Masters Degrees in Urban Planning, United Kingdom

Spatial Planning determines the design of places, the relationships between land uses, and identifies infrastructure requirements. The planning process makes provision for the needs of households and the requirements of the economy, and planning aims to mitigate the adverse impacts of development upon our natural environment.

The planning system is currently undergoing change to be better able to address the challenges of competitiveness and sustainability. There is a pressing requirement in both the public and private sectors for planners with appropriate understanding and skills to plan for development and protect the environment.

The University is a long-established provider of planning education. MSc Spatial Planning will be attractive to individuals with a real interest in tackling the challenges of important urban planning issues; MSc Spatial Planning with Urban Conservation is designed to equip graduates for professional management roles concerned with the critical interplay of transport and spatial planning.

Why choose spatial planning?

Spatial Planning is concerned with creating sustainable places. Planners achieve this in a number of ways:

Planners work with building firms and housing organisations to help make available sites addressing the housing needs of local areas. They meet with local communities to learn about their concerns and to discuss ways of tackling issues such as the protection of homes from flood risk. They provide guidance on how to promote quality in the design of places and buildings.

Planning makes possible investment in sustainable economic development. Through preparing medium and long-term plans, planners ensure that land is available for development within and around our cities and towns. Planners often lead on regeneration projects and work in partnership with engineers to bring forward the infrastructures necessary to relieve transport congestion and to provide for long-term energy solutions.

Climate change is making achieving sustainability increasingly important. Planners, work with the environmental agencies and with conservation interests to ensure that the potential environmental impacts arising from development proposals are first established and then they use planning powers to promote a sustainable balance between social and economic development and the protection of the environment.

Who becomes a planning student?

Spatial Planning is a multi-disciplinary activity and attracts a wide mix of graduates. Often these are geography graduates, but increasingly graduates with social science, law, architecture and surveying degrees, as well as graduates from the environmental sciences find that Spatial Planning makes use of their knowledge and training.

Aims of the Programme

The Spatial Planning programmes are designed to provide the knowledge, skills and understanding required for graduates wishing to enter into professional careers in urban planning and development.

Programme Content

Semester 1:
Spatial Analysis has two key components. The first component analyses built and natural environments particularly from a conservation perspective. The second part of the module focuses on socio-economic analysis of data at a city scale and the relevance of this to planning.

Statutory Planning is a practice based approach to learning processes, processes of plan-making and the management of development.

Property Development Processes deals with complexities and challenges in the property development sector and the role of different stakeholders involved.

Semester 2:
Concepts of spatial planning introduces students to the role of planning and planning systems. The other part of this module introduces you to various planning theories and their relevance to practice.

Sustainability in Contemporary Cities examines various challenges facing the growth of cities globally and the implications of these to planning of cities and the countryside.

The third second semester module is optional depending on the selected specialism. You'll select one specialist module from the following:

Environmental Assessment
Marine Spatial Planning
Sustainable Urban Design
Urban Conservation
Applied Geographic Information Systems and Geospatial Data Analysis

Semester 3:
A 60 credit dissertation in line with the selected specialism

Methods of Assessment

Assessment methods cover a mix of formats including 'live' project-work and a research project. There are no written examinations. The educational aims are to develop subject understanding and to equip students with research and practice skills. Assignments call for visioning, problem-solving, forward-planning and critical reflection. Assignments are informed by students making effective use of available literature, conducting investigations and accessing sources of data. Attention is paid to building the effective communication and partnering skills vital for practicing professional planners.

Sources of Funding

Information about the School of the Environment scholarships can be found on the School of the Environment scholarships webpage. Other sources of funding for postgraduate students can be found on our Scholarships webpage.
SAAS tuition fee loans are available for this course for students who meet the eligibility criteria. Visit our SAAS tuition fee loan webpage for more information and links.

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Spatial Planning determines the design of places, the relationships between land uses, and identifies infrastructure requirements. The planning process makes provision for the needs of households and the requirements of the economy, and planning aims to mitigate the adverse impacts of development upon our natural environment.

The planning system is currently undergoing change to be better able to address the challenges of competitiveness and sustainability. There is a pressing requirement in both the public and private sectors for planners with appropriate understanding and skills to plan for development and protect the environment.

The University is a long-established provider of planning education. MSc Spatial Planning will be attractive to individuals with a real interest in tackling the challenges of important urban planning issues; MSc Spatial Planning with Sustainable Urban Design is designed to equip graduates with the professional skills for resolving environmental, economic, social, cultural and spatial dimensions in designing for sustainable development.

Why choose spatial planning?

Spatial Planning is concerned with creating sustainable places. Planners achieve this in a number of ways:

Planners work with building firms and housing organisations to help make available sites addressing the housing needs of local areas. They meet with local communities to learn about their concerns and to discuss ways of tackling issues such as the protection of homes from flood risk. They provide guidance on how to promote quality in the design of places and buildings.

Planning makes possible investment in sustainable economic development. Through preparing medium and long-term plans, planners ensure that land is available for development within and around our cities and towns. Planners often lead on regeneration projects and work in partnership with engineers to bring forward the infrastructures necessary to relieve transport congestion and to provide for long-term energy solutions.

Climate change is making achieving sustainability increasingly important. Planners, work with the environmental agencies and with conservation interests to ensure that the potential environmental impacts arising from development proposals are first established and then they use planning powers to promote a sustainable balance between social and economic development and the protection of the environment.

Who becomes a planning student?

Spatial Planning is a multi-disciplinary activity and attracts a wide mix of graduates. Often these are geography graduates, but increasingly graduates with social science, law, architecture and surveying degrees, as well as graduates from the environmental sciences find that Spatial Planning makes use of their knowledge and training.

Aims of the Programme

The Spatial Planning programmes are designed to provide the knowledge, skills and understanding required for graduates wishing to enter into professional careers in urban planning and development.

