Overview 2025
Location
- What is an ATAR
- Course rules
- Australian Qualification Framework level: 9
- Download Course Flyer (PDF 249.8 KB)
Commonwealth Supported places available
Location
- What is an ATAR
- Course rules
- CRICOS: 059006G
‘What I like most about architecture is the process, the nuances … every project has a different challenge and therefore a different solution and it’s really fun finding that solution … I really like the hands-on aspect of design.’
At the heart of the course are project-based design studios, which emphasise professionalism, critical and rigorous design thinking, and an understanding of contemporary and emergent theories, technologies, and practices. These studios develop skills for a diverse range of future careers in architecture. Students gain experience addressing challenging design problems, including those related to urban futures, social and environmental responsibility, and complex buildings.
The design studios are complemented by units in Professional Practice, Advanced Technologies, and Design Research, offering options for tailored pathways within the field. The course culminates in a research-led final project, supported by professional and academic leaders in small studio groups. This comprehensive approach ensures graduates are well-prepared to excel in the architectural profession.
Course objectives
Delivery of professional competencies
Ideas-led design exploration facilitated by core units linking research agendas to design propositions. Students are empowered to develop original projects working with ideas and inspirations drawn from cutting-edge areas of enquiry, including digital fabrication, heritage and preservation, regional urbanism, Asian modernity, art-architecture intersections, and therapeutic environments.
An established national research profile in timber products and construction applications also offers specialised expertise in an area of cutting-edge innovation in sustainable resources and industry.
Range of scale and topic in design studios
Within the imperatives of sustainable design, the program injects critical inquiries into the relations between the domains of the human and the non-human, such as buildings for animals, bio-fabrication with organic materials, and intersections between architecture and agriculture.
The location of the Master of Architecture program within the School of Technology, Environments and Design presents exciting interdisciplinary opportunities with the disciplines of geography and information technology.
Local sensitivity; international perspective
A long-standing emphasis on exploring the distinctive Tasmanian ‘sense of place’, enriched through an emerging set of global linkages and projects centred on the Asia-Pacific hemisphere. Current and emerging educational experiences include with partners in Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and Japan.
Architecture begets architects! The program is housed within the robust and redolent spaces of the Architecture and Design building, an award-winning adaptive reuse conversion of a 1951 diesel locomotive workshop, located in the Inveresk cultural precinct at the heart of the Northern Transformation project, Launceston’s ambitious plan for knowledge-led regional regeneration
Learning outcomes
Practical experience
Learning-by-Making
The program’s celebrated Learning-by-Making tradition embeds material experimentation into the curriculum. This is supported by a fully-equipped and staffed digital fabrication workshop, including 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC routers, a six-axis robot, and a suite of Hologram headsets for mixed-reality design and fabrication, which complements a full workshop suite of equipment suitable for fine timber fabrication.
An evolving constellation of community and industry partnerships bring fledgling designers into contact with real projects. Recent collaborations have included art and music festivals, health and education providers, social enterprises and charities, environmental organisations, and scientific research projects.
Inveresk Design Forum
Our Inveresk Design Forum is a public lecture program that brings our students into contact with a broad range of architects and designers working across scales, from the urban to the object. Invited guests share their insights into past, present and future projects. In addition to complementing the core curriculum, these sessions provide an opportunity for our students to build networks between peers, practice and the community.
‘I participated in two research internships which opened my eyes to broader issues affecting the built environment in Tasmania and enabled me to work with and present to a variety of stakeholders and clients.’
Rachel Englund – Master of Architecture graduate.
Work placement
Work-Integrated Learning electives provide opportunities for direct experience with leading enterprises in architectural design and construction, building product manufacturers, and cultural organisations. Students can also devise their own work opportunities within this framework and count their experience towards their degree.
Career outcomes
Kaelan received the Barry McNeil student prize 2020 for his project "Aeolian".
He reflects on his time studying at Architecture and Design "My two favourite projects were both electives: the Vietnam bamboo study tour and Learning by making. The opportunity to do some do some study overseas was fantastic, and learning about bamboo, vernacular construction techniques and vernacular design."
The accredited professional education provided by the Master of Architecture degree equips graduates with the required competencies to become core members of the architectural profession, working in firms and organisations involved in the definition, design, realisation, and stewardship of buildings, urban spaces, interiors, and the broader built environment.
More broadly, the lateral problem-solving skills and creative powers developed through the degree – including design thinking, spatial intelligence, visual literacy, digital fluency, and effective communication skills – are highly transferable and resistant to automation, empowering graduates to navigate a future economic landscape disrupted by technology. Ultimately, it is the values of critical thinking, civic responsibility, ecological consciousness, and aesthetic imagination instilled through our architectural education that furnish the fundamental capacity for reshaping the world for the better.
Graduates of the Master of Architecture degree are globally mobile, equipped to embark on stimulating careers across industries and fields both established and emerging, often located at the intersection of design and the environment. These include:
- Architectural design and construction
- Interiors and environmental branding
- Heritage preservation and adaptive reuse
- Urban design, planning, and placemaking
- Humanitarian architecture and post-disaster reconstruction
- Forensic architecture and urban activism
- Healthcare architecture and therapeutic environments
- Sustainability design and assessment
- Project and facility management
- Architectural photography, criticism, and writing
- Design curation, education, and research
- Architectural education and research
Professional Accreditation
The Master of Architecture is an externally accredited degree.
This course is accredited by the Board of Architects of Tasmania, and the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia.
Graduates may meet the requirements for registration as an Architect with the applicable Australian Sate and Territory Architect Registration Board. There may be additional requirements for registration beyond the completion of the course.
For further registration requirements, please visit the Board of Architects of Tasmania website.
If you have any queries about the accreditation process, please contact us for further information.
The Master of Architecture degree is recognised by the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA), the professional body representing architects in Australia, as fulfilling the academic requirements for full membership. Recognition by the AIA offers opportunities for international recognition of the professional qualification.
For further membership requirements, please visit the AIA website.
Course structure
Master of Architecture has twelve core units that cover four streams - design, technology, theory and Work Integrated Learning Students must complete first year units in any stream to progress to final year. Mid-year entry allows flexibility for part time study to facilitate students gaining practice experience.
The course structure is comprised of 200 points, with 8 x 12.5% units, 4 x 25% units.
Core Units
Year 1
Research in architecture takes place for a variety of reasons: from architectural professionals using targeted research to find answers to novel problems on a building or design project to specialised researchers identifying and addressing abstract questions to create generalisable new…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
View all details for KDA408 Architectural Research Approaches
Studios in the Master of Architecture emphasise professionalism, critical and rigorous design thinking, knowledge of contemporary and emergent theories, technologies and practices, and the development of skills for a diversity of future careers in architecture. The Urban Futures Studio positions…
Credit Points: 25
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
Studios in the Master of Architecture emphasise professionalism, critical and rigorous design thinking, knowledge of contemporary and emergent theories, technologies and practices, and the development of skills for a diversity of future careers in architecture. Global Studio explores practices of…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
Advanced Technologies investigates the implications of emerging shifts within the Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry that foster the technological transformation of design workflows, computational processes, material engagement, environmental performance, fabrication tools, and construction methodologies. Through research, case studies, and…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
Sustainable Cultures asks students to research and interrogate typical paradigms of architectural production to support sustainable and respectful approaches to practice. You will be asked to engage with professional, academic, and Australian Indigenous sources of knowledge in rigorous ways, gaining…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
Sustainable Technologies investigates the implications of various design strategies, materials, construction systems, and procurement methods for planetary and environmental health. Through research, case studies, and hypothetical projects you will evaluate the environmental impacts of buildings and components and justify environmentally…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
Year 2
Professional Studies introduces key principles of professional practice in architecture. A curated program of guest speakers by eminent practitioners locally, nationally and internationally, exposes you to a diversity of organisations and practices within architecture and the building industry. You will…
Credit Points: 12.5
This unit is currently unavailable.
Advanced Design Research provides you with the opportunity to undertake in-depth research in design with a focus on areas of research strength in Architecture & Design including environment and sustainability, regional urbanism, advanced materials design (including timber), design for health,…
Credit Points: 25
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
Studios in the Master of Architecture emphasise professionalism, critical and rigorous design thinking, knowledge of contemporary and emergent theories, technologies and practices, and the development of skills for a diversity of future careers in architecture. Integrated Studio focuses on the…
Credit Points: 25
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
Studios in the Master of Architecture develop capacities essential to the discipline and practice of architecture. With Integration Studio, Proposition Studio is one of two final-year Studio units that provide keystones to architectural learning at university. Proposition Studio culminates the…
Credit Points: 25
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Units
Design WIL (Work Integrated Learning) units provide you with the opportunity to undertake an immersive study experience related to your own interests and professional development goals. You can undertake a broad range of study opportunities including: internships in design-related businesses…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Spring school | ||||
| Launceston | Summer school | ||||
| Launceston | Winter school (late) | ||||
Design WIL (Work Integrated Learning) units provide you with the opportunity to undertake an immersive study experience related to your own interests and professional development goals. You can undertake a broad range of study opportunities including: internships in design-related businesses…
Credit Points: 12.5
| Location | Study period | Attendance options | Available to | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launceston | Semester 1 | ||||
| Launceston | Semester 2 | ||||
| Launceston | Spring school | ||||
| Launceston | Summer school | ||||
| Launceston | Winter school (late) | ||||
Entry requirements
For Domestic students
To be eligible for the Master of Architecture you require a Bachelor of Architecture and Built Environments (previously called the Bachelor of Environmental Design), or an equivalent three-year undergraduate degree in Architecture.
