Masters (Coursework)
The Master of Urban and Cultural Heritage is a unique cross-disciplinary and industry-oriented program for students who are passionate about the social and cultural dimensions of the built environment in the 21st century. Combining this area of specialisation with the accredited Master of Architecture gives you the ability to express your creativity whilst developing a complementary and rigorous background in heritage, history and culture.
This program aims to provide you with:
Students undertake a sequence of intensive design studios culminating in a research thesis. In the studios, students cover architectural design in the context of the creative invention of architectural futures, integrating aesthetic, technological, programmatic, environmental and social issues in the production of buildings. Students can also take elective subjects in areas such as digital architecture, production, practice and sustainability, and society and culture.
By combining the Master of Architecture and Master of Urban and Cultural Heritage as a double degree, our students complete two graduate programs in a reduced timeframe. This gives them a true competitive advantage and broader career options. Professional accreditation of the Master of Architecture also offers a distinctive signal to employers and industry and enhances our existing graduate reputation for strong leadership and strategic thinking skills, embedded in our expertise in providing a world-class built environment education influencing Melbourne and cities globally for over 150 years.
With over thirty full-time academics and a broad range of leading architectural practitioners, the program has a depth and breadth of teaching and research performance unmatched within the Southeast-Asian and Australasian regions.
The ethos of the program emphasises the central role of design in the studio. Our studios develop strong interdisciplinary understanding, excellent communication skills, critical thinking and the ability to use resources, materials and technologies to develop responsible and ecologically sound and novel design solutions. Professional and community involvement play an integral role in our studio experiences.
Heritage professionals help to tackle a broad range of challenges, including the pressures of rapid urbanisation, issues of economic, social and environmental sustainability, as well as social and cultural change. As such, the urban cultural heritage aspects will examine contemporary and theoretical approaches to heritage policy, which includes regulation and practice, new approaches to digital technologies and heritage, issues of heritage significance within historical and cross-cultural contexts, cultural heritage and its social and economic impacts including tourism and heritage reconstruction. Students will gain critical research and presentation skills in the analysis, documentation and management of heritage sites, landscapes, and tangible and intangible cultural practices.
Students also study a range of specialist electives, with the option to undertake a research project or industry internship.
Explore the subjects you could choose as part of this degree in the University handbook.
The Master of Architecture meets the requirements of the professional associations listed below and undergoes a regular formal review process to ensure the quality and relevance of the program.
Completing an accredited degree means you enter the workforce with a stamp of quality on your CV. In a competitive market, an accredited degree is an assurance of excellence to employers and an advantage for you. It also means we continually strive to improve the standard of the degree to retain accreditation, ensuring you receive the most relevant and innovative educational experience.
Heritage skills are in great demand throughout Australia and globally, including the Asia-Pacific region. The Master of Urban and Cultural Heritage is designed to complement existing professional skills in areas such as architecture, planning, archaeology and history as well as provide a pathway to a new career in the management, conservation and interpretation of heritage. A pathway to Graduate Research is also an option.
Domestic applicants must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, Australian permanent resident, or holder of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa.