Emergent Technologies and Design (EmTech) MSc
12 monthsProgramme duration
36,000 GBPTuition Fee/year
06 Mar, 2026Application Deadline
Programme overview
Main Subject
Architecture and Built Environment
Degree
MSc
Study Level
Masters
Study Mode
On Campus
EmTech investigates new synergies of architecture and ecology at the intersection of computational design and advanced fabrication, with a focus on the potential these offer for new architectural, urban and ecological design solutions within emerging biomes. The programme stimulates critical thinking through research-driven design projects developed in a rigorous and creative studio environment. Our projects evolve iteratively through hypothesis, experimentation, fabrication and evaluation; students reflect upon this work in verbal presentations and group discussions, and document their findings in analytical papers.
The programme has two distinct phases: the Studio and the Dissertation. Both phases are supported by the research of the programme team and by the expertise of EmTech alumni, alongside an extensive network of research colleagues in practice and industry. As well as building strong technical and theoretical foundations, students develop valuable teamwork skills throughout the programme. During the Studio phase, they work in teams while contributing individually at key stages of each project. In the Dissertation phase, students have the opportunity to collaborate with peers who share similar research interests, further enhancing both their academic and professional experience.
Design research is central to the programme’s agenda, and student work develops from the understanding that nature and artifice are connected, that the cultural production of artefacts and systems exist as part of other active systems, and that these systems are subject to change. The programme acknowledges that the causality of change is complex and multi-scalar, and that its dynamics are disrupted and accelerated by human activity. Our work critically examines the consequences of such changes within society and the natural world, and we develop architectural interventions that align with these shifting material, environmental and socio-technical flows to support resilient and habitable spatial futures.
Programme overview
Main Subject
Architecture and Built Environment
Degree
MSc
Study Level
Masters
Study Mode
On Campus
EmTech investigates new synergies of architecture and ecology at the intersection of computational design and advanced fabrication, with a focus on the potential these offer for new architectural, urban and ecological design solutions within emerging biomes. The programme stimulates critical thinking through research-driven design projects developed in a rigorous and creative studio environment. Our projects evolve iteratively through hypothesis, experimentation, fabrication and evaluation; students reflect upon this work in verbal presentations and group discussions, and document their findings in analytical papers.
The programme has two distinct phases: the Studio and the Dissertation. Both phases are supported by the research of the programme team and by the expertise of EmTech alumni, alongside an extensive network of research colleagues in practice and industry. As well as building strong technical and theoretical foundations, students develop valuable teamwork skills throughout the programme. During the Studio phase, they work in teams while contributing individually at key stages of each project. In the Dissertation phase, students have the opportunity to collaborate with peers who share similar research interests, further enhancing both their academic and professional experience.
Design research is central to the programme’s agenda, and student work develops from the understanding that nature and artifice are connected, that the cultural production of artefacts and systems exist as part of other active systems, and that these systems are subject to change. The programme acknowledges that the causality of change is complex and multi-scalar, and that its dynamics are disrupted and accelerated by human activity. Our work critically examines the consequences of such changes within society and the natural world, and we develop architectural interventions that align with these shifting material, environmental and socio-technical flows to support resilient and habitable spatial futures.
Admission Requirements
Academic Requirements
Prospective students must achieve at least the minimum academic and English language requirements to apply for any of the taught postgraduate programmes on offer at the AA. These requirements vary according to the programme being undertaken.
Emergent Technologies & Design MSc – Bachelor’s degree (minimum second class honours) in architecture, engineering, industrial/product design or a related discipline from a United Kingdom university or a degree of equivalent standard from a recognised university or higher education institution from outside the UK.
Required Documents
All applicants (with the exception of those applying to the History and Critical Thinking MA programme and the PhD Research programme) must submit a digital sample portfolio of original art and design work in addition to the online application form, scanned transcripts and certificates (as required), personal statement and references, which can be sent to the school directly by referees.
- Portfolio
- Personal Statement
- Transcripts and Certificates
- References
- Written Sample - History and Critical Thinking MA
- Research Proposal - PhD Research and Architectural Design
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Immigration Documents
Tuition fees
Domestic
International
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