Programme Content

Semester 1:
Spatial Analysis has two key components. The first component analyses built and natural environments particularly from a conservation perspective. The second part of the module focuses on socio-economic analysis of data at a city scale and the relevance of this to planning.

Statutory Planning. is a practice based approach to learning processes processes of plan-making and the management of development.Property Development Processes deals with complexities and challenges in the property development sector and the role of different stakeholders involved.

Semester 2:
Concepts of spatial planning introduces students to the role of planning and planning systems. The other part of this module introduces students to various planning theories and their relevance to practice..

Sustainability in Contemporary Cities examines various challenges facing the growth of cities globally and the implications of these to planning of cities and the countryside.

The third second semester module is optional depending on the selected specialism. Students select one specialist module from the following:

Environmental Assessment
Marine Spatial Planning
Sustainable Urban Design
Urban Conservation
Applied Geographic Information Systems and Geospatial Data Analysis

Semester 3:
A 60 credit dissertation in line with the selected specialism

Methods of Assessment

Assessment methods cover a mix of formats including 'live' project-work and a research project. There are no written examinations. The educational aims are to develop subject understanding and to equip students with research and practice skills. Assignments call for visioning, problem-solving, forward-planning and critical reflection. Assignments are informed by students making effective use of available literature, conducting investigations and accessing sources of data. Attention is paid to building the effective communication and partnering skills vital for practicing professional planners.

Sources of Funding

Information about the School of the Environment scholarships can be found on the School of the Environment scholarships webpage. Other sources of funding for postgraduate students can be found on our Scholarships webpage.
SAAS tuition fee loans are available for this course for students who meet the eligibility criteria. Visit our SAAS tuition fee loan webpage for more information and links.

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This Master's programme has a unique focus on urban design as a creative planning tool and the interface between urban design and city planning. It offers a comprehensive understanding and exposure to urban design theory and practice, and also the complexity of its interface with the city planning field.

Degree information

The programme equips students theoretically and practically, engaging academically and in practice with urban design and related fields of knowledge. Students will learn how to think critically, creatively and in analytical ways across the different city scales, from strategic to local, and across urban design, city planning, place-making, real estate and sustainability arenas.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of seven compulsory modules (105 credits), one optional module (15 credits) and a research dissertation or major research project (60 credits). A Postgraduate Diploma, eight core modules (120 credits) full-time nine months and part-time 2-5 years, is offered. A Postgraduate Certificate, four core modules (60 credits), full-time nine months is offered.

Core modules
-City Planning
-Collaborative City Planning Strategies
-Critical Debates in Urban Design and City Planning
-Design and Real Estate
-Sustainable Futures by Design
-Urban Design: Layout, Density and Typology
-Urban Design: Guidance, Incentive and Control
-Urban Design: Place Making

Dissertation/research project
MSc students have the choice between a 10,000-word dissertation or 8,000-word final major research project in planning; the dissertation being by nature a rather more analytical exercise and the project a rather more propositional one.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of individual and group project work, skills-based practical and IT work, lectures (including some by visiting practitioners), tutorials, student presentations, seminars, field trips and direct practitioner involvement. Student performance is assessed through individual and group work, essays, examinations, project work, other skills-based practical work, and a dissertation or final research project report.

Careers

Graduate students from the Bartlett School of Planning have been very successful in gaining subsequent employment. There is growing demand for our Master's graduates from a wide range of both public and private employers. On completion of this programme the majority of graduates will work in either the public or private consultancy sectors. A minority will continue in higher degree studies and research.

Employability
The Urban Design and City Planning MSc is an opportunity for students seeking to further their professional careers to specialise in urban design and, within that broad arena, to engage deeply with both the theoretical debates and practice methodologies, with particular research agendas of direct relevance to the future of their professional practice.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Bartlett School of Planning has a strong history of teaching and research at all levels. The school has been at the forefront of planning research and teaching for more than 100 years and is one of the foremost planning schools in the United Kingdom, with an international reputation.

This programme is fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

The Bartlett School of Planning is situated in the heart of London, which offers unique opportunities to study the complexities of contemporary urban design and planning processes, and engage with practitioners, alumni and academic guests through seminars, site visits and workshops.

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The Urban Development Planning MSc explores international practices in urban development policy, planning and management that address contemporary spatial, socio-economic and political transformations in cities of the Global South.

Degree information

This MSc aims to equip participants to work effectively as development practitioners in urban contexts through a deeper understanding of the processes that generate urban change. The programme aims to enhance their diagnostic and strategic capacities to respond to such change within the framework of socially just urban governance.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of three core modules (90 credits), one optional module (30 credits) and a dissertation (60 credits). A Postgraduate Diploma, three core modules (90 credits), one optional module (30 credits), full-time nine months, is offered.

Core modules
-The City and its Relations: Context, Institutions and Actors in Urban Development Planning
-Urban Development Policy, Planning and Management: Strategic Action in Theory and Practice
-Practice in Urban Development Planning

Optional modules - please note, not all optional modules may be available.
-Adapting Cities to Climate Change in the Global South
-An Introduction to Public Economics and Public Policy
-Critical Urbanism Studio I - Learning from Informality: Case studies and alternatives
-Critical Urbanism Studio II - Investigative Design Strategies for Contested Spaces
-Disaster Risk Reduction in Cities
-Food and the City
-Gender in Policy and Planning
-Housing as Urbanism: Housing Policy and the Search for Scale
-Housing Policies: Practical Dimensions and Alternative Options
-Industrialisation and Infrastructure
-Knowledge Systems and Sustainable Food Production
-Managing the City Economy
-Neo-Structuralism and the Developmental State
-NGOs and Social Transformation
-Participatory Processes: Building for Development
-Post Disaster Recovery: Policies, Practices and Alternatives
-Social Diversity, Inequality and Poverty
-Sustainable Infrastructure and Services in Development
-Urban Water and Sanitation, Planning and Politics
-Sustainable Infrastructure and Services in Development

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 lectures, seminars, group work, workshops and field trips. Field trips so far have taken place in Egypt, Ghana, India, Thailand, and Tanzania. Student performance is assessed through essays, coursework, team project reports, written examinations, the overseas field trip and a 10,000-word dissertation.

