With specialisms in economic development, coastal regeneration and climate change, our Town Planning Masters programme will provide you with the understanding, skills and experience to practise as a professional town and country planner or surveyor.
You will be equipped to critically evaluate how urban development is regulated to bring about the best social, economic and environmental outcomes through an exploration of the issues which affect the built environment.
This course is fully accredited by both the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Our delivery is made richer as a result of our direct engagement with the RTPI and the RICS, along with the Town and Country Planning Association and the Royal Geographic Society, as well as agencies, local authorities, the UK government and EU advisory bodies.
This courses mixes theory and practice so that you'll learn to think and act both locally and globally and how to apply your knowledge in the real world.
The programme promotes critical thinking, community engagement, partnership building and leadership. It is unique for its outstanding location by the sea, the nearby South Downs National Park and a 180-degree catchment area. Each year, we run an optional but recommended international study visit. In the past, this has been to the Netherlands or France.
Architecture, building and planning is in the top disciplines for student employment according to the UK Higher Education Statistics Agency, HESA 2015–2016.
In order to meet the high professional standards required by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), students are required to complete four core modules as part of the course and have the opportunity for specialist study in allied areas.
Course delivery is divided into three parts:
(i) A taught portion requiring attendance at the university for lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops, laboratory classes, individual supervision sessions and team working.
(ii) An individual research programme (the masters project) where you will broaden your learning and develop research skills directed at critical appraisal, examine innovative solutions to the problem at hand, and are taught to produce and defend a written thesis on a selected town planning topic with a university-based supervisor.
(iii) An individual professional learning log using an industry-based mentor.
Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through our applicant portal.
All students will study four core modules and select three option modules. These will allow you to specialise in the areas of the course that interest you the most.
Core modules
Options include
The programme is for:
Due to the professional nature of this course, overseas students who have already completed a postgraduate qualification can still register for this course and apply for a Tier 4 visa.
This course is an accessible and flexible route to the skills needed to work in future spatial planning environment - in the areas of planning policy, research and analysis and strategy formulation in the public, private and voluntary sectors.
The course equips graduates with the skills to manage change, think spatially, understand planning policy and law, work in partnership with others, and to continually address the fundamental principles of sustainability in all aspects of their future careers.
Graduates have successfully taken up key roles in local councils, the private sector, greenspace infrastructure, environmental agencies, harbour regeneration projects, for example at Sky, Natural England, the Environment Agency, Parker Dann, Boyer Planning, Mid Sussex District Council, Brighton and Hove City Council, Horsham District Council, Lichfield Planning, Deloittes and city planning in Luxembourg.
Our course is praised by current and former students, the RTPI Partnership Board and our external examiners for our blend of theory and practice, and use of external professional speakers.
The philosophy of the Building Information Management course reflects the increasingly digital, multi-disciplinary and integrated nature of project delivery, influenced by the demand from governments and clients for greater efficiencies on construction projects. These efficiencies can be gained from more accurate prototyping, simulation, costing, planning, design, production and operation, and will be an output of sound information management and data input to Building Information Modelling (BIM) software.
The unique nature of Westminster's Building Information Management MSc is the focus on 'Management', which will create professionals who are able to manage the whole construction process and the information associated with this.
The future construction professional requires knowledge and understanding of building information management, as well as how an integrated project team will take a project from inception to completion. Collaborative working and co-ordinated information exchange will increase the efficiency of project delivery and asset performance, leading to better sustainability over the building lifecycle and a satisfied client. This building information management approach is a strategic view of integrated project delivery that encompasses both the demand side (client) and supply side (consultants, contractors and suppliers).
The Building Information Management MSc is mainly aimed at graduates who are already in construction-related employment and who aspire to senior positions in their field. The course aims to provide a challenging, stimulating and professionally relevant course of study which is directly related to the effective management of construction projects.
The course aims to offer learners flexible access to the core content, whilst still providing the discipline and structure of regular attendance at the University. This is achieved through the use of a 'blended learning' approach. The design of the part-time course recognises the significant challenges of combining postgraduate-level study with full-time professional employment.
The following modules are indicative of what you study on this course.
Core modules
Optional modules
The course is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).
Many of our students have already started on a career path in the construction industry. Whether they are architects, interior designers, surveyors, engineers, construction managers or property developers, what they have in common is that they aspire to move to more senior management positions in the construction industry. Some wish to become Chartered Surveyor or Chartered Builders.
This course is a unique opportunity to qualify as both an architect and landscape architect. It is open to students with previous combined or separate degrees in both architecture and landscape architecture. The degree is awaiting prescription from the RIBA at Part 2, LI Part 3 and the ARB.
Your study focuses on a range of themed, design-based studios dedicated to specific areas of practice or research. There are compulsory modules in landscape architecture, humanities, management, building and plant sciences, and an integrated architecture and landscape architecture project.
To qualify as an architect, you’ll produce at least one comprehensive design project. You’ll also have the opportunity to work with local or regional groups on a real-life challenge through our Live Projects initiative.
