Ingrid Westendorp, programme coordinator
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Master of Architecture
- 4 years
- English
- Master
- Part-time
Get to know us
- Open days
- Watch a webinar
- And more...
Are you interested in how our surroundings and buildings are designed?
Are you eager to reflect on design and how to use it for upcoming generations? Are you interested in urbanism and/or architecture? If you’re looking for a unique learning experience, then this dynamic, creative, and practical programme might be for you. After the course, you will master connecting social, cultural, political, economic, and technological parameters through design.
About Master Architecture
Learn how to effectively combine design intelligence with a reflective attitude and practical skills. The competence-based curriculum is geared towards mastering seven crucial competences: design, research, collaboration, communication, entrepreneurial skills, organisation, and professional practice. You’ll gain experience and education beyond the school curriculum by combining your study with employment in a professional environment. Additionally, the academy itself is a laboratory for spatial assignments from real stakeholders, and the studio is the perfect place to apply new skills and methods to create design proposals for complex spatial problems.
Why this study in the Netherlands?
- You’ll be part of Fontys Academy of the Arts, a creative learning community
- Our tutors are professionals from a variety of disciplines with a strong relation to practice
- You’ll engage in an intensive programme in a small community together with fellow Architecture and Urbanism students
- The programme has a vertical structure that synergises working and studying at the same time, encouraging you to become an independent and critical thinker in approaching real-world and future challenges
- Our international environment gives you a broad view of real-world problems and hands-on solutions to tackle these challenges
- After graduation, you’ll be eligible to register immediately in the Dutch Architecture Register and start working as an (independent) architect
What will you be learning?
Project-based learning lies at the core of the study programme. Your assignments will tackle a particular challenge or issue that you’ll work on individually or in teams. The studio work will be combined with various theoretical courses to provide a strong foundation.
The philosophy of the academy is based on study combined with working in an architect’s firm. This concurrent, practical structure offers you experience and education beyond the school curriculum, which is essential to your growth as a professional architect. In addition, it allows you to unleash the pioneer within by learning about the importance of design for current and upcoming issues.
What does your week look like?
The course is carried out in a 40-week intensive program. You’ll work in the Design studio at Fontys in Tilburg one day per week. Alongside this, self-study comprises 10 hours and practical work 20 hours per week. You’ll follow theory classes once a week.
Celebrating 85 years
The symbiosis between practice and the educational programme is amazing”Kenny Vink, student
Programme structure
We welcome graduated students from a range of different schools, disciplines, and cultural and professional backgrounds. The first year is fully dedicated to developing a designer attitude towards the world around us. The Core studio programme is supported by a range of skill-based trainings and a theoretical foundation on architecture and urban design, economy, sustainable design, and art history. Your learning outcomes will be assessed on the basis of a portfolio.
During the second and third year, you’ll follow a total of 8 studio projects, workshops, and a large number of advanced skill-based trainings. You’ll also engage in research and an in-depth theory programme. The studio assessments will confront students with a variety of different assignments, methodologies, and levels of complexity. Five parameters are used to differentiate between the studio projects: Programme, Product, Meaning, Context, and Geometry. Students will work on a range of different scales (1:1 to 1:10.000). Every second semester, students will organise an international study trip to visit projects abroad.
The graduation studio project takes up one full year through two possible formats: individual and/or team driven. Every student, either in the architecture or urbanism course, will follow the same process-based planning. The process will be supported by both personal, external tutors and project presentations with reviews at the academy. Research and analysis take three months, during which the chosen issues of the self-defined assignment will be addressed. You will attend several lectures by professionals to find inspiration throughout the process. All research, strategies, experiments, and design work during the year will be interrelated and are aimed at tackling urgent societal issues for future generations.
Programme video Masters Architecture and Urbanism
Requirements
English language proficiency
Admission requirements for the master’s degree programme
- Bachelor (B/BSc) Architecture
- Bachelor (B) Art Academy (Architectural design/Interior design)
Is your study not mentioned? Contact us and we can talk about possibilities.
Applicants are required to:
Work a minimum of 20 hours a week in a relevant practice (Architect’s firm or related). The academy offers alternative practice studios for students who are temporarily unable to find a regular job. In these alternative practice studios students will work on assignments by real stakeholders and will be supervised by practitioners. There is usually no remuneration for participating students.
Admission video Masters Architecture and Urbanism
English language proficiency
Admission requirements for the master’s degree programme
- Bachelor (B/BSc) Architecture
- Bachelor (B) Art Academy (Architectural design/Interior design)
Is your study not mentioned? Contact us and we can talk about possibilities.
