University of Brighton
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Town Planning
MSc (PGCert PGDip)

  • Course summary and entry requirements

    Course duration Help

    Full-time: 1 year

    Part-time: 2 years

    Professional accreditation

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

    About the course

    With a curriculum that promotes an education in town planning that is both embedded in the local community and a vehicle for global citizenship, the Town Planning MSc is a model for the type of education that meets personal, professional and societal needs. At the heart of this is thinking and acting locally and globally. In addition to promoting a shift from instruction to facilitation, a fusion of formal and informal learning, mentoring, and through local and international study visits and blended learning, the programme benefits from an international and environmentally conscious curriculum that promotes critical thinking, community engagement, partnership building and leadership. Postgraduate town planning education at Brighton was set up with the active support and involvement of planning practitioners and stakeholders in the south-east and is delivered by an effective planning school, strong in aspects of institutional support, research, delivery and staffing.

    This programme is for:
    * graduates with unrelated first degrees seeking to study for planning qualifications
    * graduates in any relevant discipline - such as geography, architecture, building, surveying, law, wishing to gain a higher or specialist planning qualification
    * graduates with a first degree in planning wishing to study for a masters qualification as a route to a professional career or further study at doctorate level
    * candidates without a degree who can demonstrate significant work experience and wish to build a professional career will be considered for entry on to the certificate programme initially.

    Typical entry requirements Help

    Individual offers may vary.

    For non-native speakers of English:
    IELTS 6.5 overall and 6.0 in writing.

    Degree and/or experience:
    normally a second class honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject. Candidates with differing qualifications may apply for the PGCert or PGDip. Applications from candidates with other qualifications, and appropriate industrial experience will be assessed on an individual basis. Candidates will be interviewed.

  • Course content

    Course structure

    In order to meet the high professional standards required by the RTPI, students are required to study for 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) taught portion requiring attendance at the university for lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops, laboratory classes, individual supervision sessions and team working;
    (ii) individual research programme (the masters project) where students broaden their learning and develop research skills directed at critical appraisal, examine innovative solutions to the problem at hand, and are enabled to produce and defend a written thesis on a selected town planning topic using a university-based supervisor;
    (iii) individual professional learning log using industry-based mentor.

    Areas of study

    With a specialism in coastal regeneration, the programme provides the academic and professional core knowledge, understanding, skills and experience that are necessary to practice professionally as town and country planners. You will be equipped to critically evaluate how urban development is regulated to bring about the best social and economic outcome, through an understanding of the issues which make up the complex nature of the built environment in the south-east. Employing scenario planning techniques, students investigate the problems surrounding sustainable development in order to identify potential. The programme includes work-based assignments, field visits including a European study visit and the production of a significant dissertation.

    Syllabus

    Planning Theory
    Policy and Implementation in Town Planning
    Sustainable Urbanism in Coastal Communities
    Management of People and Organisations
    International Practice in Property Planning
    Learning Log
    Masters Dissertation

    Options including:
    Introduction to Geographical Information Systems
    Applications in Geographical Information Systems
    Environmental Impact Assessment
    Sustainable Energy for Buildings
    Environmental Policy and Law
    Case Studies in Environment Assessment

  • Fees and costs

    The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2013-14. Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.

    The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

    What's included in the fee?

    When costs such as health or criminal record checks, field trips or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

    You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply please check with the school that provides your course using the contact details on the left of this page for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

    Our website www.brighton.ac.uk/money provides advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee paying status.

    Town Planning (MSc) (Full time)  [P2BH027]
    UK/EU (Full Time)4,500 GBP
    Island Students (Full Time)9,450 GBP
    International (Full Time)13,500 GBP

  • Location

    Location Help Moulsecoomb

    Located to the north of Brighton city centre, the Moulsecoomb campus offers students an excellent learning environment and a wide range of facilities. It is the largest of our five campuses with over 8,000 students.

    View campus maps and directions

    Living in Brighton

    Brighton’s rich mix of historic architecture, lively arts scene, varied shopping and cosmopolitan community make it a vibrant, enjoyable place to live. It is no wonder that many Brighton graduates choose to stay here.

    Social scene

    Alongside the traditional seaside attractions, Brighton is famed for its exciting social scene with a wide choice of pubs, clubs and restaurants.

    Music event on the beach

    Arts

    The highlight of the city’s cultural year is the Brighton Festival. The event is held each May and is England’s biggest arts festival, which showcases arts and performance from around the world. Brighton is also home to the UK’s oldest working cinema, the Duke of York’s, which shows alternative and mainstream films. The city is also well known for its exciting music scene and hosts The Great Escape music festival.

    Burning the Clocks winter solstice festival

    Sports

    Whether you take your sport seriously or just want to keep fit, Brighton offers all kinds of sports opportunities and facilities, on and off campus. You can also make the most of the location, and play volleyball, basketball and windsurfing down by the beach. The seafront is also the finishing point for the famous London – Brighton bicycle ride and the quirky veteran car run.

    Playing volleyball on the seafront

  • Career opportunities

    This course is an accessible and flexible route to the skills needed to work in the current and future spatial planning environment including areas of planning policy, research and analysis, and strategy formulation in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Graduates are able to take up the challenges facing the profession, push the boundaries, exercise professional judgement, and understand that planning is about peoples' lives as well as outcomes. As part of this vision, the course equips them with skill sets that will allow them to manage change, think spatially, understand planning policy and law, and work in partnership with others. This is severely lacking in the south-east coastal region where much of the development over the next decade will occur. The university is helping to fill this gap by building the fundamental principles of sustainability into the Town Planning course.

    Visit the careers service website.

Apply now for your place
Book your open day place
Find out more

01273 642288
Email entec@brighton.ac.uk

If you are an international student, contact us on:

+44 (0) 207 250 6749
international@brighton.ac.uk

 

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