What specifically are you looking to study?

My life plan is: master-job in the developed world-start my own practice… so the primary goal of the master would be to get a job. I believe that generally architectural firms, between two candidates with the same quality in their portfolio, would prefer the one who has major technical qualifications…
Since I don’t have enough money to pay AA,  UCL or a two year master I’m looking for the best 1 year master in the rest of the universities in the UK. I think my best option is studying some environmental or technical design related master.

I've decided to apply to for the MSc programs at Bath, Sheffield and Oxford Brookes related with sustainable design, what do you think?

Oxford Brookes is the only one of those worth applying to... or take out a loan and apply to the SED MSc at the AA.. they also have bursaries.. it cant hurt to apply and if you get in you can figure out the money then.

Amy, you make me doubt… I’ve considered AA for a lot of time… I don`t wanna have a debt, but I’m considering. I see you already have the SED MSc, your opinion about Bath and Sheffield is because of the academic staff’s quality?, because of the program’s content? or it’s just that the cost of the masters (half of AA) doesn’t worth the level of the master (half of the quality?)

edgararq: The Bath and Sheffield programs might be ok, but they are very young programs and wont have the connections or quality of staff as the others. The best programs in the UK for Sustainable Design are AA (around since the 1970s!), Oxford-Brookes, and the Univeristy of Nottingham.

Second Amy's recommendation on OB - its a great course [I consider it above Nott'ham academically and a superior place to study - in Oxford, cheaper than London but 1 hour out of London]

AA [info is 2008] generally gave 1 bursary per MA course / Year = 1 term tuition [there are 4 terms at the AA].  They tend to like giving it to Brits who really don't apply to MA courses in general because of money. So don't apply thinking you're the one.

UK universities give a handful of Overseas scholarship - however, generally again the competition is across the whole university and it is generally based upon past academic achievement - there are lots of people that come into grad school with straight A's or in the UK equiv to a 1st - so again - don't consider it real unless you are in that category and apply very early -

If your from America, try http://www.marshallscholarship.org/ or http://www.fulbright.co.uk/ but again.......apply early as competitions is really tough.

The UCL course is really more geared for Engineers - design isn't talked about.

I was the most British person in the entire graduate school at the AA when i was there (I have a British passport but came from America). I know of 3 people from my course (myself included)  alone who got 1 semester bursaries, and there were 60 people in my class... there were similar numbers of bursaries in other programs. The AA has a lot of money and if they think you are worth it they dont mind shelling it out.