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Course overview
Built for development
Our cities are the beating heart of our communities, societies and economies. They’re the intricate networks of design, development, decisions and policies that impact the lives of everyone every day. Urban planners play a crucial role in balancing all of these functions, and without their expertise, society wouldn’t be able to function.
As urban populations continue to grow exponentially, the need to align development with sustainability is paramount. On UCEM’s part-time, online MSc Urban Planning programme, you’ll study the relationship between our urban and natural environments, and gain the knowledge and expertise needed to help realise a sustainable built environment.
Job outcomes
There are a wide range of career opportunities for graduates, including but not limited to:
- Town planning
- Transportation planning
- Urban placemaking
- Infrastructure providers
- Development management
- Spatial planning
And many more
What you'll learn
This course equips graduates with both the essential subject knowledge and the practical expertise needed to work in planning and development across a range of industries, including town planning, property and development.
Recognition
Study method
- Online
- Blended
- In-class
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Duration study load
- 2 years – part-time
Studying two modules per semester requires an expected time commitment of 15-20 hours per week. If you study only one module per semester, the weekly time commitment will be less, depending on the module’s credit size. Most modules are typically 20 credits.
Entry requirements
You are required to be 18 years or over at the start of your programme.
Academic requirements
- A Bachelor’s Degree with honours at upper second standard (2:1) as a minimum, or equivalent
OR
- A Bachelor’s degree with honours at lower second standard (2:2) as a minimum, or equivalent, and be employed in a relevant role and with 1 year’s experience in a relevant field;
OR
- A Bachelor’s Degree with honours at lower second standard (2:2) as a minimum, or equivalent, in a built environment subject such as Architecture, Surveying, Real Estate Management, Geography, or Environmental Science;
OR
- A Level 5 qualification as defined by Framework for Higher Education Qualifications for England, Wales and Northern Ireland (FHEQ) plus 5 years’ relevant experience;
OR
- A professional qualification plus 5 years’ relevant experience
Course features
- Flexible study: Balance your study, work and home commitments, all while working towards your career goals
- e-Library access: Full access to a comprehensive and valuable e-library with a wealth of resources to support your studies
- Interactive: Study using a diverse range of interactive, modern and dynamic learning resources
- Expert-led: Learning activities that have been designed by UCEM tutors and subject matter experts
- Stay connected: Learn alongside a diverse community of students from all over the world
Who's it for?
This part-time online programme will provide you with the platform from which you can play a key role in the creation and development of sustainable urban environments. It will guide you through and provide you with the foundational knowledge and critical skills needed at every stage of the planning process.
From the history and principles of planning to the many complex social, legal and economical factors that influence it, your studies will hone your ability to synthesise information from various sources, negotiate and solve complex planning conflicts, and provide significant value to the health and well-being of communities.
Delivery
When you study at UCEM, you’ll be using our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), a specialised platform which provides you with everything you need to keep on top of your studies and succeed.
You’ll be guided through your learning with weekly study schedules and course guides, which you can adapt to suit your needs, pace and lifestyle. Studying online doesn’t mean studying alone, as you’ll also be fully supported by tutors and other students throughout your studies.
The VLE is at the heart of your studies. Here you will find all the learning resources you need for your studies, along with specially designed learning activities to help you develop the skills and knowledge that you need. You can participate in discussion with your tutor and other students, attend timetabled webinars or watch recordings. As you study, you will be supported with guidance from a highly experienced module team.
Subjects
You will study 9 modules across 2 years.
Below are the modules for year 1 (depending on the qualification you choose) along with an overview of the topics you will study.
Planning Concepts, Context and Governance
Develop and embed an understanding and insight into the origins, status, and objectives of land use planning in the UK, along with the formal mechanisms and thought processes that drive it forward at a time of constant change. You will be asked to consider the importance of sustainable development as a strategic aim of planning, and how this is interpreted in different ways by the range of stakeholders who engage in the planning system.
Land Use and Property Markets
Examine how the use of land is theoretically allocated within urban and non-urban environments using the classical economic theory of the free market mechanism of the property markets for rent. Socio-economic factors driving the supply and demand of property for both occupation and investment to the real estate market are considered as are other evolving factors including government intervention.
Cycles of economic activity and its impact on the cradle-to-grave development process are also examined. Students will be able to recognise that in practice, developing and bringing a property to market involves many different professions, whose roles and conduct are considered in relation to the ownership of real estate interests.
Research Skills and Current Affairs
Develop the research skills required to navigate the ever changing flow of socio-political planning discourse from academia, practice and the public, whilst informing your own approach to research. Operational practices around how others undertake research and its dissemination, alternative approaches, drivers and motivations, along with sources used for supportive evidence, data types and methods of data collection and analysis will be discussed.
Essential to the module will be understanding how to recognise assumptions, theoretical underpinnings, bias and what is and is not being privileged in various publication types. The fundamental assumptions upon which social science is founded will be outlined and debated. An understanding of levels of analysis, micro, meso and macro will be explained. This will help you develop your critical thinking along with understanding the perspectives that make most sense to you.
Planning Process, Practice and Leadership
Gain insight into the real-world dynamics of the planning process in the UK, through a critical review of the prescribed stages of plan-making at a range of strategic levels and spatial contexts.
Real Estate and Development Appraisal
Explore the financial motivations of primarily private-sector developers and the public-sector obligations of local planning authorities, and how these can be balanced through early liaison to produce a positive building development outcome.
Valuations for Planners
Understand the need for valuations, the valuation process for a range of property types and the principal valuation approaches required for market valuations and compensation claims in cases of compulsory purchase. That knowledge, combined with an understanding of the RICS Valuation – Global Standards, the RICS Rules of Conduct and Valuer Registration, will enable you to understand how valuers are obliged to act ethically and professionally in providing valuation advice. Various methods of valuation are reviewed and a critical reflection of these methods is also developed to understand the limitations of the valuations that may be reviewed.
Below are the modules for year 2 (depending on the qualification you choose) along with an overview of the topics you will study.
Planning Sustainable Environments
Build a critical understanding of how the planning system addresses the challenges of climate change and promotes sustainable urban (and non-urban) environments, with selected examples of best practice.
Placemaking for Sustainable Communities
Dive into the mix of regulations, negotiation techniques and collaborative processes to create vibrant neighbourhood plans and learn how to resolve the tensions and conflicting values of different stakeholders in the development of a consensus-based spatial strategy.
Independent Research Project
Conduct a self-directed, independent research project reflecting the culmination of your studies on a topic that reflects the current and critical areas that concern planning matters within the built environment.
About University College of Estate Management
University College of Estate Management is the leading university for supported online education for the built environment, with over 100 years’ experience of providing the highest quality learning opportunities. At any one time, we have more than 4,000 students from more than 100 countries benefiting from our qualifications taught by tutors with extensive industry experience.
We provide flexible and accessible postgraduate and undergraduate degree and apprenticeship programmes that fit your life and career goals at every stage, creating a better-built environment that is shaped with people in mind.
