Overview

(Joint Degree Between University College Cork and Munster Technological University) 

First Year - Architecture

In order to be admitted to the First University Examination in Architecture, a student must have satisfactorily attended, subsequent to entry to the programme, prescribed modules to the value of 60 credits.

Second Year - Architecture

No student may register for Second Year until he/she has passed the First University Examination in Architecture. In order to be admitted to the Second University Examination in Architecture, a student must have satisfactorily attended, subsequent to passing the First University Examination in Architecture, prescribed modules to the value of 60 credits.

Third Year - Architecture

No student may register for Third Year until he/she has passed the Second University Examination in Architecture. In order to be admitted to the Third University Examination in Architecture, a student must have satisfactorily attended, subsequent to passing the Second University Examination in Architecture, prescribed modules to the value of 60 credits.

Fourth Year - Architecture

No student may register for Fourth Year until he/she has passed the Third University Examination in Architecture. In order to be admitted to the BSc (Hons) (Architecture) Degree Examination, a student must have satisfactorily pursued, subsequent to passing the Third University Examination in Architecture, modules to the value of 60 credits.

Programme Requirements

For information about modules, module choice, options and credit weightings, please go to Programme Requirements. 

Programme Requirements

Examinations

Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be contained in the Marks and Standards Book and for each module in the Book of Modules.

Programme Learning Outcomes

Programme Learning Outcomes for BSc (Hons) (Architecture) (NFQ Level 8, Major Award)

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Create architectural designs that satisfy both aesthetic and technical requirements;
• Demonstrate a knowledge of history and theories of architecture and the related arts, technologies and human sciences, and how they relate to the theory and practice of Architecture;
• Demonstrate a knowledge of the fine arts as an influence on the quality of architectural design;
• Demonstrate a knowledge of urban design, planning and the skills involved in the planning process;
• Relate buildings and the space between them to human needs and scale, drawing on a knowledge of the relationship between people and buildings, and between buildings and their environment;
• Prepare project briefs that take into account of social factors, based on a knowledge of the profession of architecture and the role of the architect in society;
• Apply appropriate systematic approaches to investigations in the preparation of a design brief;
• Demonstrate a knowledge of structural design, constructional and engineering problems, and their potential impact on the design of buildings;
• Design buildings with internal conditions of comfort and protection against the climate, based on a knowledge of physical problems, technologies and the function of buildings;
• Design buildings which meet users' requirements within constraints imposed by cost factors and building regulations;
• Demonstrate knowledge of the industries, organisations, regulations and procedures involved in translating design concepts into buildings and integrating plans into overall planning.

*** Only for Incoming First Years and Repeat First Years 2024/2025 ***
*** Click here for Marks and Standards for all other years ***

Marks and Standards

These Marks and Standards should be read in conjunction with the Programme Requirements and the Book of Modules.

Fitness to Practise

All students on programmes subject to Fitness to Practise in UCC will be required to comply with the Fitness to Practise Policy and meet the relevant Fitness to Practise standards, in order to progress to the next year of his/her/their programme. Click here for a list of programmes subject to the Fitness to Practise Policy.

Marks and Credits

Students are required to take modules to the value of 60 credits.
Total Marks for year: 1200.

First Year - Pass and Progression Criteria

To pass first year and progress to second year, students must achieve:

1. An aggregate mark of 40% across all modules,
2. A pass mark in modules to the value of at least 55 credits, and
3. A module mark of at least 35% in any remaining modules.

Pass by Compensation: Students who satisfy each of the above criteria are allowed to compensate in modules to the value of 5 credits and pass the year overall when:

• The module proposed for compensation is not a design studio module,
• The surplus of the marks in the passed modules is at least double the deficiency in the failed module, and
• All of the module marks presented are first attempt marks.

Award of Honours in First Year

A candidate who achieves the pass and progression standard is eligible for honours on the basis of actual marks achieved at the Summer Examination and capped marks at the Autumn Supplemental Examination, with any exempted modules, based on recognition of prior learning / previous cognate study, deemed to have been passed at a mark of 40% for the purposes of determining honours.

Honours will be awarded as follows:

1. First Class Honours: ≥ 70%
2. Second Class Honours, Grade I: ≥ 60% and <70%
3. Second Class Honours, Grade II: ≥ 50% and <60%
4. Pass: ≥ 40% and <50%

Examination Boards

• Provisional marks for Semester 1 examinations are released in January/February of each year. These marks are subject to approval at the University Examination Board.
• Marks for all modules taken in Semester 1 and 2, including those wholly assessed by Continuous Assessment, will be presented to the University Examination Board at the end of Semester 2.

