Regulations for examinations

Architecture Tripos

(Statutes and Ordinances, p. 283)

With effect from 1 October 2026

The General Board, on the recommendation of the Faculty Board of Architecture and History of Art, has approved changes to the Architecture Tripos and Master of Architecture Degree (see p. 38 below) in response to changes in accreditation by the Architects Registration Board, which from 2027 will allow the possibility of qualifying through a 4-year integrated undergraduate and Master’s course.

The B.A. (Hons) Architecture will become a four-year undergraduate course consisting of four parts: Part Ia, Part Ib, Part IIa and Part IIb. Students who successfully complete up to and including Part IIa of the revised Tripos will be eligible for the Bachelor of Arts degree. Students who obtain honours in Part IIb of the revised Tripos will be awarded the Master of Architecture Degree.

Part Ia and Part Ib of the Architecture Tripos remain unchanged. The current Part II assessment requirements will remain unchanged in the new Part IIa except that the dissertation will be incorporated into the new Part IIb. To meet ARB accreditation requirements Part IIb will include a new Professional Skills paper alongside studio assessment.

Student cohorts admitted in academic years 2024–25 and 2025–26 under the existing Tripos structure may be candidates for the new Part IIb provided they have met the criteria as laid out in the regulations.

The new regulations, restructuring the Tripos and amending existing schemes of examination in line with the Ordinance on Assessment Formats, are effective from 1 October 2026 and read as follows:

Architecture Tripos

New Regulations ^[1]

1. The Architecture Tripos shall consist of four Parts: Part Ia, Part Ib, Part  IIa and Part IIb. There shall be a separate class-list for each Part.

2. No student shall be a candidate for more than one Part, or for any Part and also for another Honours Examination, in the same term; and no student who has been a candidate for honours in any Part shall again be a candidate for honours in the same Part.

3. To conduct the examination in each Part the Faculty Board shall nominate such number of Examiners as they shall deem sufficient. The Board shall have power to nominate Assessors to the Examiners for any of the papers. The Assessors shall be responsible for setting the questions in the subject or subjects assigned to them and for advising the Examiners on the candidates’ performance in those questions.

4. In each Part the names of the candidates who obtain honours shall be arranged in three classes, of which the second shall be divided into two divisions. The names in the first and third classes and in each division of the second class shall be arranged in alphabetical order. A mark of distinction may be affixed to the names of those candidates placed in the first class whose work either in a part or in the whole of the examination is of special merit.

5. The Faculty Board shall have power to make supplementary regulations defining all or any of the subjects set out in the following regulations as they think fit.

6. The Faculty Board shall publish changes to the titles of papers, subjects, special periods and books prescribed under the following regulations for Parts Ia, Ib, IIa and IIb of the Tripos not later than the end of Easter Term next preceding the examination; provided that the Board shall have the power of subsequently issuing amendments if it has due reason for doing so and if it is satisfied that no student’s preparation for the examination is adversely affected.

7. The Faculty Board shall publish the dates for submission of studio-work in all Parts not later than the beginning of the Full Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination. The Department shall issue detailed instructions concerning the studio-work not later than the division of the Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination.

8. In all Parts the teachers under whose direction the work was performed shall present to the Examiners detailed reports on the performance of each candidate in the coursework. The Faculty Board shall publish the form and conduct of the coursework for each paper not later than the beginning of the Full Michaelmas Term next preceding the examination.

9. Students choose options in Section C in Part Ib and in Part IIa. Not later than the Division of Easter Term each year the Faculty Board shall give notice of the approved lists of options prescribed for the examination to be held in the academic year next following, and shall specify the mode of assessment for each option. There shall be no fewer than eight optional papers in Part Ib and no fewer than twelve optional papers in Part IIa. In giving such notice the Faculty Board shall announce combinations of options which satisfy the qualifying conditions for relevant professional registrations. The Board shall have power to announce restrictions on the combination of papers that a candidate may choose to offer. A candidate shall not offer in any part of the Tripos a paper that they have previously offered in another University Honours examination.

10. If at the first attempt a candidate in any Part fails to satisfy the Examiners in any components of the examination which are required for professional accreditation, but nevertheless achieves marks that would otherwise qualify them for honours in that Part, they shall at the discretion of the Examiners be eligible for re-examination in any such components under conditions set by the Faculty Board. If the candidate succeeds in satisfying the Examiners in any such re-examination, they become eligible for the award of honours, but their original marks for that Part remain unchanged.

Part Ia

11. The following may present themselves as candidates for honours in Part Ia:

(a)a student who has kept one term, provided that three complete terms have not passed after the student’s first term of residence;

(b)a student who has obtained honours in another Honours Examination in the year next after so obtaining honours, provided that the student has kept four terms and that nine complete terms have not passed after the student’s first term of residence.

12. The examination for Part Ia of the Architecture Tripos shall consist of two sections:

Section A. Studio-work.
Section B. Six papers as follows:

13. A candidate for Part Ia shall be required:

(a)for Section A, to present to the Examiners a portfolio of studio-work carried out during the current academic year; and

(b)for Section B, to offer all six papers. All six papers shall be assessed in a format permitted under the Ordinance for Assessment Formats, as prescribed by the Faculty Board.