Our design teaching is studio based with several research-led options. Programmes run by specialist staff link together lectures, studio work and research.
Each module is assessed individually, either by formal written examination or by coursework.
Visit the School of Architecture's webpages here https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/architecture
The production, reproduction and transformation of urban space via socially, economically, and environmentally just methods presents a complex challenge for professionals. This MSc combines cultural, social, economic, political and spatial analysis to recalibrate the urban design project, presenting a holistic response in which informality and marginality are central features.
The programme will equip students with a political economy understanding of space; a comprehension of the needs, abilities, aspirations and forms of resistance of urban dwellers; the ability to respond with strategically co-ordinated proposals to leverage local abilities to meet local needs; and an ability to critically engage with the practice of urban design and architecture in developmental processes – particularly in the Global South.
Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.
The programme consists of three core modules (90 credits), either one or two optional modules (30 credits) and a development and planning dissertation (60 credits).
Core modules
Optional modules
Please note, the availability of some modules may be dependent on student numbers
Dissertation/report
All MSc students submit a 10,000-word report on a topic related to the main themes of the programme. The topic can be chosen to enhance career development or for its inherent interest.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of weekly lectures, seminar presentations, group exercises and workshops. The BUDD studio includes a fieldwork project in an urban reality of the Global South, developed in partnership with local organisations, networks of communities, slum dweller federations, universities and governments alike. Students are encouraged to explore different tools, concepts and ideas throughout the programme and test these during the field project. Assessment is through coursework, design work, written examinations and the 10,000-word report.
Further information on modules and degree structure is available on the department website: Building and Urban Design in Development MSc
The programme enables graduates to work in NGOs and local government – facilitating community organisations and households to improve their living conditions. Graduate destinations range from UK-based organisations in the public, private and community sectors, to governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations, which operate in a development capacity in the South. Recent graduates have also been employed by international NGOs and aid and development agencies and architectural and design practices. Some graduates return to their home countries and engage in urban design and architecture practice, teaching, or research of urban development there; others have successfully sought employment away from their own countries.
Recent career destinations for this degree
Careers data is taken from the ‘Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education’ survey undertaken by HESA looking at the destinations of UK and EU students in the 2013–2015 graduating cohorts six months after graduation.
The UCL Bartlett is the UK's largest multidisciplinary faculty of the built environment, bringing together dozens of scientific and professional specialisms required to research, understand, design, construct and operate the buildings and urban environments of the future.
The Development Planning Unit is an international centre concerned with promoting sustainable forms of development, understanding rapid urbanisation and encouraging innovation in the policy, planning and management responses to the economic, social and environmental development of cities and regions, especially in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Its programmes are supported by international agencies as well as by national and provincial governments.
The Building and Urban Design in Development (BUDD) programme in particular reflects on the necessity of design practices to contribute to changing the mainstream paradigm of working with the urban poor, with communities and the city itself.
The Research Excellence Framework, or REF, is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. The 2014 REF was carried out by the UK's higher education funding bodies, and the results used to allocate research funding from 2015/16.
The following REF score was awarded to the department: Development Planning Unit
81% rated 4* (‘world-leading’) or 3* (‘internationally excellent’)
Learn more about the scope of UCL's research, and browse case studies, on our Research Impact website.
The Building Information Management Postgraduate Diploma course is ideal for those looking to gain a greater understanding of Building Information Management, who don't wish to study for the full Masters course
The philosophy of the Building Information Management course reflects the increasingly digital, multi-disciplinary and integrated nature of project delivery, influenced by the demand from governments and clients for greater efficiencies on construction projects. These efficiencies can be gained from more accurate prototyping, simulation, costing, planning, design, production and operation, and will be an output of sound information management and data input to Building Information Modelling (BIM) software.
The unique nature of Westminster's Building Information Management courses is the focus on 'Management', which will create professionals who are able to manage the whole construction process and the information associated with this.
The future construction professional requires knowledge and understanding of building information management, as well as how an integrated project team will take a project from inception to completion. Collaborative working and co-ordinated information exchange will increase the efficiency of project delivery and asset performance, leading to better sustainability over the building lifecycle and a satisfied client. This building information management approach is a strategic view of integrated project delivery that encompasses both the demand side (client) and supply side (consultants, contractors and suppliers).
The Building Information Management Postgraduate Diploma is mainly aimed at graduates who are already in construction-related employment and who aspire to senior positions in their field. The course aims to provide a challenging, stimulating and professionally relevant course of study which is directly related to the effective management of construction projects.
The course aims to offer learners flexible access to the core content, whilst still providing the discipline and structure of regular attendance at the University. This is achieved through the use of a 'blended learning' approach.
The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.
You will take modules totalling 120 credits as follows:
Many of our students have already started on a career path in the construction industry. Whether they are architects, interior designers, surveyors, engineers, construction managers or property developers, what they have in common is that they aspire to move to more senior management positions in the construction industry. Some wish to become Chartered Surveyor or Chartered Builders.
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