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Education vs Practice: Is There a Disconnect Between Architectural Education and Professional Practice in the UK?

Part 1 Dissertation 2021
Amar Sidhu
Coventry University | UK
Based on personal experiences from a 15-month placement and a number of shorter internships between the 2nd & 3rd year of an Architecture undergraduate degree, a student hypothesizes and investigates whether a divide exists between architectural education and professional practice in the UK, which is tested through both primary and secondary research.

Surveys, formulated through robust literature review, were disseminated to part 1 and 2 students as well as industry professionals from nine architecture firms in the West Midlands and London. The quantitative data collected was compared to the RIBA 2014 Skills Survey and the qualitative data was systematically evaluated and critically analysed to identify recurring themes and highlight responses of specific interest.

The findings revealed that there exists a divide between architectural education and professional practice, in three main areas:
- lack of exposure to inter-disciplinary collaboration
- absence of practice involvement within education
- relevance of educational content in the accelerated nature of society
It was however encouraging to observe that there is an inclination and initiative from both sides towards bridging the gap. In conclusion, a set of recommendations were formulated to help bridge the divide in an effort to better prepare students for the professional world.


Tutor(s)
Tulika Gadakari
Katharine McNeil
2021
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