Eligibility is subject to achieving a minimum credit average (60%) across all core subjects in the final year of the undergraduate degree. Students may also be asked to attend an interview and/or submit a portfolio of their work from their previous studies.
If you have any questions, please contact us for further information.
COURSE PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
This course includes compulsory Work Integrated Learning (professional experience placements). In order to participate in placements, all students must:
- Complete a Safe to Practice Agreement declaring they have the medical, physical or psychological capacity to safely participate in professional experience practice.
For International students
Admission to most postgraduate coursework courses at the University of Tasmania require qualifications equivalent to an Australian bachelor degree. Applicants must achieve the required grade in their qualifying studies, meet any prerequisite subjects, and meet English language requirements to be eligible for an offer.
English Language Requirements
For students who do not meet the English Language Requirement through citizenship or prior studies in English in an approved country, evidence of an approved English language test completed within the last 2 years must be provided. See the English Language Requirements page for more information.
English Language Requirements are: IELTS (Academic) 6.0 (no individual band less than 6.0)
Course Specific Requirements
To be eligible for the Master of Architecture you require a Bachelor of Architecture and Built Environments (previously called the Bachelor of Environmental Design), or an equivalent three-year undergraduate degree in Architecture.
Eligibility is subject to achieving a minimum credit average (60%) across all core subjects in the final year of the undergraduate degree. Students may also be asked to attend an interview and/or submit a portfolio of their work from their previous studies.
COURSE PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
This course includes compulsory Work Integrated Learning (professional experience placements). In order to participate in placements, all students must:
- Complete a Safe to Practice Agreement declaring they have the medical, physical or psychological capacity to safely participate in professional experience practice.
Credit transfer
If you have incomplete M.Arch studies you can apply for a credit/advanced standing as part of the standard online application process for this degree.
Find out more information about how to apply for credit /advanced standing at Recognition of Prior Learning, or contact us on 1300 363 864 or enquire online.
Articulation
Students completing the Bachelor of Architecture and Built Environments (previously called the Bachelor of Environmental Design) with a major in Architecture and a minimum credit average (60%) across all core subjects in the final year are eligible for entry into the Master of Architecture.
If you successfully complete this course, you may be eligible to apply for a range of other postgraduate courses including Graduate Certificates and Graduate Diplomas and Masters by coursework and research. Filter the Course list by Postgraduate to view the current courses available.
Fees & scholarships
Domestic students
Cost shouldn’t get in the way of you studying.
If you’re a domestic postgraduate student, you might be eligible for a Commonwealth supported place in this course. This means your fees will be subsidised by the Australian Government. You’ll only need to pay the student contribution amount for each unit you study within the course.
You may also be able to defer payment of the student contribution amount by accessing a HECS-HELP loan from the Government. If eligible, you’ll only have to pay your tuition fees once you start earning above a specific amount.
Further information is available at Scholarships, fees and costs.
Student contributionStudent contribution amounts are charged for each unit of study. This means that how much you’ll pay will depend on which units you choose. Find out more about student contribution amounts.
An important note on Youth Allowance and AustudyThe Department of Social Services has approved some accredited and professionally-oriented Master courses for student payments through Youth Allowance or Austudy. This means if you enrol in one of these courses, you may be eligible for student payments. However, please be aware that this is not the case for all Master courses. Please visit our Scholarships, Fees and Costs website for further information.
Further informationDetailed fee information for domestic students is available at Scholarships, fees and costs, including additional information in relation to the compulsory Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).
Domestic students enrolled in certain postgraduate coursework programs may not be eligible for student payments through Youth Allowance and Austudy. Visit the Department of Social Services website to find out more about eligibility for Centrelink support and the list of eligible courses
International students
2025 Total Course Fee (international students): $ 81,898 AUD *.
Course cost based on a rate of $39,950 AUD per standard, full-time year of study (100 credit points).
* Please note that this is an indicative fee only.
International students
International students are charged the Student Services and Amenities Fee but this fee is incorporated in the annual rate. International students do not have to make any additional SSAF payments.
Scholarships
Scholarships for domestic students
Each year, the University offers more than 900 awards to students from all walks of life, including those who have achieved high academic results; those from low socio-economic backgrounds; students with sporting ability; students undertaking overseas study; and students with a disability.
For information on all scholarships available at the University of Tasmania, please visit the scholarships website.
Applications for most awards commencing in Semester 1 open at the beginning of August and close strictly on 31 October in the year prior to study.
Scholarships for international students
There is a huge range of scholarships, bursaries and fee discounts available for international students studying at the University of Tasmania. For more information on these, visit the International Scholarships website.
How can we help?
Do you have any questions about choosing a course or applying? Get in touch.
- Domestic
- 13 8827 (13 UTAS)
- International
- +61 3 6226 6200
- Course.Info@utas.edu.au
- Online
- Online enquiries