Architectural Studies University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

Overview

Key facts

Architectural Studies offered at University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg programme is a three-year, full-time course of study offering a gateway to a potentially diverse field of professional career paths, both within the architectural discipline or peripheral to it.

Architecture is the generation of social and cultural heritage in the form of built spaces. It is a profession with long-lasting influences and consequences for both current and future generations. Although architects are primarily responsible for the design of buildings and their surrounding environments, the profession is evolving to include other important forms of design, including space planning, building materials, and the integration of the built and ecological environments, amongst other possibilities.  

The BAS programme is structured to produce graduates who can participate across a broad field of professions in both the larger design and construction industries. Due to the integration of courses and emphasis on coordinated application of skills, part-time studies are not available, although in exceptional circumstances it may be possible to spread some years of study over more than one year, with appropriate planning and approval by the degree convenor. 

A coordinated suite of Architectural Design and Theory and Theory and Practice of Construction courses form the core of the degree programme. Additional courses in Histories and Theories of Architecture, visual representation techniques, structural considerations in building, and entrepreneurial and management skills make up a supporting courses which are expected to be applied in the design work. While all courses include lectures and seminars, the bulk of the learning takes place in a design studio environment, in which students undertake design projects and around which the entire pedagogy revolves. In the studios, the BAS programme offers the unique opportunity of one-on-one consultation with lecturers twice per week as the primary teaching and learning methods. The coursework is supported in the School by exhibits of professional and artistic work, as well as lectures by practicing architects both nationally and internationally. 

The BAS degree, followed by a minimum of 12 months experience in practice, may open eligibility for the one-year Bachelor of Architectural Studies with Honours (BAS [Hons]) degree, which itself may open eligibility for the 1-year Master of Architecture professional (MArch [Prof]) degree. 

The complete suite of professional degrees in architecture (BAS, BAS [Hons], MArch [Prof]) are validated nationally by the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP), and internationally by the Commonwealth Association of Architects. 

Career Opportunities

The BAS degree qualifies graduates for registration with SACAP as an Architectural Technologist. Further degrees unlock additional opportunities: the BAS [Hons] degree qualifies graduates for registration as Senior Architectural Technologists, and the MArch [Prof] degree qualifies graduates for registration as Professional Architects. In all cases, some practical experience and the successful completion of registration exams are required. 

Becoming a Professional Architect is the traditional goal in the discipline, but the BAS degree may open up numerous other career opportunities, sometimes in combination with further studies. Such possibilities include:

• Architectural draughtsperson

• Interior designer

• Furniture designer / fabricator

• Urban designer

• Landscape designer / landscape architect

• Urban planner

• Architectural historian or researcher

• Lecturer or Professor in architecture