How architecture students study 'business' in school - introduction

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Talk Architecture, host Naziaty tackles a question that's been making the rounds on Threads: should architecture schools teach business and financial literacy? After six years of study, many graduates step out into practice with no real sense of how to run a firm, price a project, or negotiate a contract — and the conversation online has struck a nerve. Naziaty pushes back on the idea that business education is only about money, arguing that it sits much closer to design than most people realise.Drawing on her experience as a former lecturer and a design thesis student at North London Poly in the early 1990s, she walks through how marketing, sales, project management, and cost-benefit analysis can be woven into studio projects rather than bolted on as separate electives. From first-year product design briefs to high-rise pitches, from the Bauhaus tradition of the architect-craftsman to today's graduates working as filmmakers, product designers, and developers, this episode reframes business literacy as a natural extension of the architectural mindset — and an overdue conversation for the curriculum.Blog read© 2026 Talk Architecture, Author: Naziaty Mohd Yaacob.Support the showDo subscribe for premium content and special features which will help to support and sustain Talk Architecture podcast on a more in-depth explanation on design thesis and processes. These special commentaries and ‘how to’ explanations are valuable insights and knowledge not found elsewhere!