which will comprise a new-build addition of more than 2,000M. The £23 million scheme has been designed by Dublin-based architects O’Donnell + Tuomey, and is expected to be completed by 2024.
After this programme and depending on your interests, you will be trained to upgrade the current housing production through various professional channels:
Architecture offices
Central/Local government
Research institutions
NGOs
The construction industry
Research-oriented students also may proceed to engage in a PhD programme.
Fees and funding
Your tuition fees, funding your studies, and other costs to consider.
Tuition fees
UK fees (applies to Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland)
Full-time place, per year
£10,800
International fees
Full-time place, per year
£24,800
Fees stated are for the academic year 2024/25 and are subject to change for 2025/26.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching and assessment, operating facilities such as libraries, IT equipment, and access to academic and personal support.
If you're a UK national, or have settled status in the UK, you may be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Loan worth up to £12,167 to help with course fees and living costs. Learn more about fees and funding.
Additional costs
We understand that budgeting for your time at university is important, and we want to make sure you understand any course-related costs that are not covered by your tuition fee. This could include buying a laptop, books, or stationery.
The qualifications and exam results you'll need to apply for this course.
We are looking for skilled architects from across the world, with an enthusiastic vision of housing and future urbanities. All candidates will be required to submit a portfolio of work and offered an interview as part of the application process. Your portfolio should portray representative work. This can be research or professional based. Please include a minimum of 5 projects.
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You will normally need a 2:2 MArch degree (RIBA Part II) from a UK university or overseas qualification of an equivalent standard or architectural background.
Applicants with a BA Architecture (minimum 2:2) or equivalent may also be accepted if relevant work experience (minimum 2 years) can be demonstrated. All applicants will be offered an interview as part of the application process and will be required to submit a portfolio of work. This is to be sent as a PDF file, containing a maximum of 20 spreads in A3 format horizontal, maximum 10MB.
Candidates with non-traditional qualifications, but required experience, will be considered for the programme. Please contact us if you wish to check whether your degree subject is suitable.
International qualifications
If you hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, but don’t meet our entry requirements, you could be eligible for a Pre-Master’s course. This is offered on campus at the University of Liverpool International College, in partnership with Kaplan International Pathways. It’s a specialist preparation course for postgraduate study, and when you pass the Pre-Master’s at the required level with good attendance, you’re guaranteed entry to a University of Liverpool master’s degree.
International applicants who do not meet the minimum required standard of English language can complete one of our Pre-Sessional English courses to achieve the required level.
English language qualification
Requirements
IELTS
other
IELTS
Band 6
INDIA Standard XII
National Curriculum (CBSE/ISC) - 75% and above in English. Accepted State Boards - 80% and above in English.
PRE-SESSIONAL ENGLISH
Do you need to complete a Pre-Sessional English course to meet the English language requirements for this course?
The length of Pre-Sessional English course you’ll need to take depends on your current level of English language ability.
Liverpool bursts with diversity and creativity which makes it ideal for you to undertake your postgraduate studies and access various opportunities for you and your family.
To fully immerse yourself in the university experience living in halls will keep you close to campus where you can always meet new people. Find your home away from home.
Discover what expenses are covered by the cost of your tuition fees and other finance-related information you may need regarding your studies at Liverpool.
