MSc in Planning

Gain specialist skills for a career in urban or environmental planning with this accredited master's.

Course overview

• Study an accredited, practical course that examines how planning policies and theories relate to real-life situations.
• Gain the skills necessary for flexible career options in planning and development.
• Explore global real-life planning and development issues in person with the option of an international field trip.

Open days

The University holds regular open days, where you will have the opportunity to tour the campus and find out more about our facilities and courses.

On this day, you will find out more about the School of Environment, Education and Development and our resources, and meet academic and admissions staff who will be able to answer any questions you have.

MSc Planning will provide you with the range of skills necessary for a career in urban or environmental planning.

The course is aimed at graduates who want a career in planning and development, either in the public or private sector.

It will provide you with the core knowledge, competencies and skills necessary to become a chartered planning and development professional and a member of both the RTPI and the RICS.

You will gain a solid understanding of planning procedures, urban theories and spatial analysis. You will study the processes that frame planning projects, from project inception, site assessment and initial design through to the planning, implementation and scheme disposal.

Aims

You will:

• tailor the course to your professional interests by choosing from numerous optional units;
• develop specialist knowledge for a career in planning;
• gain an international perspective of planning

Special features

• Benefit from small-group teaching, close staff-student relationships, and guided one-to-one supervision.
• Develop practical skills in project studios withdrawing facilities, model-making workshops, and specialist design and spatial analysis software.
• Enjoy fieldwork opportunities in the UK and abroad (if permitted by the current pandemic situation), exploring real-life issues on one-day trips, site visits, and overseas residential visits. Past locations included Manchester, London, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Toronto, Amsterdam, Belfast, Seattle, Dublin and Istanbul.
• Have the flexibility to mix discipline units or specialise, and choose from a range of optional course units.
• Study in Manchester, a city where planning has been taught for more than 50 years, and urban development and environmental impacts are on your doorstep.

Teaching and learning

Overseas field visits are currently subject to significant constraints due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Recent locations of international fieldwork have included Berlin, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Belfast, Dublin, Seattle and Toronto.

Fieldwork may be scheduled at any point during the course, and this may include time during University vacations. Successful applicants are expected to be available to attend.

Countries to be visited may change their immigration and visa regulations at short notice. The School cannot guarantee that where visas are required for the field course, they will be granted. The School will ensure that, in the unlikely event that a visa is refused, affected students are not academically disadvantaged.

The course also includes a course unit that introduces students to the excitement of working within a professional, 'real-world' context on a 'live' consultancy project.

Working with industrial partners, you will be asked to complete a piece of work on an area of planning, urban regeneration, or environmental management - depending on your chosen specialism - to a standard that is expected and demanded in the planning, environmental management or development professions. This core course unit is highly regarded by employers and students alike.

Part-time students complete the course over 24 months. There are no evening or weekend course units available. You should discuss course requirements with the Programme Director and seek approval from your employer. Timetabling information is usually available from late August. You can discuss course unit choices during induction week with the Programme Director.

The School of Environment, Education and Development aim to run advertised fieldwork in the 21/22 Academic Year and we very much hope that students will be able to enjoy the fieldwork experience in the usual way.

The ability of fieldwork to proceed, and whether any changes to proposed fieldwork might be necessary, will remain subject to the current global situation and factors such as the:

• rules and guidance on travel and activities implemented and published by the UK and overseas governments;
• outcome of any risk assessments conducted by the University;
• educational value and student experience of the fieldwork, if significant changes to the proposed fieldwork would be necessary;
• availability of appropriate insurance cover; and
• availability of appropriate travel and accommodation and any significant changes to their financial costs.

We will therefore assess on a regular basis the viability of any travel and fieldwork and communicate any decisions to our students at the earliest possible opportunity. Any fieldwork that does go ahead will be subject to a rigorous risk assessment process and the implementation of any protective measures identified by the risk assessment to ensure the health and safety of all of our students and staff. If the fieldwork does not go ahead as planned then the School's focus will be on seeking to offer a suitable alternative and ensure that the Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) of the programme are met.

Coursework and assessment

You are continuously assessed via a range of methods, including essays and report writing, topic papers and critical reviews, project portfolios, and assessed workshop presentations.

Formative feedback is provided through the courses both orally and in written forms to help you develop further key skills.

A 15,000-word dissertation on an approved topic is discussed and chosen at the beginning of the second semester and a suitable supervisor is allocated.

The course prepares you for employment in professional practice in planning in the UK or overseas and will provide you with the academic knowledge and professional skills for employment in the private (consultancy, development industry) and public (local authorities, development agencies) sectors.

More generally, MSc Planning graduates are popular with employers, particularly in consultancy, where the ability to analyse and propose policies and implement strategies is vital. After London, Manchester hosts the largest number of planning and environmental consultancies in the UK.

Our graduates have gone on to successful careers in areas including environmental management and consultancy, urban planning and design, real estate development, urban and regional development policy, central and local government, international development, energy and water, non-governmental organisations, and research.

Top employers include AECOM, Arup, Atkins, BP, EDF Energy, the Environment Agency, Jacobs, and Rolls-Royce, among several other international consultancy companies and agencies.

If you decide not to follow a vocational career, your wide knowledge base and transferable skills in problem-solving, strategic thinking, teamwork, creativity and communication fit what most employers are seeking.