Urban and Regional Planning (MA)

This MA course will give you the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to practise professionally as a spatial planner. It is designed to meet the growing employer needs for staff who can investigate changes in the natural and built environments, manage the challenges of climate change through sustainable development, and debate and critically reflect upon the knowledge and values underpinning current approaches to land use development. Completion of the MA course is the first step to become a full member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

The course will support your personal and professional development. You will be able to work in the interdisciplinary and cross-sector environment of urban and regional development, in a variety of private, public and community contexts, and apply your knowledge to practise in specialist areas of planning. The course builds on the University's experience of delivering postgraduate courses in town planning for more than 60 years.

The course explores the current context and content of spatial planning. It does so from a UK and European perspective, and also investigates underlying theoretical debates.

If you want to gain a greater understanding of spatial planning, but do not want to study for a full Masters course, we also offer an Urban and Regional Planning Postgraduate Diploma and an Urban and Regional Planning Postgraduate Certificate. Scroll to the bottom of this page to find out more about these courses. 

Course structure

For the award of the MA students need to pass modules totalling 180 credits. MA students take all core modules and choose one specialist option module.

The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.

Core modules

• Dissertation/Policy Implementation Project
• Making and Managing Places
• Planning Field Trip
• Planning Theory and Practice One
• Planning Theory and Practice Two
• Research Methods and the Built Environment
• Skills for Planning Practice
• Sustainable Cities and Neighbourhoods

Optional modules

• Housing and Regeneration
• Land Use, Planning and Transport
• Environmental Policy, Assessment and Climate Change
• Public Realm: Significance, Design, Experience

Professional accreditation

On successful completion of the MA course students can become licentiates of the RTPI. After two years' experience in practice, they may make a submission for their Assessment of Professional Competence and, if successful, are then entitled to full RTPI membership.

Industry links

Visiting lectures are given by a wide range of external practitioners. The teaching team has extensive links with planning institutions including the RTPI and the Town and Country Planning Association. The course includes part-time students working in planning-related positions in private and public sectors.

Career path

Most of the students on the course are already in planning or planning-related posts. Full-time students graduating from the course as qualified planners will normally be offered planning positions in the public or private sector on graduation.

Examples of companies that have recruited our graduates include:

• Belinda Greenwell
• Graduate Planner, Savills UK
• Marisa Teuma
• Town Planner, Transport for London (TfL)
• Yvonne Sampoh
• Project Officer (Planning), Southwark Council
• Kiran Curtis
• Managing Director, Kiran Curtis Associates
• Adam Hunt
• Tottenham Planning and Regeneration Manager, London Borough of Haringey

Visit the Urban and Regional Planning (MA) page on the University of Westminster website for more details!