Online Architectural Design Course

This exciting online architecture foundation course has a strong practical focus, developing not just knowledge and understanding of architectural design and design theory, but also professional design skills.

Architecture courses in the UK online

Upon completing this course, students will earn an accredited online architecture degree qualification that is equivalent to 3 A-Levels. This qualification is awarded by SEG ABC Awards, one of the largest vocational awarding bodies in the UK.

Equally valuable, graduates with a diploma in architecture achieve a specialist portfolio that expresses their personal brand of architectural design, enabling access to top universities and employment as a professional qualified architectural designer.

Entry requirements

To study our foundation architecture design course, students must meet the following criteria:

Be aged 16 years or over
Hold 5 GCSEs / IGCSEs including Maths, English and Art or Photography (or have a strong portfolio), or equivalent international qualifications
Mature students do not need to have an exam qualification. You will need some ability to draw and paint, and have a desire to succeed. Please send an example of your work if unsure of the level.

Our foundation architectural design course is fully online. You must have access to a good internet connection and basic art supplies to complete this course.

Study Options

Grow as an architectural design in a way that suits your schedule:

Part-time programmes (2 years): available all year around – enrolling now
Full-time programmes (1 year): start December to January and September to October. Exceptions may apply.

Accreditations and UCAS Points

Our online architectural design course is fully accredited by one of the nation’s leading education awards. Meaning graduates will complete the course with a recognised qualification, ready to begin work as a professional architectural designer, or continue onto University.

Accreditation: SEG ABC Awards
OFQUAL Regulated: Yes (Ofqual number 500/8476/8)
UCAS Tariff: up to 112 points – equivalent to two A Levels at A* grade – university entry requires 80 -100 UCAS points
UCAS application supported: Yes

Additional Course Information

Portfolio support: Yes
Tuition: Face to face, one to one – unlimited
Progression: to any University / BA Honours Degree

Level 3 or Level 4?

The qualification that students will receive is a Level 3 Diploma. Level 3 qualifications are FE (further education) and prepare for University. LEAs fund students up to this level and the qualification carries UCAS points for entry into HE (higher education).

There is a final graded unit which is actually a Level 4 unit, which helps students prepare for HE, as it gives experience at this slightly higher level. This unit shows on your transcript for the qualification (the sheet that breaks down all units, credits and grade) as a Level 4 unit. However, the qualification is awarded as a Level 3 qualification overall.

The exam board do offer a Level 4 foundation diploma, but it does not carry any UCAS points whatsoever, so it is unlikely to be useful to any of our students. (This is because Level 4 is seen as HE and not FE.) If students want to go for a Level 4 version of the course, they can, but this is to be discussed once enrolled, as it will mean no UCAS points! The degree that students go on to study will be level 4+, so there is no need to gain a Level 4 qualification at this stage.

Online Studio

Students enrolled in our online architectural design course receive access to their own online studio where they can work through their course. Units and assignments are listed along with supporting resources, video tutorials for skills development, step-by-step guides and more useful materials.

Digital Portfolio

Student's finished work is uploaded to the college e-page for assessment and written feedback from our fully qualified tutors. Our tutors have a wealth of experience and are able to provide constructive, helpful feedback on how to improve and progress

Dedicated Support

Our Architectural Design students are invited to discuss their progress with an experienced and qualified personal tutor. Students will receive face to face verbal feedback, encouragement, and support.

Students may also benefit from relationships with their fellow online students as they can view profiles and comment on each others’ artwork if they wish.

The course comprises three distinct stages; Exploratory stage, Pathway stage and finally Confirmatory stage. Each stage is 12 to 24 weeks in duration depending on whether you study full-time or part-time. These can be extended if required.

The Exploratory stage

In the exploratory stage students have the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of art and design and to experience working in various disciplines. During this stage, students will work with a range of materials and processes and learn the importance of drawing and photography as foundations for their projects.

There are five project options to choose from:

Photography (Mandatory)
Fine Art
Graphic Design and Illustration
3D (including Architecture, 3D Design, and Sculpture)
Fashion and Textiles.

Students will select and complete three of these projects.

The Pathway stage

This is where you choose which pathway/discipline you wish to explore further and at a greater depth.

Your tutors will review with you your work from the exploratory phase and this will inform your decision. The final decision is of course yours.

The Confirmatory stage

This is the final stage of the online architecture diploma and the only stage that will decide your final grade.

You will be asked to write a statement of intent with the support of your tutor. This document will outline your chosen final major project.

Your final major project is practical and can be in any form you choose; showreel, a dress, a series of photographs, a painting, an animation, a design for an interior, architectural design, a video game etc.