Urban Planning and Design MSc

What is Urban Planning and Design?

This course caters for those seeking to accept the challenges of managing rapid urban growth, while addressing the fundamental requirements of sustainability and of ethical and professional responsibilities.

The course promotes an integrated understanding of processes of spatial change in the built and natural environments and of the ways in which and reasons why societies manage and regulate those changes. The course aims to promote critical thinking about ‘space’ and ‘place’ as the basis for action or intervention in order to secure an agreed range of social, economic and environmental objectives.

Although the programme design doesn’t explicitly assume any specific prior learning, it would be particularly suited to those who have previously studied surveying, architecture, landscape architecture, civil engineering or urban studies. Or for graduates from cognate social or environmental science disciplines, such as geography, economics or environmental studies.

Study style

Learning takes place in a design and planning studio through lectures, tutorials, specialist IT workshops, collaborative group and individual projects, visiting expert lectures and student-led research.

Teaching techniques combine theory, contemporary research and philosophies of urban planning and design with practical orientated design and planning projects. This is to explore master planning of city wide development, resource management, infrastructure projects and the design of places for people.

The course utilises built environment principles, together with a focus on digital transformation technologies, innovation, creativity, personal development, expression, professionalism and sustainability.

Course assessment will be through group and individual coursework projects, project reviews, individual written reports, presentations and a dissertation.

2:2 honours degree in a relevant subject such as architecture, landscape architecture, geography, architectural technology, surveying. While an interview is not required, students will be required to demonstrate knowledge and ability of visual communication, graphic drawing, analogue drawing for purpose, as well as research writing skills.