Architecture Practice PG (8410.6)

Please note these are the 2026 details for this unit
Home
/
Find your course
/
Architecture Practice PG
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods On-campus
 Bruce, Canberra
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Arts And Design
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
School Of Design And The Built Environment Post Graduate Level Band 2 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 3 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
This unit provides a comprehensive overview of the role and responsibilities of the architect in contemporary professional practice. Professional ethics and codes of conduct, client relations, project management, planning, heritage, building and construction legislation and codes, contract law and administration, site procedures, documentation and specifications, and cost planning and tendering are addressed. The professional and legal framework of architecture is outlined with reference to the public policies and practice recommendations of the Australian Institute of Architects and the State architects' boards. New forms of procurement and contracts are considered, alongside the strategic establishment of alliances with consultants, clients, developers and builders.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of professional ethics in practice;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the complex and challenging social, ethical, environmental, political and regulatory contexts within which architectural practice is carried out;
3. Demonstrate an advanced ability to respond to and develop a client brief, scope of works, and detailed design proposals with the client and other interested parties up to start of construction;
4. Formulate strategic plans towards the establishment, management and promotion of an architectural practice particularly related to the design, documentation and construction phase services of a building and in reference to standard form contracts; and
5. Develop competencies in professional practice that address registration requirements including knowledge of contractual and legal responsibilities.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development


Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None

Equivalent units

None

Assumed knowledge

None.
Availability for enrolment in 2026 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2025 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 28 July 2025 On-campus Dr John Ting
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 10 August 2026 On-campus Dr John Ting
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit timetable.

Required texts

The primary source of information for this unit is:
acumen: Practice Advice for Architects, Australian Institute of Architects, available from the UC Library catalogue electronically. Under Search, use key word: Acumen.

Additional texts, readings or other reference material will be listed on the Canvas Reading List. Students are expected to undertake self-directed research and sourcing of reference material as required for each topic.

 

Submission of assessment items

Special assessment requirements

PLEASE NOTE: To pass this unit, you need to achieve an aggregate of 50% AND pass Quizzes 1 or 2

Non Conforming Submissions of Assessment Items
Submissions that do not meet the specified content, format or other requirements will be penalised through a reduction in the grade.

Special Consideration
If circumstances beyond your control prevent you from submitting your assignment on the assigned date or attending an quiz, notify your Unit Convener at the time they occur. You can apply for an extension due to illness or other unavoidable and verifiable personal circumstances. Supporting documentation is normally required. Doctor's or Counsellor's Certificates, dated at the time of the difficulty, will be accepted as grounds for Special Consideration.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Participation requirements

Face-to-face attendance at scheduled lectures and tutorials and contribution over the semester is expected.

Participation in tutorial sessions and reviews provides important opportunities for feedback and is essential for the development of your skills in meeting the learning outcomes of the unit.

Please advise your Tutor if you are unable to attend a particular tutorial session.

Students who attend campus for class or other purposes must play their part in keeping our campus and community safe by following UC's basic guidelines to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission

Required IT skills

Students are expected to have sufficient IT skills to prepare the assignment and to source online reference material.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

Additional information

Additional information, including assignment and submission requirements will be provided in separate handouts and through announcements on Canvas if relevant. Reading and complying with this information and instruction is a requirement for students enrolled in this unit.

Announcements
Announcements made during lectures and tutorials, or posted on the Canvas site, will be deemed to have been made to the whole group.
Students are responsible for regularly checking their UC student email for individual emails that the Unit Convener may decide to send.

Consultation with Staff
Contact with staff should generally be within the allocated class times. Consultation outside of these hours shall be by prior appointment during the Unit Convenor's stated office hours, and in addition to, not in lieu of, the scheduled class time. Students who fail to attend classes, and who do not have a medical or Counsellor's certificate or other genuine reason for missing classes, should not expect additional tutorial or consultation time.
Please note: staff are not able to return calls to long distance or mobile telephone numbers after normal hours or on weekends or holidays. Emails are normally not checked or answered at nights, on weekends or on public holidays.

Retained Work
Due to the requirements of professional accreditation samples of student work may be retained and stored at the School for periods of up to three years. Where possible, each student should make a copy of any assignment (prior to submission) as that work may be retained and inaccessible thereafter.
Late Collection of Assignments
Architects, and architecture students, are expected to take responsibility for their work. Collection times will be advised for submissions where appropriate. Where a project/assignment is not collected by that time it may be discarded without further notice.
This penalty will not apply when prior arrangements have been made with the Unit Convener, or when the work is being retained, such as for accreditation. This is of particular relevance for studio but may apply in certain cases to other classes.

Next step

Apply now Enquire