London, Stratford (UCL East)

If you require details of the previous year's programme, Cinematic and Videogame Architecture MArch (2024), click here

This programme offers students a unique opportunity to design innovative projects at the convergence of architecture, film and videogames.

Applications open

Applications open

Typically a minimum of a second-class UK degree in an appropriate subject or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard or significant relevant industry experience (7+ years of employment). Applicants will be asked to provide a link to a portfolio of their design work once their completed application has been received, and should not send or upload work until it has been requested. Offers will be subject to an interview.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

Rapid advancements in digital technologies have brought the previously discrete fields of architecture, film and videogames closer than ever before. By employing innovative architectural design methods, students on the first programme of this kind in the UK will critically situate their work in relation to new developments in time-based digital technologies and the way these are shaping our culture, identity and politics.

Architecture has a long history of acting as an underlying structuring device for both film and videogames. From the construction of film sets to developments in film compositing techniques and innovations in computer graphics, the depiction of space has been a key challenge in arriving at our contemporary media landscape of film and videogames. In turn, the narrative and storytelling power of time-based and interactive media are reshaping not only how architecture is constructed and represented, but also how it is conceived and experienced.

The programme prepares students for the emerging futures of architectural design, developing skills also applicable to the film and game industries, and VR/AR environments. Supported by a world-leading team of tutors and visiting industry figures, students will learn innovative design techniques using film, animation and game engine software, becoming architectural storytellers and worldbuilders who engage with the key issues facing our world. Students will develop their own creative practice through design projects and theoretical writing, culminating in the production of a final project that demonstrates their unique research methods through a film, game or interactive environment.

Hosted by the Bartlett School of Architecture the programme will draw upon the school’s established and internationally recognised expertise in teaching and its unique pedagogic and design research methods.

The programme is located at UCL East, UCL’s new campus at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London, the biggest expansion in the university’s history creating a new hub for teaching, learning and research to help find solutions to the biggest challenges facing people and the planet.  

Along with the BBC, Sadler's Wells, the V&A and UAL: London College of Fashion, UCL East is a founding partner of East Bank, a brand-new destination for London with world-class culture and education at its heart.

We are looking for applications from graduates and professionals from architecture, but also from other backgrounds – including design, filmmaking, film studies, anthropology, geography, fine art, videogame design, graphic design, animation and computer-generated imagery design – who are interested in studying the relationship between architecture, cinema and videogames, and show evidence of a strong record both academically and/or in practice.

The programme brings together internationally renowned experts in time-based and interactive technologies and equips students with specialist technical but also analytical and critical skills. Students are introduced to theoretical concepts through lectures and introductory design exercises, supported by digital skills modules. Using cutting-edge software and technologies students will build on these foundations to create unique future-facing research projects. The programme also hosts visits from industry experts, who provide both creative and career insights to students, helping students to shape their practice towards a future career path. 

Students will be part of the internationally recognised, research-led educational environment at the Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, which, for the second year in a row, was ranked #1 in the world for ‘Architecture and Built Environment’ in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2024, and is ranked #1 in the UK for Architecture in The Guardian University Guide 2025. In addition to this, 91% of its research has been deemed ‘World Leading’ and ‘Internationally Excellent’ in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). The programme provides an excellent foundation for further doctorate research in related subjects, especially practice-led architectural design doctorates. 

The programme has a dedicated Cinematic and Videogame Architecture Studio and a Spatial Computing Lab offering students access to advanced software and equipment. It is located at Marshgate, part of the new UCL East campus, featuring eight floors of hi-tech, cross-disciplinary research labs, teaching areas, specialist media suites, fabrication workshops, collaboration spaces, as a well as a library, a refectory, the UCL Institute of Making, and the UCL East Cinema. Students will also benefit from the support of a Spatial Computing Technician to assist them with the technological development of their work.

Find out more about the benefits of studying at The Bartlett School of Architecture.

The programme radically rethinks architectural design from an immersive, time-based and interactive perspective. By linking architecture to cinema and videogames it offers students skills that can be applied in the architectural profession, as well as the film industry, videogames industry and other emerging disciplines, such as immersive environment design. Graduates are equipped with the skills and critical thinking to pursue careers in a multitude of industries across entertainment and the built environment and to form new hybrid practices at the boundaries between architectural and videogame design, filmmaking and theory. 

Furthermore, the programme provides an excellent foundation for students wishing to pursue doctoral research in related subjects.

93.3% of Bartlett School of Architecture graduates were in work or further study 15 months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes Surveys 2017-21).

Top industry sectors for Bartlett School of Architecture graduates in work are construction, built environment and property (68% of graduates); performance and creative arts (7%); academic research and higher education (6%) and technology (6%).

Bartlett School of Architecture graduates are working in 52 countries around the world.

The Bartlett School of Architecture is recognised as one of the world's leading schools of architecture and graduates from our Master's programmes are highly sought after.  