Careers

This MSc is widely recognised by international organisations and agencies (such as UN agencies and the World Bank) and bilateral aid organisations from different countries. 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. Graduates have also been employed by international NGOs and aid and development agencies. Some graduates return to their home countries and engage in the practice, teaching or research of urban development practice; other graduates have successfully sought employment in international development organisations away from their own countries.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Investment Banker, Standard Bank
-Assistant Researcher, Institute for Urban Studies, Hangzhou Normal University and studying BSc Economics, The University of London
-Research Assistant, Erzurum Technical University
-Regional Programme Assistant, Merlin
-Shelter Co-Ordinator, Save the Children

Employability
The programme aims to help students:
-Prepare balanced, critical and comparative analysis and argument based on theory and empirical evidence.
-Undertake a comprehensive diagnosis of the problems and opportunities in urban development in specific contexts.
-Formulate systematic and reasoned proposals that address the multi-dimensional complexity of various urban development situations, including organisational and institutional development.
-Build presentation, advocacy and negotiation skills.
-Develop research skills including interviewing, conceptual framework formulation, and the abilitiy to analyse a range of information sources.
-Enhance their teamwork skills.
-Operate professionally in an unfamiliar environment within the context of a developing country.

Why study this degree at UCL?

This programme argues that planning is key to dealing with urban problems and opportunities presented by rapid urbanisation in the Global South, but that its potential cannot be harnessed without a critical understanding of the processes that generate urban change in specific contexts.

The programme seeks to equip students with the capacity to develop critical diagnoses of urban issues, as a basis for developing propositional responses within the framework of socially, spatially and environmentally just urban governance.

The programme promotes a deeper understanding of community-led and partnership-based urban development planning. Students also benefit from the Development Planning Unit's longstanding and geographically exhaustive alumni and partner network.

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Associated with the research group Cass Cities, this Spatial Planning and Urban Design MA embeds you amongst the city-focused researchers of The Cass. Architecture, urban design and planning subjects are explored while you're introduced to a live site in London at the forefront of urban change. Resources and connections across the city are here to help support you throughout your studies. In the most recent (2014-15) Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey, 100% of graduates from this course were in work or further study within six months.

More about this course

The Spatial Planning and Urban Design MA is associated with Cass Cities, a group of doers, thinkers and researchers at The Cass led by Professor Mark Brearley.

The course combines the disciplines of architecture, urban design, and planning to help you become effective in all aspects of urban understanding. We'll encourage you to become an architect and architectural designer who understands how to intervene strategically in city-level architecture and planning.

Cass Cities engages in urban research and proposition. Urban change happens when people with ideas, knowledge and experience work in creative ways to transform cities. This happens through designing buildings, engaging with local communities, developing masterplans, re-thinking public transport networks and informing policy change.

We'll nurture your ability to form architectural propositions and develop a strong spatial judgement, but we'll also emphasise that there is much more to city processes than building design.

You'll work in the Cass Cities Unit alongside postgraduate architects, and every year we choose live and significant sites which are at the forefront of urban change, with a strong focus on London. There will be work on these live projects as well as the attendance of meetings on relevant topics and access to influential decision-makers in London. These resources and connections will help you direct your work in professional, practical and influential ways.

The projects produced in the unit are concerned with the shaping of both buildings and places. You'll participate in contemporary debates in all forms as a proposer, responder and observer.

Get a taste of things to come by watching this video of Professor Mark Brearley talking about the MA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkCHzBzQOcs

The course can lead to a further MA by Project or PhD research opportunities.

Assessment is through a range of methods, including written coursework submissions and design portfolio presentation.

Modular structure

The modules listed below are for the academic year 2016/17 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.

Year 1 modules include:
-Design Thesis (core, 60 credits)
-Economics of Place (core, 20 credits)
-Planning and Urban Practice (core, 20 credits)
-Planning and Urban Theory (core, 20 credits)
-Research for Spatial Planning and Specialism (core, 20 credits)
-Sustainable Communities and Governance of Place (core, 20 credits)
-Urban Design (core, 20 credits)

After the course

The course is designed for practicing planners and architects wishing to specialise in urban design, as well as urban design practitioners who require knowledge of spatial planning. It is also suitable for graduates with relevant degrees who wish to obtain a postgraduate qualification in planning or urban design. Graduates of this course have gone on to become urban designers and freelance consultants.

If you are a student who has already obtained a relevant London Met first degree, especially in architecture, and wish to progress into the above professions, then we recommend you consider this MA course. Even if you come from a background that does generally do not progress into spatial planning or urban design positions, this course will be of advantage to you in your career.

Moving to one campus

Between 2016 and 2020 we're investing £125 million in the London Metropolitan University campus, moving all of our activity to our current Holloway campus in Islington, north London. This will mean the teaching location of some courses will change over time.

Whether you will be affected will depend on the duration of your course, when you start and your mode of study. The earliest moves affecting new students will be in September 2017. This may mean you begin your course at one location, but over the duration of the course you are relocated to one of our other campuses. Our intention is that no full-time student will change campus more than once during a course of typical duration.

All students will benefit from our move to one campus, which will allow us to develop state-of-the-art facilities, flexible teaching areas and stunning social spaces.

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Our Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) accredited course will provide you with comprehensive training and practical experience for a rewarding career in urban and suburban planning.

How do you balance progress with sustainability or the needs of the many with the interests of the few? These questions are ever more significant in the UK, yet qualified planners are in short supply.

