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City Planning at University of Glasgow - UCAS

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2024 - 20252025 - 2026
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

Climate change and rapid urbanisation ensures a high demand for professional planners. The Master’s in City Planning at the University of Glasgow will help you develop your critical understanding of cities and the positive impact that evidence-based and innovative decision-making can have on human settlements. Students who join our programme will be equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to enter the planning profession and become sustainable place makers of the future. WHY THIS PROGRAMME This programme delivers a highly regarded professional education in City Planning. It has been developed in close consultation with the relevant professional and policy communities and is intended to provide an intensive fast-track entry to a professional career in planning. You will have the opportunity to study with a pathway specialism in either housing, international planning, regeneration, transport, urban design or urban conservation.

  • This programme is intended to prepare you for a career as a chartered planner providing an accredited education that is endorsed by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
  • Students benefit from world class and research-driven academic instruction alongside opportunities to learn about practice from industry professions working in both the public and private sector.
  • Specialist pathways will allow you to explore a particular area of city planning in more detail. Choose from housing, international planning, regeneration, transport, urban design and urban conservation.
  • The programme is delivered via a dynamic combination of lectures, workshops, seminars alongside numerous field visits that use the city as an urban laboratory.
  • The programme provides you with both a theoretical and practical appreciation of city planning and develops your skills as a critical thinker and innovative practitioner.
  • An optional field trip to London will provide you with an insight into the complexities of city planning in a World City. Past trips have included visits to The Shard, King's Cross, Battersea Power Station and a number of grassroot projects that focus on community development.
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE You will take seven core courses, plus a selection of additional specialist core and optional courses based on your chosen pathway. Core courses in semester 1 will help you develop foundational knowledge of planning and urban theory and the principles of professional planning practice. By the end of Semester 1 you will start to develop core spatial planning skills and continue to do so as you specialise in your chosen pathway during Semester 2 and undertake a research dissertation. Core Courses All Pathways: CONTEMPORARY PLANNING SYSTEMS DESIGNING PLACES DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS DEVELOPMENT PROCESS GOVERNANCE AND MARKETS PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE, ETHICS AND MANAGEMENT SPATIAL PLANNING STRATEGIES URBAN STUDIES RESEARCH: DESIGN, METHODS & ETHICS Housing: PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS OF GIS (10 CREDITS) SUSTAINABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT Urban Design: The urban design pathway will help you to develop your understanding and appreciation for well-designed places and how particular principles and methods can be used to create more sustainable and functional places. URBAN DESIGN POLICY AND PRACTICE URBAN CONSERVATION Urban Conservation: The urban conservation pathway will encourage you to think critically about the historic environment and help you develop skills in assessing and evaluating built heritage and how conservation responds to the wishes of local people. URBAN CONSERVATION Optional Courses may include Urban design COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT AND ENGAGEMENT (COLLABORATION W/ PRINCE'S FOUNDATION FOR BUILDING COMMUNITY) PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS OF GIS (10 CREDITS) Urban conservation COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT AND ENGAGEMENT (COLLABORATION W/ PRINCE'S FOUNDATION FOR BUILDING COMMUNITY) URBAN DESIGN POLICY AND PRACTICE PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS OF GIS (10 CREDITS)

How to apply

International applicants

International applicant information can be found via gla.ac.uk by searching for 'international'.

Entry requirements

2.1 Honours degree or non-UK equivalent in a relevant social science or humanities subject (e.g. geography, history, economics, architecture, environmental design). If you are unsure whether your degree is suitable, you can email the programme convener to discuss. You are required to submit an admissions statement of around 500 words explaining why you want to undertake this programme at Glasgow. Please download and use our template for this. International students with academic qualifications below those required should contact our partner institution, Glasgow International College, who offer a range of pre-Masters courses.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

All fees are published on the University of Glasgow website. https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/feesandfunding/

Sponsorship information

Sponsorship and funding information can be found via gla.ac.uk by searching for 'scholarships'.

City Planning at University of Glasgow - UCAS