Applicants are required to:
Work a minimum of 20 hours a week in a relevant practice (Architect’s firm or related). The academy offers alternative practice studios for students who are temporarily unable to find a regular job. In these alternative practice studio’s students will work on assignments by real stakeholders and will be supervised by practitioners. There is usually no remuneration for participating students.
Visa
As a non-EU/EEA student, the Netherlands will require an Entry Visa* (MVV) and a Residence Permit. Fontys will apply on behalf of its students for these documents. We recommend you start the process early, i.e. approximately three months before you plan to enter the Netherlands.
*except nationals from Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, the USA and Vatican City State.
Admission video Masters Architecture and Urbanism
Language requirements
For the English-taught programmes, the minimum English language proficiency is required. As an applicant with a Dutch MBO-4, HAVO- or VWO-diploma you can be exempted from submitting the language proficiency test.
Admission requirements for the master’s degree programme
- Bachelor (B/BSc) Architecture
- Bachelor (B) Art Academy (Architectural design/Interior design)
Is your study not mentioned? Contact us and we can talk about possibilities.
Applicants are required to:
Work a minimum of 20 hours a week in a relevant practice (Architect’s firm or related). The academy offers alternative practice studios for students who are temporarily unable to find a regular job. In these alternative practice studios students will work on assignments by real stakeholders and will be supervised by practitioners. There is usually no remuneration for participating students.
Admission video Masters Architecture and Urbanism
Costs
The tuition fees indicator helps you to determine the tuition rate for your situation. The information and tuition rates from this indicator are without engagement.
Statutory tuition fees and institutional tuition fees
A distinction is made between statutory tuition fees and institutional tuition fees. Only if you satisfy all statutory requirements regarding your nationality and if you have not yet been awarded a degree, will you be eligible for statutory tuition fees. Via the tuition fees indicator, you can secure an indication of the type of tuition fees that will be applicable in your situation. To do so, please make use of the indicator above.
Distinctions are made between the following types of Institutional Tuition Fees:
- Low institutional tuition fees
- High institutional tuition fees
Different types of tuition fees and Exemption Regulations
These different types of tuition fees and the Exemption Regulations are fully detailed in the:
The amount to be paid may vary in accordance with the following situations:
- If you have enrolled in more than one course programme (at Fontys and/or elsewhere), it is possible that you may only be obliged to pay one set of statutory tuition fees.
- If you believe that you may be eligible to pay only the statutory tuition fees on the basis of information that may be unknown to us, please report this to your Course Department.
- If it later transpires that you do not meet the requirements for statutory tuition fees, you will be obliged to pay the (higher) institutional tuition fees and if this is the case, you will be notified accordingly.
Some Fontys study programmes offer the NL scholarship to their students. Check out the link to see if this study programme participates and for more information.
You might also be eligible for other scholarships not provided by Fontys. These can be found on the Study in NL website.
Master Architecture and Urbanism offers 2 Holland Scholarships (HSP) to talented and motivated candidates for our MSc in Architecture and MSc in Urbanism programmes. The HSP is only available to non-EU students in the form of a €5,000 grant to be received during the second semester of the first year.
Holland Scholarship
The Holland Scholarship provides a partial scholarship for the first year of your studies within our Master of Architecture/Master of Urbanism programme. The scholarship of €5,000 is financed by Fontys University of Applied Sciences and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
General application criteria Holland Scholarship
• Non-EU/non-EEA nationality
• You’re applying for a full-time bachelor’s or master’s programme at one of the participating Dutch higher education institutions
• This is your first time studying at an educational institution in the Netherlands
• You have read the general conditions of the Holland Scholarship Programme*
• You agree that your application details may be shared with EP Nuffic and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
Additional programme criteria of Holland Scholarship
• You’re registered for the Fontys Master of Urbanism at www.studielink.nl
• You meet the general admission requirements of the programme of your choice (to be determined by the admission office).
• Students have to hand in an essay of 750 words on the topic of “the importance of concurrent education”, using academic sources. Please send your essay to fhkmau@fontys.nl
• To be eligible for the Holland Scholarship Programme, you need to fill in the application form after 1 November and before 1 June.
Applying for the scholarship is a different procedure than the application for a study programme, which has to be processed via studielink.nl. For more information on how to apply, please select the programme of your choice.
Link to the form Holland Scholarship
Paying in instalments
Collection will take place in a maximum of ten equal instalments on or around the 26th of the month. Depending upon the processing time required after your enrolment, the direct debit may need to be moved to the following month. If so, the amount outstanding will then be divided and added to the remaining instalments to be executed until and including the June instalment.
If paying the full sum in a single payment
If you commence your studies on 1 September, the direct debit pertaining to your Tuition Fees will be executed on or around 25 September. If you commence your studies after 1 September, the direct debit will be executed on or around the 26th of the month in which you commence your studies.
Non EU students
Incoming Non EU students will receive a payment letter from their study department which must be paid before the deadline. In the following academic years payment can be done by direct debit.
Non-Sepa
If you have a Bank account number, of which the bank is not situated in one of the SEPA countries, and you are a national of a country outside the EEA without an address in The Netherlands, then you will receive a paymentletter from Fontys via your course department.
The Dutch currency unit is the Euro (i.e. abbreviated to ‘EUR’ or ‘€’).
The average living expenses per month for a foreign student living and studying in Holland are between EUR 900 and EUR 1,100 per month. These living expenses cover rent, insurance, food, public transportation, books, clothing and other general costs.
Dutch Immigration Service (IND) requires non-EEA students to proof they have access to € 11,520 per year (€ 5,760 per semester)
Costs within the first months upon arrival will be higher than all other months due to a housing deposit, intro week and books. Study books are usually bought at the start of the semester and therefore it is wise to reserve and have direct access to an amount at the start of the semester which can cover the price of all study books and the living expenses for the first two months.
Before starting your study at Fontys, you must find suitable housing. Unfortunately, it is not easy for international students to find accommodation in the Netherlands due to the housing crisis. Start your accommodation search early. Please be aware that finding a place to live is your own responsibility. However, we are happy to assist in any way we can.
Career opportunities
Graduates from this programme will be able to take an integrated, design-led approach in tackling complex issues of their environment in a national and/or international context. This gives them a variety of career prospects in architecture and other related fields.
Title
All graduated architects and urban designers will receive the title Msc.
Architecture Register
Our concurrent programme gives graduates the possibility to immediately at the Dutch Architecture Register and start working as a professional architect.
Graduate projects
Click here (download)
Previous nominees for Archiprix NL
Previous nominees for Archiprix International
- 2019 'Foreshore+' by Nicky Kouwenberg, Niek van de Calseijde, Sidney van Well
Jolijn van den BergThe academic level of thinking and, especially, the broadening and deepening that I experience by working together with people of different backgrounds and with different perspectives, is very inspiring.
How to apply
All applications for our programmes have to be conducted via www.studielink.nl. Studielink is an online portal that allows applicants to apply and maintain their registration whenever they want to.
The application process may differ for EU and Non-EU students. Deadline application non-EU students: April 1.
How to apply
1. Add new enrolment via Studielink
Your enrolment for a Fontys Academy of the Arts bachelor or master begins at www.studielink.nl. If you officially live in the Netherlands, you need a DigiD to login. If you don’t have a DigiD because you have a foreign address, you create your own account in Studielink (if you don't already have one).
• Once logged in to Studielink, complete or make sure your personal details are entered correctly (i.e. capital letters where required, according to your passport/ID card), and check or add your previous education.
• Choose the study programme you wish to apply for (or select the option "Add new enrolment application" in your dashboard). You can enter one or more search queries and select Fontys University of Applied Sciences to select your programme.
• Choose the correct start date: September 1, 2024, answer the institutional questions and confirm.
Did you receive a message via Studielink about sending in your passport? faa-sa@fontys.nl will send you a request.
Did you receive a message via Studielink about sending in proof of language requirements and/or previous education?
You don’t have to send these documents yet! We will inform you about this when you passed the admission test.
2. Apply for an admission online
Two working days after the request for enrolment via Studielink you will receive an e-mail (sender faa-sa@fontys.nl) with a link to your personal file (PortalPlus)..
NB: This is a different e-mail then the one you receive from no-reply@fontys.nl, stating your PCN number and password. You will need both e-mails.
When we received your application, you will get a confirmation. At the latest one week before the admission date, you will receive an invitation or more information. If you don't receive the e-mails, please check your spambox and add our address to your address book.
Agenda
Open Day
January 20 and 21, 2024
Programme
Open Day
January 20 and 21, 2024
Programme
Having trouble making up your mind about your future studies? Or maybe you've already decided? Either way, we invite you to experience it firsthand at our Open Day. Step onto our campus and get a real taste of what your chosen study programme could be like. Our students and teachers will be your guides, ready to show you around.
Mark your calendar for our upcoming Open Days in January 2024:
- January 20 in Tilburg
- January 21 in Eindhoven and Venlo
Do you want to be a part of it? Simply share your details, and you'll be among the first to receive updates.