Study with us and you’ll gain the all-round professional skills required to shape policy and strategy, plan sustainably, negotiate or manage the planning process, and balance competing priorities.

We explore the practical, from the technical and environmental aspects of construction to the many legal, political, social, aesthetic and economic issues you’ll consider, and reconcile, as a planner.

The MSc Town Planning is accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute and provides 2 years free student membership of the institute alongside a route to full Chartered status of the Institute attainable 2 years after graduation. This paves your way to a successful career in Town Planning.

Course content focuses on the evolving planning system, the sustainability agenda, skills for planning practice, and the role of planners in the development of space and place. The eastern region offers a fascinating laboratory for new approaches to planning, including sustainable communities, environmental challenges, new house-building provision and proximity to mainland Europe. The exploration and examination of these contemporary issues will help to develop not only your professional knowledge, but also your ability to analyse complex issues, make sound judgements, solve problems and communicate and act autonomously.

Full-time - January start, 15 months. September start, 12 months.
Part-time - January start, 33 months. September start, 28 months.

See the website http://www.anglia.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/town-planning

This course will:
• equip you for employment through a rigorous course of study
• provide you with a qualification which meets the requirements of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)
• enable you to become a reflective town and country planning practitioner
• provide you with a supportive study environment.

It is professionally accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and provides you with the knowledge and skills needed for professional practice in town and country planning. Once you have successfully completed the course and undertaken two years' practical work experience in planning, you will be eligible to apply for membership of the RTPI, which is highly regarded, both in Britain and overseas.

Your organisation can be confident that you have followed a course of study which is recognised by the RTPI for equipping students with the range of specialist professional and generic skills required to work in this challenging, creative and fast-changing profession.
On successful completion of this course you will be able to:
• understand the different historical, legal, economic, social, political, conceptual and environmental contexts that affect planning activity
• debate underlying current developments in Town Planning
• appreciate the interrelationship between theory and practice in planning decisions
• demonstrate a specialised study area of planning: urban design, housing or environmental planning
• effectively utilise systematic, creative and flexible skills to carry out the totality of planning activity
• collect, critically evaluate and communicate information from a variety of planning resource materials
• demonstrate initiative and originality in developing responses to spatial planning needs
• work effectively both in a group and individually, demonstrating self-direction and autonomy in planning and implementing tasks at professional and postgraduate level.

Core modules

Planning: Principles and Concepts
Plan making and Policy
Planning Implementation
Planning and Society
Site Studies and Urban Design
Sustainability and Environmental Management
Research Design and Methodology
Major Project/Dissertation for MSc Built Environment

Optional modules

Housing and Planning
Project Management Techniques
Facilities Management of Heritage Buildings

Links with industry and professional recognition

This course is accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Associated careers

This course is designed for those who wish to follow a career in spatial planning or an associated discipline.

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The MSc in Urban Planning: Developing and Transitional Regions is concerned with the theory and practice of urban planning in societies undergoing rapid economic, social, technological, environmental and spatial change.

The emphasis of the course is on institutional aspects of planning and management interventions in the urban sector and the scope of various policy instruments and planning modes to manage the emerging spatial patterns, impacts and processes of urban growth.

The MSc is RICS- and RTPI-accredited.

Why choose this course?

It is a fully accredited RTPI and RICS course which is viewed as the first choice for urban and development planning training by a range of employers throughout the world - especially governments, local authorities, development and planning consultancies.

Benefit from the success of our courses in delivering highly skilled professionals. Our graduates get employment in the private and public sector, international development institutions, NGOs, research institutions and consultancy. Engage with and benefit from teaching staff who are active in research and practice; drawn primarily from the Department of Planning but with some contributions from the wider university community. In REF 2014 69% of our research was rated as either world leading or internationally excellent.
Visiting speakers from business and industry, local government, and consultancies and research bodies provide a major contribution to the teaching programme.

Study in our newly redeveloped Headington campus, ultra modern spaces and facilities in Abercrombie building and John Henry Brookes building; access to top of the range studios, IT suites and computer programs, library and 24/7 online databases. As well as being one of the world's most famous centres for learning, Oxford is a city with a great urban heritage and is within easy reach of London and other urban centres. Its excellent transport links make it a convenient place to take up a day release part-time course.

Professional accreditation

The MSc Urban Planning: Developing and Transitional Regions is fully accredited by:
-The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
-The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). This means that on successful completion of the MSc, graduates can register for the Assessment of Professional Competence procedures of RICS and RTPI and work towards becoming full members.

This course in detail

The course is offered as a master's degree (MSc), a postgraduate diploma (PGDip) or a postgraduate certificate (PGCert).

The MSc course is based on the completion of the following compulsory modules, plus elective specialisations and a 15,000-word master's dissertation.

As courses are reviewed regularly, the module list you choose from may vary from that shown below.

Compulsory element (indicative modules):
-Development and Urbanisation
-Urban Land Policy and Urban Management
-Globalisation: Environment and Development
-Urban Policy in Practice: Programme and Project Implementation
-Research Methods

MSc students are offered choice and flexibility in terms of specialist elective modules, of which two must be chosen from the following indicative list:
-Armed Conflict and International Humanitarianism
-Principles of Environmental Assessment
-Environmental Management Systems
-Designing the City
-World of Refugees
-International Transport Planning
-Strategic Environmental Assessment
-GIS and Environmental Modeling
-Designing the Neighbourhood
-Global Institutions
-Delivering Sustainable Futures
-Destination and Event Development
-Statistical Research Using SPSS
-Independent Study.

Please note that not all electives may be available in any given year.

The PGDip course is based on the completion of the following compulsory modules as in the MSc programme:
-Development and Urbanisation
-Urban Land Policy and Urban Management
-Globalisation: Environment and Development
-Urban Policy in Practice: Programme and Project Implementation.