The Bartlett School of Architecture hosts numerous events throughout the year that feature industry guests and networking opportunities. These include lecture series, seminars, conferences, symposiums, book launches, and show launch events. The school also hosts a Future Practice event each year that links students with employers. 

Additionally, there are a broad range of university-wide career events to help current students and recent graduates develop their employability skills, explore different sectors, increase commercial awareness, build professional networks and more.

Through invited talks and visits from industry experts, students on the programme will also be able to meet and network with practitioners working at the cutting-edge of architecture, entertainment and technology. 

The programme is delivered through a combination of skills group seminars, master classes and workshops by experts; one-to-one and group tutorials with a design tutor; one-to-one and group tutorials with a dissertation tutor; and the organization of an exhibition as part of The Bartlett School of Architecture Autumn Show. 

For project work the programme uses a design studio pedagogical model where students will develop work of increasing levels of complexity and ambition, supported by individual and group tutorials, group seminars, and more formal presentations and screenings to tutors, peers, and invited internal and external guests from academia and industry.

Assessment is through project portfolio presentation, screenings of films, playtesting of videogame applications, group and individual presentations, illustrated reflective documents, a short essay and a longer written dissertation.

Throughout the year, full-time students can typically expect between 8 and 15 contact hours per teaching week through lectures, workshops and tutorials. Students are expected to continue to work on their final thesis project throughout the summer, supported by regular tutorials with their tutors. Outside of lectures and tutorials, full-time students typically study the equivalent of a full-time job, using their remaining time for self-directed study and completing coursework assignments.

This is a one year, 180-credit Master's degree.

This programme consists of seven compulsory modules, starting with an introduction to key concepts from both cinematic and videogame architecture and culminating in a final research project, where students will create a unique proposal that showcases the expertise they have gained throughout the year.

Term 1:

Term 2:

Term 3:

Part-time students will be expected to complete modules in the same linear order as full-time study to ensure they obtain all the relevant skills to complete the final three modules.

For part-time students studying over two years, the following programme diet will apply:

Year 1: Introduction to Cinematic and Videogame Architecture (15 credits); Critical Media Architecture (15 credits); Cinematic and Videogame Skills I & II (15 & 15Credits); Advanced Cinematic and Videogame Architecture I (30 credits)

Year 2: History, Theory & Practice of Cinematic and Videogame Architecture (30 credits); Advanced Cinematic and Videogame Architecture II (60 credits)

Flexible students will be expected to complete modules in the same linear order as full-time study to ensure they obtain all the relevant skills to complete the final three modules.

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MArch in Cinematic and Videogame Architecture.

Students have the opportunity to join an optional field trip, subsidised by the school. This field trip typically involves visits to sites of cultural and architectural interest, and specially arranged visits to industry studios and local academic institutions. 

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Online - Open day

13:00—14:00

Discover master’s degrees in architecture, urban design, planning, construction, sustainability, innovation, and policy at The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment. Our programmes offer pathways to shape better cities, build sustainable communities, and address challenges facing the future of the built environment. Join over 4,000 students from 50+ countries at the world’s #1 ranked institution for built environment studies (QS World University Rankings 2024).

Online - Open day

11:00—12:00

Discover master’s degrees in architecture, urban design, planning, construction, sustainability, innovation, and policy at The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment. Our programmes offer pathways to shape better cities, build sustainable communities, and address challenges facing the future of the built environment. Join over 4,000 students from 50+ countries at the world’s #1 ranked institution for built environment studies (QS World University Rankings 2024).

Online - Open day

13:00—14:00

Discover master’s degrees in architecture, urban design, planning, construction, sustainability, innovation, and policy at The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment. Our programmes offer pathways to shape better cities, build sustainable communities, and address challenges facing the future of the built environment. Join over 4,000 students from 50+ countries at the world’s #1 ranked institution for built environment studies (QS World University Rankings 2024).

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

For flexible/modular offer holders a £500 fee deposit will be charged.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

In addition to tuition fees, students can typically expect to spend £1,000 over the course of the academic year, £500 on a field-trip (which is optional) and typically in the region of £500 on books, materials and presentation media (at your discretion, exact expenditure is based on each student’s choices). 

Due to the digital nature of the work, the £500 material cost is considered a maximum. There is no academic disadvantage to students who do not take part in the field trip. 

Students will also be required to provide their own laptop capable of running film editing and game engine software. This should ideally be Windows-based ‘gaming’ or ‘productivity’ model with a discrete graphics card (Nvidia/AMD) and at least 16gb of RAM. 

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

In our faculty, The Bartlett Promise Scholarship aims to enable students from backgrounds underrepresented in the built environment to pursue master's studies. Please see the UK Master's scholarship and Sub-Saharan Africa Master's scholarship pages for more information on eligibility criteria, selection process and FAQs.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

p.haralambidou@ucl.ac.uk

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