The design agenda at Sheffield is led by the critically acclaimed architect Professor Sarah Wigglesworth. The professional programme, BA Architecture and MArch have both RIBA and ARB accreditation.

At Sheffield you will develop your knowledge and understanding of design through a series of carefully conceived projects and lectures – the School is known for its innovative and excellent approach to teaching. You will be facilitated in this process by our core staff, most of whom are experienced practitioners and researchers, together with specialist visitors from architectural practice and elsewhere. Subsidised field trips in the UK and abroad form an important part of your education.

As you progress through the School you will develop a set of transferable skills that will put you in good stead in the employment market. Architects are good at developing spatial solutions to complex problems. As well as the core skills of design and representation you will be given the opportunity to develop sophisticated techniques in communication (teamwork, client consultation, management, digital representation, film and writing) as well as research and analysis. Sheffield students are known and liked by employers in part because of their ability to think, talk, design and write critically.

Staff here in the School of Architecture are friendly, accessible and approachable. Each year of the undergraduate programme has a dedicated year Director who is responsible for the studio design programme. He or she is supported by a Co-Director and by a team of studio design staff who are all there to help.

At the beginning of each project you will be assigned a design tutor who will be a member of this team. You will work closely with your design tutor, meeting at least once a week – there are two studio days a week in the Undergraduate degree - this means that they are your first port of call if you have any issues with your work.

During the 102 years that the school has been in existence it has produced many distinguished architects, for example Roger Hawkins of Hawkins Brown, the Architects Journal practice of the year 2011, and Ruth Reed, former RIBA President. Our alumni have a big role in the school and employ many of our students.

The studio culture at Sheffield is very strong. We are fortunate in having a really active student society, SUAS, that arranges a series of events across the year. These include regular lectures from invited speakers, the School Ball and other less formal happenings. Impromptu student led teaching events such as the Lunchtime Specials are a unique feature of community and there is plenty of opportunity for you to get involved. Our students are also active outside the School in such organisations as Article 25, Architects for Change and EASA.

At Sheffield you will work alongside people from all over the world. International students form a large proportion of our student cohort. We have representatives from 38 different countries. Together we are developing a curriculum that is international in its outlook, reflecting the needs of an increasingly global employment market. Our international graduates return to their home countries after their studies and share the knowledge gained at Sheffield for the benefit of the wider global community.

We occupy the top eight floors of the Grade 2* listed Arts Tower right at the heart of the University, close to the Architecture library at Western Bank as well as other shops and amenities. The tower was recently refurbished to high standards, including the historic paternoster lift, the longest in the world and a distinctive feature of this school. Each studio year has dedicated studio space (including extensive wireless networking) with stunning panoramic views over
Sheffield.

We benefit from two computer laboratories containing more 100 desktop computers running the University´s managed Windows 7 platform as well as a further computer laboratory run by the Computing Services. In addition to all the shared software, including Autodesk Education Master Suite, that is available across the University we have VectorWorks, Adobe Creative Suite, and other software suites that drive our laser cutting and new 3D printing machines.

Our modelmaking workshop has a dedicated technician, who also runs a shop that sells, at minimal price, a big selection of model making and other equipment. Nearby is our audio visual unit manned by expert staff and our well equipped print unit.