Undergraduate Programme Handbook

The Sheffield School of Architecture is an exceptionally dynamic, diverse and international school with a lively and engaged student body. We are situated in the centre of the UK, in its greenest city, with easy access to all other key cities.

We are consistently rated at the highest level for the quality of our research and teaching. Our community engagement through the pioneering Live projects initiative working with real clients is an important aspect of what we do. It is for this reason that we enjoy a reputation for being perhaps the most socially and politically engaged school of architecture in the UK.

Architectural research, design and practice has considerable influence on the way we live. In an increasingly uncertain world, the challenges we face such as climate change, globalised consumerism, social fragmentation and inequality require interdisciplinary perspectives, more agile and adaptive skills and capacities, and a robust sense of architecture’s responses and responsibilities. 

Our students have won numerous awards such as the Regional RIBA awards and the prestigious SPAB Philip Webb Award, and their work has attracted positive attention in the media and achieved great acclaim in the design community. A number of graduates are now working in top UK Architecture practices, while others are pursuing successful international careers in the built environment and the creative industries.

The School’s teaching is based on excellence in staff research and practice. All members of academic staff are research active, which enables the School to remain at the cutting edge of both theory and practice and consequently keep its educational programmes current and relevant.

Our 3rd position and 4* environment rating in the UK 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) confirms the school as a world-class centre for architectural research. We are renowned for important research on sustainable urban design, climate change, critical spatial practice, inclusive design, user experience and creative design thinking. 

The reputation of the School is further established through the exemplary work of our design practitioners, who produce internationally acclaimed work. Teaching, research and practice of the very highest quality are combined in a vibrant and inspiring School. We are addressing current and future societal challenges with a spirit of collective responsibility and an ambition to explore and expand the boundaries of architecture.

I wish you a successful and rewarding experience at SSoA.

Professor Renata Tyszczuk