Town Planning MSc (PGCert PGDip)

Course in brief

With specialisms in economic development and environmental management, our Town Planning MSc will provide you with the understanding, skills and experience to practise professionally as a town and country planner or surveying professional.

Through an exploration of the issues which affect the built environment, you will be equipped to critically evaluate how urban development is regulated to bring about the best social and economic outcomes.

This course is fully accredited by 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 with 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. You'll also learn how to apply your knowledge in the real world.

The programme benefits from an international and environmentally conscious curriculum that promotes critical thinking, community engagement, partnership building and leadership. It is unique for its outstanding location by the sea, the nearby South Downs and a 180-degree catchment area.

Scholarships and bursaries

Scholarships and bursaries are available for this course. Find out if you are eligible in the fees and funding tab below.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Moulsecoomb

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 2 years

Accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)

Apply online

Please make sure that you meet the entry requirements before applying. If you have any questions the course team will be happy to help.

Apply now for your place

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2017. They should be used as a general guide.

We operate a flexible admissions policy – this means that you could receive a lower conditional offer than the typical offer, informed by our assessment of your complementary non-academic achievements and experiences. For courses that require interview or portfolio review, this may also be considered in the level of any conditional offer that follows if your application is successful.

Degree and/or experience
Good honours degree in an appropriate subject.

For non-native speakers of English
IELTS 6.5 overall, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.

For more information, see 'Who is this course for?' below.

International equivalencies

International equivalencies by country

Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language institute

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For academic preparation courses.

Course in detail

Course structure

In order to meet the high professional standards required by the Royal Town Planning Institute (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) 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.

Areas of study

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

Planning Theory
Policy and Implementation in Town Planning
Sustainable Placemaking
Masters Dissertation

Options include

Introduction to Geographical Information Systems
Applications in Geographical Information Systems
Environmental Impact Assessment
Spacial Data Analysis
Environmental Policy and Law
Systems for Environmental Management
Sustainable Construction

Who is this course for?

The 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 looking 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 a wish to build a professional career will be considered for entry on to the certificate programme initially

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.

Careers and employability

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 gone on into roles in greenspace infrastructure, environmental agencies, harbour regeneration projects, local councils, planning offices, and the private sector, for example at Sky, Natural England, the Environment Agency, Parket Dann, Boyer Planning, Mid Sussex District Council, Brighton and Hove City Council, Lichfield Planning and city planning in Luxembourg.

Fees and funding

Your fees

UK/EU (full-time) 6,120 GBP

International (full-time)14,490 GBP

Bursaries

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the University of Brighton are offering two students, who are starting the Msc Town Planning in 2016, a bursary of £1,000 each.

Eligibility criteria
Applicants must:

be a UK/EU citizen or have proof to eligibility to work in the UK or Ireland after graduation
have a 1st or upper 2nd class degree at undergraduate level in any discipline
demonstrate an interest in planning as a career (as shown in your statement – please see below)
have an offer of a place on the MSc Town Planning course.

How to apply for the bursary
Applications will be assessed on a statement. The statement, of no more than 500 words, must confirm that you meet the above criteria and highlight the following:

your interest in planning
what you hope to do on completion of the course
why you need financial support
what other financial support you will have.

Please submit your statement, of no more than 500 words, plus confirmation that you meet the criteria by email to Dr Samer Bagaeen – s.g.bagaeen@brighton.ac.uk.

Deadline
1 September 2016. A decision on the bursary will be made by 30 September and candidates informed by email shortly afterwards. If you are successful details of payment will be given in the email.

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more.

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2017–18. Tuition fees are payable for each year that you study with us.

Where UK/EU students are subject to regulated fees, the annual fee increase cannot exceed the UK government’s maximum regulated tuition fee limit set for the relevant year. For all other students, ie those not subject to regulated fees, tuition fees are subject to a maximum annual increase of the higher of 5% or RPI.

You can find out more about our fees in the the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

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 DBS checks, 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 check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location and living here

Location

About Brighton

Brighton has been called the happiest place in the UK, and it’s easy to see why. With five miles of pebble beach, more than 300 pubs and a packed festival calendar, Brighton is the ideal place to spend your student years.

Arts and culture: The Royal Pavilion is the most famous landmark in Brighton, opening its doors to around 400,000 tourists every year. Right next door is the Brighton Dome, the south coast’s premier multi-arts venue, and the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, which holds a diverse collection of decorative arts, textiles and archaeological artefacts.

Festivals: The Brighton Festival is now the largest arts festival in England and a major milestone in the international cultural calendar. Meanwhile, The Great Escape has been established as the UK’s leading event for new music, with over 300 bands playing 30 venues across the city over three days.

Nightlife: Aside from the many nightclubs that line the city’s seafront, student favourites include The Haunt, Concorde 2 and Patterns, which attract leading bands and DJs from around the world. If you don’t feel like dancing, you can take your pick from the many hundreds of pubs and bars that dot the city centre.

Shopping: The quirky North Laine district houses Brighton’s finest collection of boutique shops and independent cafes, while the narrow, winding streets of the South Lanes house collections of jewellery and antiques. Churchill Square is the city’s main shopping centre and serves all of your high street needs.

Sports: Brighton’s seaside location offers the perfect opportunity to try paddle boarding, kayaking and windsurfing. Further into the city, The Level has a skate park for skateboarders and BMX riders to practise their skills.

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Just two miles north of Brighton city centre and the seafront, Moulsecoomb is the largest of our five campuses with more than 8,000 students. A wide variety of subjects are taught here, from engineering and product design to business and law.

Students benefit from many professional-standard facilities, including a flight simulator, design and digital media suites, and specialist research laboratories. The campus library, Aldrich, offers long opening hours and a diverse collection of books and journals for students from all subject areas.

Sports enthusiasts will enjoy our basketball and badminton courts, fitness suite and climbing wall. The campus is also a few minutes walk from the South Downs National Park, providing a great place to relax during the summer months.

Accommodation

Brighton

Our Brighton halls of residence are located across the city in Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

Our Grand Parade campus is in central Brighton and has one hall of residence, Phoenix Brewery, within walking distance. We have around 300 rooms available in Phoenix Brewery, which are all ensuite and self-catered.

Moulsecoomb is two miles from the city centre and also has one hall of residence, Moulsecoomb Place, on campus. All accommodation in Moulsecoomb Place is catered, offering breakfast and an evening meal during term time. There are more than 150 rooms available here, with six to eight rooms per flat.

Varley Park offers the biggest choice of student accommodation with ten halls of residence. The site is four miles from Brighton centre but within walking distance of Falmer train station.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence: Great Wilkins and Paddock Field. Great Wilkins offers 150+ self-catered single rooms and one-bed couples flats, while Paddock Field offers 450+ catered and self-catered single rooms only. All rooms in Falmer are en-suite.

Aside from halls, you have the option of Unihomes, which we let out to our students on behalf of private landlords. The rent covers all utilities and includes £5,000 of contents insurance for your personal belongings.

You can also choose to join the many students who live away from campus in private rented accommodation. We have a list of high-quality, university-endorsed private sector accommodation and can help you find housemates to move in with.

Find out more on our Brighton accommodation webpages and if you have any questions, our accommodation team will be happy to help. You can contact them by email at accommodation@brighton.ac.uk or by telephone on 01273 644100.

Paddock Field