Supplemental Examinations and Assessment

• Students who fail to achieve the progression standard for the year at the Summer Examination Board must complete Supplemental Examinations and/or Continuous Assessment for those specific module(s), where there is provision to do so.
• Please refer to the Book of Modules for requirements governing the Supplemental Examination and Assessment for individual modules. Note: For some modules there is no Supplemental Examination and Assessment.
• The marks achieved in the Supplemental Examinations and/or Continuous Assessment of a repeat module are considered at the Autumn Examination Board.
• The actual mark achieved by the candidate in the Supplemental or Repeat Year Examination will be recorded on the student record (Academic Transcript).
• The maximum mark that will be taken into account for aggregation and progression purposes is a pass level, unless the student has been granted a cap waiver or deferral by the University Mitigation Committee, or a University Examination Board, or has been approved to defer the previous attempt by the University Mitigation Committee.
• At the Autumn Examination Board, marks from all passed modules approved at the Summer Examination Board are carried forward and are combined with the marks achieved in Supplemental Examinations and/or Assessments. The pass and progression criteria are applied to the aggregate mark achieved.

Note: The mark achieved at the last examination/assessment attempt is the mark that is included in the calculation of the aggregate mark for pass and progression purposes.

Study Abroad

• When students study abroad as part of his/her/their degree programme, they will be assessed by his/her/their host university.
• To pass the study abroad period and progress to the subsequent year, a student must achieve a pass standard as applied by the host institution.
• A Pass/Fail judgement will be presented to the UCC Examination Boards:
  • At the Summer Examination Board for students spending Semester 1 abroad.
  • At the Autumn/Winter Examination Board for students spending the full academic year abroad or Semester 2 only.
• For students failing to achieve a pass mark, Supplemental Assessment will be prescribed by the School in UCC, and these results will be presented at a Winter Examination Board.

Exemptions

All passed modules carry an exemption, which is limited to a period of five academic years (or two in the case of Computer Science modules) subsequent to the award of the exemption.

Repeat Year Examinations

Students repeating the year may do so choosing one of the following mechanisms:

1. Students retain module exemptions, if any, and must repeat all failed/absent modules, including those modules where the failing mark previously achieved was greater than the level of compensation (≥ 35%) but who failed to achieve the progression standard for the year (see above). The pass and progression criteria are then applied to the combination of full marks achieved in modules passed at the first attempt, plus capped marks achieved in modules in the Repeat Year Examinations.​

Note: For students selecting different modules not previously taken, there are no restrictions on the marks awarded for those modules at the first attempt in a repeat year. The selection of different modules by the student means that the student foregoes any previous marks achieved in the original modules (including previously passed modules).

2. Students may forego all module exemptions achieved and repeat the year choosing modules to the value of the full 60 credits. In determining pass and progression, there is no restriction on the marks awarded for modules taken at the first attempt of the Repeat Year. Modules taken at the subsequent Supplemental Examination and Assessment are capped at the pass mark.

Subject to capacity, all students - whether they have failed or passed - are allowed to choose this second option, in an attempt to improve his/her/their grade.

In the case of a candidate choosing option 2 and failing the repeat year as a result of failing module(s) already passed in a previous year, a pass for the year will be awarded by the Examination Board, provided the candidate achieves the pass and progression standard for the year on the combined results from the repeat and earlier year(s).

Five Year Rule

Students must pass/progress within five academic years of the date of first registration for a year, otherwise they cannot continue in the programme.

Terms and Definitions

Programme Description

• The programme description is outlined in the Programme Requirements tab.

Module Descriptions/Assessment

• Module descriptions, including the pass standard for a module, special requirements to pass a module, and assessment elements and their weightings, are contained in the Book of Modules.

Marks and Credits

• A maximum of 100 marks may be awarded for every five credits of a programme.
• Some modules are assessed on a Pass/Fail basis only, i.e. marks are not awarded.

Pass and Progression

• Progression is defined as the permission granted to a student to register in the subsequent academic year for the next set of modules within his/her/their programme of study.
• Compensation is defined as the process by which a student, who fails to satisfy some of the regulations for credit in a specific module, is nevertheless recommended for credit to be awarded on the grounds that the failure is offset by his/her/their performance in the other modules on his/her/their programme of study.

• Every stage of the programme must normally be passed before progression to a subsequent stage. Progression while carrying forward a failed module will not normally be permitted. In exceptional circumstances the Examination Board may recommend progression for a candidate who has not fulfilled this requirement. Such recommendation shall be formally and specifically recorded on the Broadsheet of Results and shall be subject to ratification in the same manner as the examination results. In no case shall an award be made until all required modules have been passed.