Master of Studies Apprenticeship in Architecture

At its meeting of 1 December 2021, the Board decided that the above qualification should be prescribed for the period 23 October 2021 to 30 September 2024* under Section 4(1)(a) of the Architects Act 1997 for the purposes of entry onto the United Kingdom Register of Architects.

Prescription is subject to the Standard Conditions set out in the Board’s Procedures, namely:

1. The University of Cambridge’s Master of Studies Apprenticeship in Architecture (three years, part-time apprenticeship) qualification should be prescribed for the period 23 October 2021 to 30 September 2024.*
2. Prescription of the qualification shall be by reference to the Programme Specification – submitted as part of the application on 23 October 2020 – for the Master of Studies Apprenticeship in Architecture (three years, part-time apprenticeship) qualification. No change may be made to the title of any qualification, or material change to the content so defined within a programme specification (allowing for normal course development) without first obtaining the written permission of the Board.
3. Annually by 1 March – commencing on 1 March 2022 – the institution shall be required to provide the Board with information of the nature set out in Appendix 2 of its Procedures to enable the Board to see that:
   i. All its Criteria and the relevant requirements set out in Article 46 (or Article 47) of the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive [2005/36/EC] have been attained by all students awarded the prescribed qualification;
   ii. Adequate systems are in place to ensure that all the Board’s Criteria will be met by students for the period of prescription;
   iii. The institution’s resources remain as set out in the application and are adequate; and
   iv. All of the factors referred to in Sections 2.2 and 2.3 of the Procedures continue to be demonstrated, and any conditions of prescription continue to be met.
4. The institution will ensure that appropriate procedures will be maintained so that all students undertaking a prescribed qualification are fully informed of the extent of the application of that qualification to entitlement to registration as an architect in circumstances in which the student lacks a required antecedent qualification, e.g. Part 2 without Part 1.
5. Following each and every set of examinations, the institution shall be required to submit to the Board its pass lists of graduating cohorts who have received the prescribed award.

In addition to the Standard Conditions of prescription, the Board agreed that the following additional condition would be applicable to the qualification under Section 7.2 of the Board’s Procedures:

• That the institution should submit its external examiner reports immediately once they have been received by the institution following each Examination Board, commencing in 2021 and continuing for the period of prescription, rather than waiting until the annual monitoring submission date of 1 March each year.

The Board was confident that:

1. The course proposal – including the educational aims, the intended learning outcomes, the assessments etc – has been designed with the clear aim of ensuring that all those who receive the qualification will have met all the Criteria;
2. Systems are in place to ensure that all Criteria will be met by all students receiving the qualification for the period of prescription; and
3. The institution has adequate resources to maintain and, where appropriate, increase the achievements of students meeting all the Criteria.

In light of the fact that this is a new qualification, the additional condition will provide the Board with additional assurance that all students will have met all of the Criteria at Part 2 level upon receipt of the award.