A similar choice of two elective modules from the same options as the MSc course is required.

The PGCert is based on the completion of the following compulsory modules as in the MSc course:
-Development and Urbanisation
-Urban Land Policy and Urban Management or Independent Study
-Globalisation: Environment and Development or Independent Study

Careers and professional development

Today our alumni can be found in senior positions in some of the largest international planning and environmental consultancies, in government agencies, in large NGOs and campaigning organisations across the globe.

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The MSc in Urban Planning: Developing and Transitional Regions is concerned with the theory and practice of urban planning in societies undergoing rapid economic, social, technological, environmental and spatial change.

The emphasis of the course is on institutional aspects of planning and management interventions in the urban sector and the scope of various policy instruments and planning modes to manage the emerging spatial patterns, impacts and processes of urban growth.

The MSc is RICS- and RTPI-accredited.

See the website http://www.brookes.ac.uk/studying-at-brookes/courses/postgraduate/2015/urban-planning-developing-and-transitional-regions/

Why choose this course?

In choosing to study the MSc Urban Planning: Developing and Transitional Regions at Oxford Brookes, you will:
- Be on a fully accredited RTPI and RICS course which is viewed as the first choice for urban and development planning training by a range of employers throughout the world - especially governments, local authorities, development and planning consultancies.

- Join and engage with scholars and tutors from diverse intellectual and global backgrounds.

- As well as being one of the world's most famous centres for learning, Oxford is a city with a great urban heritage and is within easy reach of London and other urban centres. Its excellent transport links make it a convenient place to take up a day release part- time course.

- Engage with and benefit from teaching staff who are active in research and practice; drawn primarily from the Department of Planning but with some contributions from the wider university community. Visiting speakers from business and industry, local government, and consultancies and research bodies also provide a major contribution to the teaching programme.

- Benefit from the success of our courses in delivering highly skilled professionals. Our graduates get employment in the private and public sector, international development institutions, NGOs, research institutions and consultancy.

- Study in our brand new £132 million redevelopment of Headington campus, ultra modern spaces and facilities in Abercrombie building and John Henry Brookes building; access to top of the range studios, IT suites and computer programs, library and 24/7 online databases.

Professional accreditation

The MSc Urban Planning: Developing and Transitional Regions is fully accredited by:
- the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
- the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). This means that on successful completion of the MSc, graduates can register for - the Assessment of Professional Competence procedures of RICS and RTPI and work towards becoming full members.

Teaching and learning

Learning methods include lectures, directed reading, workshops, seminars, and practical and project work. Some modules include site visits and fieldwork, which provide you with direct experience of practical and current issues.

Teaching is organised on a module-credit basis, each module involving approximately 200 hours of student input and approximately 36 hours of staff contact, normally delivered through three-hour teaching blocks over a 12-week period.

Each course module is assessed individually, generally on the quality of written or design work, and to some extent on verbal presentations. Assessment methods may include essays, seminar papers, formal written examinations, in-class tests, project work, design and verbal presentations, workshops, simulations and practical exercises.

Field trips

Field trips include an international field trip to Europe in the Autumn plus a range of national and local site and institutional visits especially to London throughout the academic year.

Careers

Not only is the MSc Urban Planning: Developing and Transitional Regions a RICS and RTPI professionally recognised qualification, it is also widely regarded as providing the transferable skills, critical knowledge and understanding necessary in many fields of work in the built and natural environment. Today our alumni can be found in senior positions in some of the largest international planning and environmental consultancies, in government agencies, in large NGOs and campaigning organisations across the globe.

The long-standing reputation of the Department of Planning in producing highly skilled, enthusiastic and very capable professional planners aids the employability of our graduates. We are the first port of call for many employers when they are seeking new graduate planners.

Free language courses for students - the Open Module

Free language courses are available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.

Please note that the free language courses are not available if you are:
- studying at a Brookes partner college
- studying on any of our teacher education courses or postgraduate education courses.

Research highlights

With more than 600 students engaging a wide range of research topics in our undergraduate, postgraduate and research degree programmes, including master's by research, the department is widely recognised as a leading educator in environment, design and development subjects. With a complement of over 60 teaching, administrative, technical and research staff, the department performs a leading role in research and consultancy, with clients and projects covering subjects from local concerns to multinational organisations, government and industry.

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This new MSc brings a cross-disciplinary focus to transport and urban planning which is unique, aiming to foster “smart solutions” to the current critical challenges of transitioning to sustainable travel behaviours and sustainable cities in the UK and internationally. The programme draws on the latest thinking and debates in transport, urban planning and mega infrastructure project development.

Degree information

The aim of the MSc is to enable students to work effectively as transport and planning practitioners, moving beyond the ‘disciplinary silos’ usually found in academia and practice. A key feature of the MSc is its integrative design across disciplines, developing a range of different theories and perspectives, with modules linked by common principles.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of six core modules (90 credits), two optional modules (30 credits) and a dissertation/report (60 credits). A Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits, full-time nine months) is offered.

Core modules
-Transport Planning and the City
-Transport Planning in Emerging Cities
-Sustainable Urban Development: Key Themes
-Sustainable Urban Development: Project
-Mega Infrastructures as Agents of Change
-Critical Issues in Mega Infrastructure Investments

Optional modules - choose two from a list which may include the following:
-Public Transport
-Pillars of Planning
-International Planning
-Sustainable Property – Valuation, Investment and Development
-Planning Practices in Europe
-Urban Problems and Problematics
-Spatial Planning
-Preparing Regeneration Projects
-GI Systems and Science
-Data Visualisation
-The Political Ecology of Environmental Change
-Adapting Cities to Climate Change in the Global South

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation in transport and city planning of 10,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, project work, and site visits. Assessment is through examinations, essays, group/individual projects and presentation, and a dissertation.