Part Ib

14. A student who has obtained honours in Part Ia of the Architecture Tripos or the Design Tripos may be a candidate for honours in Part Ib in the year next after so obtaining honours, provided that the student has kept four terms, and has satisfied the Examiners in studio-work in the examination for Part Ia.

15. The examination for Part Ib of the Architecture Tripos shall consist of three sections:

Section A. Studio-work.
Section B. Four papers as follows:

Section C. A list of papers in History and Theory as announced under Regulation 9.

16. A candidate for Part Ib shall be required:

(a)for Section A, to present to the Examiners a portfolio of studio-work carried out during the current academic year; and

(b)for Section B, to offer all four papers. All four papers shall be assessed in a format permitted under the Ordinance for Assessment Formats, as prescribed by the Faculty Board; and

(c)for Section C, to offer four papers. All four papers shall be assessed in a format permitted under the Ordinance for Assessment Formats, as prescribed by the Faculty Board.

Part IIa

17. A student who has obtained honours in Part Ib of the Architecture Tripos or the Design Tripos may be a candidate for honours in Part IIa in the year next after so obtaining honours, provided that

(a)the student has kept seven terms and twelve complete terms have not passed after the student’s first term of residence; and

(b)the student has the Examiners in studio-work in the examination for Part Ib.

18. The examination for Part IIa of the Architecture Tripos shall consist of three sections:

Section A. Studio-work;
Section B. Paper 3.1: Professional skills III;
Section C. A list of papers in History and Theory, Integrated and Technical subjects as announced under Regulation 9.

19. A candidate for Part IIa shall be required:

(a)for Section A, to present to the Examiners a portfolio of studio-work carried out during the current academic year; and

(b)to offer the paper in Section B, to be assessed in a format permitted under the Ordinance for Assessment Formats, as prescribed by the Faculty Board; and

(c)for Section C, to offer four papers. All four papers shall be assessed in a format permitted under the Ordinance for Assessment Formats, as prescribed by the Faculty Board.

Part IIb

20. A student who has obtained honours in Part IIa of the Architecture Tripos or Part IIa of the Design Tripos may be a candidate for honours in Part IIb in the year next after so obtaining honours, provided that:

(a)the student has attained a satisfactory standard, as defined by the Faculty Board, in previous Honours Examinations; and

(b)the student has not proceeded to the B.A. Degree; and

(c)fifteen complete terms have not passed after their first term of residence.

21. The examination for Part IIb of the Architecture Tripos shall consist of three sections:

Section A. Studio-work;
Section B. Paper 4.1: Professional skills IV;
Section C. A dissertation, or a project or alternative exercise of equivalent scope and standard approved by the Faculty Board, on a subject approved by the Faculty Board.

22. A candidate for Part IIb shall be required:

(a)for Section A, to present to the Examiners a portfolio of studio-work carried out during the current academic year; and

(b)to offer the paper in Section B, to be assessed in a format permitted under the Ordinance for Assessment Formats, as prescribed by the Faculty Board; and

(c)for Section C, to offer a dissertation, or a project or an equivalent exercise approved by the Faculty Board, in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 23. A list of projects and of subject areas for dissertations and exercises, and the details of the requirements for their submission, shall be published by the Faculty Board not later than the first Friday of Full Michaelmas Term in the year in which the examination falls.

23. (a) A dissertation offered under Regulation 22(c) shall be of not less than 7,000 words and not more than 9,000 words in length, including footnotes and appendices but excluding bibliography.

(b) The examination may include, at the discretion of the Examiners, an oral examination on the dissertation and on the general field of knowledge within which it falls, and on the other work submitted as part of the examination.

Temporary Regulation

24. The examinations for the Architecture Tripos (New Regulations) shall be held for the first time as follows:

Part Ia in 2026–27

Part Ib in 2027–28

Part IIa in 2028–29

Part IIb in 2029–30

Examinations for Part IIb will additionally be held in 2027–28 and 2028–29 to eligible students who commenced their studies under the Old Regulations for the Tripos.

^[1] These regulations will come into effect in accordance with the timetable in Temporary Regulation 24, p. [000].

Master of Architecture

(Statutes and Ordinances, p. 440)

In response to changes in accreditation by the Architects Registration Board allowing qualification through a four-year integrated course, the General Board, on the recommendation of the Faculty Board of Architecture and History of Art, has approved changes to the special regulations for the degree of Master of Architecture. The two-year Master of Architecture course will be become a one-year course to be awarded upon successful completion of Part IIb of the revised Architecture Tripos (see p. 35 above). Amendments to the special regulations have been approved as follows:

With effect from 1 October 2026

By adding a footnote to the special regulations for the degree to suspend entry in the 2026–27 academic year.

With effect from 1 October 2027

By replacing the existing regulations with the following:

MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE (M.Arch.)

On completing the requisite number of terms, a student who has obtained honours in Part IIb of the Architecture Tripos shall be entitled to proceed to the M.Arch. Degree.