If you would like to become an architect and are interested in architecture, but have not completed the right technical preparatory course at Bachelor’s level, then the pre-master Architecture & Technology is something for you. During the pre-master, you will be familiarised with basic knowledge about building and construction technology, structures and building physics. You will be introduced to the professional practice through excursions to architectural firms and buildings (under construction). The pre-master is taught by tutors from the professional practice, in the same academy atmosphere as the Master’s programme; an inspiring environment for a training as an architect.
Good to know
The Pre-Master's in Architecture & Technology is intended for students that are interested in a Master's in Architecture, but do not have the appropriate prior education and experience. This pre-master is intended to bring technical knowledge to the required standard so that students with a different entry level in constructional and structural fields can begin the architecture study at the Academy. The pre-master's programme is therefore not intended for students who are directly eligible for admission to the Master's programme in Architecture or who wish to use the pre-master's programme as a better preparation for the master's programme.
The pre-master's programme in Architecture & Technology takes place once a year. You start in January and finish in June. Application for the January 2026 pre-master's programme is now closed. Application for the January 2027 pre-master's programme will open in mid-September 2026.
The pre-master Architecture & Technology has three fixed lesson times per week:
Monday from 19:30 – 22:30
Wednesday from 19:30 – 22:30
Friday from 09:30 – 16:30
In addition, we occasionally organise activities during the day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Please keep in mind that the programme is subject to change. You will receive your timetable once your application has been accepted.
The pre-master will go ahead in the event of a minimum number of eight participants. You will know whether the pre-master will definitely be going ahead no later than six weeks before the start of the pre-master.
The course fee for the pre-master’s programme for the academic year 2025–2026 is €1,300.
This amount does not include additional costs for study materials, excursions, literature, or food and drinks during workshops.
Application & admission
In order to be able to start the pre-master, you will need the following prior education:
A Bachelor's degree in Architectural Design, Interior Architecture, Spatial Design, Urban Interior Architecture, Public Space (or similar). Are you unsure whether you have a relevant previous education? View the overall guidelines here, or the list of matching Dutch diplomas here. Please contact us at avb-premasters-minors@ahk.nl if you have questions about admission. Don't forget to include your diploma and transcript so that we can review your application.You will have mathematics A (wiskunde A) at minimum senior general secondary education (havo) level or mathematics C (wiskunde C) at pre-university education (vwo) level.
- You will have a command of English at level B2 (Dutch: Havo level) of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), or equivalent.
In your motivation letter, clearly state why you want to follow the Pre-Master's in Architecture & Technology at our academy. What is your goal in completing the Pre-Master's?
The portfolio must be submitted as a PDF file. Please limit your portfolio to a maximum of about twenty pages. A good portfolio consists of:
- A wide variety of your design work. These are projects from your previous education and/or from your professional practice. Preferably as diverse as possible.
- Own projects in which you show what your design qualities are. In joint work you state exactly what your role was in that project. Or projects that you initiated and designed yourself.
- Various design work - in scale - in which you show which design skills you have mastered. Don't just show final results. Also initiations in sketch stage and ideas. And images such as floor plans and cross-sections and surroundings in different scales, details, etc.
- Various design work – in images – in which you show what your visual skills are, such as hand sketches, models, visuals, diagrams and models.
- Work from relevant work experience or courses with which you can show your design knowledge
- Your own fascinations within the profession – make sure you show us this!
Please use the online application form for the Pre-Master's in Architecture & Technology to send us your CV, motivation letter, portfolio, diplomas and other qualifications. We will assess your suitability for the Pre-Master's programme.
A selection procedure is part of the admission process for the Pre-Master's in Architecture & Technology. Our admissions committee will make the selection based on motivation, portfolio, and the specified requirements. Candidates who pass the first selection round will be invited for a 15-minute online interview with one or two members of the admissions committee.
What you learn
- You will be introduced to general architecture based on short thematic presentations about specific architectural topics. We link a drawing exercise to each topic.
- You will increase your insight into the relationship between the design and the load-bearing structure of buildings.
- You will increase your knowledge of building physics, so that you know how to improve the living and working climate of buildings.
- You will learn to substantiate your own designs technically and practically in various materials with details that are based on architectural principles.
- You will learn to understand external and internal forces within the interplay between structure and structural members and to visualise these.
- You will take on practical challenges: you will conclude the pre-master with a design exercise in which you will design integrally with technical knowledge and skill.
- You will be inspired by excursions and fascinating lectures from professionals from the practice about their field of specialisation or about their fascination for an element of architecture.
After your pre-master
If you successfully complete the Pre-Master's in Architecture & Technology and receive a positive recommendation from the tutors, you will have a better chance of being admitted to the master's course in Architecture at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture. Please note: completing the Pre-Master's in Architecture & Technology does not automatically guarantee admission to the master's course in Architecture. As with other Bachelor's students, we will assess your final admission on the basis of your portfolio and letter of motivation.