Careers

The programme is attractive to candidates who wish to work across disciplines, and at the strategic policy development levels, with urban planning, geography, transport planning or engineering graduates, or wider specialists, who see their future work in transport planning as part of the design of sustainable cities. Graduate students from The Bartlett School of Planning have been very successful in gaining subsequent employment. At present there is a growing demand for our postgraduates from a wide range of both private and public employers, within the transport planning or urban planning professions, or the nexus of strategy development and implementation.

Employability
This programme will equip students with the skills needed to work effectively as transport and planning practitioners in urban contexts in the public or third sector, for example in consultancy, central government, Transport for London (TfL), Greater London Authority (GLA), metropolitan authorities, local authorities, international investment banks, quangos and lobby groups. Potential employers also include international consultancies; we have close links and have worked with many of these companies such as Halcrow, CH2M and Arup.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Bartlett is the UK's largest multidisciplinary Faculty of the Built Environment, bringing together scientific and professional specialisms required to research, understand, design, construct and operate the buildings and urban environments of the future.

There is a strong focus on transport and city planning in research activities at the UCL Bartlett. Current activities include: VIBAT (Visioning and Backcasting for Transport), SINTROPHER (innovative public transport options in peripheral regions), SYNAPTIC (the seamless travel journey), the OMEGA centre (the planning and delivery of major infrastructure projects) and we work with various project sponsors such as Transport for London, the Asian Development Bank and European Investment Bank.

The MSc has Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) accreditation as a ‘specialist’ four-year programme. Candidates can also apply to become members of the Transport Planning Society (TPS), Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT), or related organisations, on subscription.

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This professionally accredited postgraduate programme has been carefully designed as a ‘fast-track’ conversion course for graduates of any discipline who wish to make a career in planning or in related fields. It aims to broaden students’ appreciation of planning and urban theory whilst providing them with the necessary skills to engage in critical and creative problem-solving.

Degree information

Students analyse the definition of, and solutions to, urban and regional planning problems and the nature of existing planning systems and practices. Emphasis is placed on the importance of a spatial and comparative perspective to planning and the need for integrated solutions to planning problems and the achievement of sustainable development.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of five core modules (90 credits), one specialism with two modules (30 credits), and a research dissertation (60 credits).

A Postgraduate Diploma, six core modules (90 credits), two optional modules from the list of possible specialisms available (30 credits), full-time nine months, is offered.

Core modules
-Urban Design: Place Making
-From Strategic Vision to Urban Plan
-Pillars of Planning
-Spatial Planning
-Critical Debates in Planning

Optional modules - students choose two linked modules from the following to form a specialist study area:
-Communities and Planning
-Housing for Planning
-Mega Infrastructure Planning
-Sustainable Governance
-Urban Design
-Urban Regeneration
-Historic Cities
-Smart City Theory and Practice

Dissertation/report
All MSc students undertake an independent research project, closely related to the specialist option chosen and linked to UK spatial planning. The project culminates in a dissertation of 10,000-words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through individual and group project work, skills-based practical and IT work, lectures, tutorials and seminars. A short field course based in a European city outside the UK will take place in the second term. Assessment is through individual and group work, essays, examination, skills-based practical work, and the dissertation.

Careers

Graduates have been very successful in gaining subsequent employment, including core public and private sector planning careers (such as local government and local, national and international consultancies), as well as the housing and transport sectors; planning, urban regeneration and environmental agencies; public and private utility companies; think tanks and public policy organisations; environmental campaign groups; and teaching and research.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Research Analyst, Knight Frank
-PhD in Planning, The University of Manchester
-Planning Adviser, The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)
-Transport Planner, London Borough of Camden
-PhD in Environmental Management, Seoul National University

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Bartlett School of Planning (BSP) has a strong history of teaching and research. It has been at the forefront of planning research and teaching for 100 years and is one of the foremost planning schools in the United Kingdom, with an international reputation. Based in the heart of London there is much for students to learn from being at the cutting-edge of policy-relevant critical debate, empirical study and research-led teaching. The staff profile is multidisciplinary and teaching staff are actively involved in shaping the theories and debates covered in their teaching. Our annual public lectures attract pre-eminent speakers from around the world and our student body has a broad, international profile.

Although situated within global and European contexts, the focus for the programme is primarily the UK, and particularly London. London is a complex setting that provides the natural and most accessible laboratory for BSP students. An emphasis on understanding the social and physical world will lead onto a greater appreciation of how action or intervention shapes place. But at the same time, there is a concern with ethical issues as a framework for planned intervention.

This MSc programme is fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

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The International Planning MSc provides a strong international and comparative focus on planning, urban theory and practice. The scope of the programme primarily encompasses Europe, North America, Australia, South Africa and the Far East, and increasingly China and South-East Asia.

[Degree information]]
Students develop an appreciation of planning approaches and systems, alongside an understanding of planning as a culturally specific, context-dependent activity taking different forms in different countries and regions. The programme aims to provide students with a broad range of skills and knowledge in planning and urban theory in a global context while offering them the opportunity to develop a specialisation.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme consists of six core modules (90 credits), one specialism with two modules (30 credits), a research dissertation (60 credits), and a field trip (not credit bearing). A Postgraduate Diploma, six core modules (90 credits), two optional modules from the list of possible specialisms available (30 credits), full-time nine months, is offered.

Core modules
-Urban Design: Place Making
-Pillars of Planning
-Comparative Planning Systems and Cultures
-Critical Debates in International Planning
-Dissertation
-International Planning Project

Optional modules - students choose two linked modules from the following to form a specialist study area:
-Communities and Planning
-Planning for Housing
-Mega-Infrastructure Planning
-Sustainable Governance
-Urban Design
-Urban Regeneration
-Historic Cities
-Smart City Theory and Practice

Dissertation/report
All MSc students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 10,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of individual and group project work, skills-based practical and IT work, traditional lectures, tutorials and seminars, field trips and direct practitioner involvement. Student performance is assessed through individual and group work, essays, examination, and skills-based practical work.

Fieldwork
Field study trip in reading week in term two; part of assessed module.

Careers

International Planning graduates have been very successful in gaining subsequent employment in various sectors. At present, there is a growing demand for our graduates from a wide range of both public and private employers in the UK and abroad. They are employed in both local and central government internationally, in global planning-related consultancies, as well as in a wide range of other related sectors, such as housing, transport and urban regeneration, as well as in public and private utility companies, teaching and research.

Top career destinations for this degree:
-Management Consultant, Boston Consulting Group
-Research Analyst, Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements (KRIHS)
-Graduate Transport Planner, Parsons Brinckerhoff
-Planning Officer, London Borough of Barnet Council
-Town Planning Graduate Professional, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Employability
Recent graduates of the MSc in International Planning have gone on to work in a variety of international contexts and roles including leading London-based planning, design and architecture consultancies; UK-based local authorities and government offices; overseas government offices and ministries; overseas private sector consultancies in planning, design, construction and development; non-for-profit organisations and charities world-wide; academic research and teaching.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Bartlett School of Planning has a strong history of teaching and research. The school has been at the forefront of planning research and teaching for nearly 100 years and is one of the foremost planning schools in the United Kingdom, with an international reputation.

This MSc programme is fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

Based in the heart of London there is much for students to learn from being at the forefront of policy-relevant critical debate, empirical study and research-led teaching. The staff profile is multidisciplinary and teaching staff are actively involved in shaping the theories and debates covered in their teaching. Our annual public lectures attract pre-eminent speakers from around the world and our student body has a broad, international profile.

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Government advises that good planning and good design are inseparable; this course focuses on urban design as a part of town planning. Our approach to urban design emphasises the continuing nature of planning responsibilities (as opposed to the contractual nature of most design professions) and focuses on the everyday use of places and spaces.

Site project work

Initial modules contextualise ideas of urban design and its evolution. The core of the course is project work on sites where there are current urban design issues and we have established links with the planning authority or a client. We have worked on the hinterland of Bankside, Great Yarmouth Sea Front, and Central Hackney.

Field trip

The Field Trip module (a compulsory part of the MA and PgDip) prepares you for work in unfamiliar places. Field trips offer our students a unique learning experience. We think of the trips as visits to living laboratories where you'll learn through active, hands-on experience. Beyond your studies, you'll also have the opportunity to develop and enhance their self-confidence and leadership skills. Recent field trips have involved postgraduate planning students visiting Barcelona, Spain; Ruhr Valley, Germany; and Venice, Italy. For all new entrants the field study visit fees are included in the tuition fees.

Dissertation

The dissertation is a research-based urban design project which engages with critical thinking, such as Chris Jones' concept of urban design as 'bringing about change in a man-made world'.

Modules

Year 1

Planning history and theory
Urban design- the heart of planning
Urban design project
Sustainable places (with EU field study visit)
Everyday life: place and performance
Planning in London
Dissertation

Part-time mode taught one day per week, with one or two modules being taught in each semester plus the dissertation being completed by the end of January in the third year.

Assessment

Modules are assessed by a range of coursework, examination, design and practice-based projects, presentations and a dissertation.

Professional links

The project work for the course is closely integrated with current issues and problems and each year a new site is chosen and new contacts made, visits undertaken and visiting speakers address the students.

Recent guest lecturers include:

• Rob Cowan, Urban Design Group;
• Various speakers from CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment);
• Struan Leslie, Choreographer and Movement Director, (RSC, Casanova, Welsh National Opera);
• Beatrice Jarvis, Goldsmiths College.

Employability

There is a national shortage of qualified town and environmental planners in the UK so the demand for our postgraduate courses is particularly high.

Qualifications in the planning and housing sectors can lead to a wide range of careers. Many of our past and current students hold key positions in their organisations and professional bodies, often as senior managers and business owners.

Graduates have used urban design on the planning courses at LSBU to focus on the relationship between planning and design and several now hold key posts in urban design in private consultancy or public authorities.

LSBU Employability Services

LSBU is committed to supporting you develop your employability and succeed in getting a job after you have graduated. Your qualification will certainly help, but in a competitive market you also need to work on your employability, and on your career search. Our Employability Service will support you in developing your skills, finding a job, interview techniques, work experience or an internship, and will help you assess what you need to do to get the job you want at the end of your course. LSBU offers a comprehensive Employability Service, with a range of initiatives to complement your studies, including:

• Direct engagement from employers who come in to interview and talk to students
• Job Shop and on-campus recruitment agencies to help your job search
• Mentoring and work shadowing schemes.

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Programme structure

At its core, the programme aims to promote the social scientific understanding of cities.

You will be taught to understand:
◾the economic underpinnings of urban and regional development
◾the processes and institutions of urban governance
◾the relationships between places and urban society.

You will also learn to demonstrate the value of research-based urban analysis and understanding. In this process, you will improve your own research skills.

You will develop an understanding of cities, property markets, institutions and governance. This provides an essential foundation to effective action in the development and management of cities.

To promote effective work across professional boundaries, you will critically appreciate the roles of a range of urban professionals and other stakeholders.

You will understand the importance of research and reflection as a route to successful urban planning innovation.

Graduate attributes

This degree programme equips you for a wide range of opportunities by providing the knowledge and understanding to:
◾Critically identify cities as dynamic spaces in the local, national and global economic and political system
◾Evaluate the main theories about the uniqueness of cities, their development in time and space, and their particular assets from a social, economic, cultural and environmental perspective
◾Contrast and compare urban trends in different regions of the world, together with the drivers of these changes
◾Demonstrate a sound understanding of the current urban problems faced by different professions in urban planning and management; as well as city dwellers themselves
◾Evaluate environmental sustainability as a concept, with particular reference to the demands and pressures cities place on the natural environment in different regions
◾Assess the underpinnings of urban planning theory and how it has shaped urban interventions
◾Critique the roles and functions of planning in cities areas with a view to shaping urban change
◾Compare the rationale for, and assess the effectiveness of, different forms of partnership between the public, private and voluntary sectors in implementing urban development and regeneration, and understand the political variations in the urban development processes in different countries.
◾Evaluate the relationship between market processes, built form, private and public realm, different development models and patterns of movement
◾Assess the economic and financial implications of alternative development strategies and evaluate how best to create high quality places and generate and capture added value for both particular interests and the wider community.

Courses

The Programme is taken over two years of full-time study and includes required courses offered by both universities.

Nankai University courses may include:
◾Intermediate Microeconomics
◾Intermediate Macroeconomics
◾Intermediate Econometrics
◾Regional Economics
◾Urban Economics
◾Regional Economic Issues in China
◾English Language training.

University of Glasgow courses may include:
◾Global Cities
◾City Planning Theory and Practice
◾Urban Design and Development
◾Real Estate Institutions and Markets
◾Research Methods.

You will also be required to submit a dissertation in both languages.

Career prospects

Graduates will find that opportunities exist in planning and development agencies, consultancies, property developers, local and regional authorities, regeneration and development agencies and government; and further study at PhD level.

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Develop an innovative approach to planning grounded in theory and lively academic debate, and focused on the knowledge, skills and competencies required for employment in the area.

You base your studies on real life issues and case studies. This allows you to develop the range of skills and competencies to enter into a planning career. The course also allows you to develop your own interests and specialist areas of study. The course provides you with key knowledge and skills for a planning or planning-related career.

It covers topics and issues such as

• planning practice, profession and ethics
• planning theory and principles
• planning policy development and policy evaluation
• the English and wider approaches to planning
• climate change and environmental issues and protection
• transport and infrastructure provision
• housing planning and development
• the planning and development process
• Viability
• placemaking and design quality
• design issues including urban design and sustainable design
• social equity, inclusion and cohesion
• economic growth and development

The course also enables you to develop key skills for your future career. These are gained through the modules and the assessment approach and include

• negotiation skills
• engagement and consultation
• research skills
• time and project management
• self motivation and group working
• policy evaluation
• viability and appraisal skills
• design awareness and design review
• political and ethical awareness
• networking and professional presence
• communication and presentation skills.

The course has been running for over 25 years attracting students from a range of backgrounds including

• graduates from a range of subjects such as geography, natural and built environment, humanities, scienceand design looking for a professional qualification
• practitioners in planning and the wider built and natural environment fields who are looking to develop their career
• people looking for new career or a change of career direction
• international students from Europe, America and beyond

Professional recognition

This course is accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Course structure

Core modules

• Planning theory and context
• Applied research methods
• Policy for space and place
• Sustainable city ecologies
• Environment and infrastructure
• Planning and development process
• Housing and economic development
• Major project or dissertation

Optional modules

Choose one option module from

• Comparative European planning
• Consultancy project

Assessment

Coursework and professional practice focused assignments. 

Employability

You can find opportunities in both private consultancy and public sector planning in planning and related careers including strategic planning and policy development • development implementation and management • environmental protection •infrastructure planning, housing development • regeneration • economic development • heritage and the historic environment • health • transport and accessibility planning.

Planners are also employed across a range of public and private sector bodies in wider roles, for example in wider policy development and in campaign bodies and pressure groups.

As an internationally recognised qualification the course also opens up wider career opportunities in the global job market. 

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This course provides a specialist understanding of the relationship between urban design and planning by focusing on issues that are of international significance.

The course is fully accredited by the RTPI and will provide you with the core knowledge and competencies needed to become a chartered planner and specialise in urban design and international planning.

Special features

An overseas field visit is an optional part of the programme, if students choose to undertake the relevant optional course unit: International Planning (Field Visit). The cost of the visit is partly covered by the course fee, but students in recent years have also been asked to contribute around £200 towards the cost of the trip, depending on the venue. Recent fieldtrip locations have included Barcelona, Amsterdam, Belfast, Dublin and Toronto.

Countries to be visited may change their immigration and visa regulations at short notice. Planning and Environmental Management cannot guarantee that where visas are required for the field course, they will be granted. In the unlikely event that this occurs, we will ensure affected students are not academically disadvantaged by setting alternative assignments covering the same learning outcomes as the field visit components, but which can be completed in Manchester.

Teaching and learning

Part-time students complete the full-time programme over 27 months. There are no evening or weekend course units available on the part-time programme, therefore if you are considering taking a programme on a part-time basis, you should discuss the requirements with the Programme Director and seek approval from your employer to have the relevant time off. Timetabling information is normally available from late August from the Programme Administrator and you will have the opportunity to discuss course unit choices during induction week with the Programme Director.

Career opportunities

This course has been specifically designed to equip you for professional practice in urban design and planning in a fast moving international market. Oportunities will arise in both the private and public sectors across global consultancies, development companies, government departments and agencies, and third sector organisations.

A number of professional practitioners are engaged in teaching on this course making for a theoretically informed, practice-orientated approach to teaching and learning. Our overseas fieldtrip provides an opportunity for you to gain knowledge and experience of urban design and planning in practice in an international setting.

Accrediting organisations

The course is fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute.

You will gain:
-A framework for knowledge in the fields of urban design and planning, enabling you to engage in professional and inter-professional debate on the nature, purpose and methods of successful urban design and planning projects from an international perspective.
-An understanding of the cutting edge theoretical and practice-related debates in urban design and planning from an international perspective.
-Analytical and practical skills needed to deepen your knowledge of urban design and planning to enable you to identify, investigate, and critique existing theoretical, methodological, and analytical approaches to urban design and planning in different international contexts.

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