Urban Studies BSc

London, Bloomsbury
Urban Studies BSc (2024)

In this degree, we are training new generations of urban experts with a deep understanding of how cities are formed and change, along with the tools to find innovative solutions for pressing urban problems. We draw from sociology, urban economics, urban design, politics, and spatial analytics to prepare you to work in both the public and private sectors, where there is demand for analytical, research, and ideation skills. 

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
Duration
3 academic years
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£9,250
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£34,400
Programme starts
September 2025
Application deadline
29 Jan 2025
UCAS course code
K440

Entry requirements

Grades
AAB
Subjects
Geography, Economics, Government and Politics, History, Business, Psychology, Design subjects, English Literature and Religious Studies preferred.
GCSEs
English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 4.

Contextual offer information

Contextual offers are typically one to two grades lower than the standard offer. Grade and subject requirements for contextual offers for this programme will be published in Summer 2024.

Points
36
Subjects
A total of 17 points in three higher level subjects, with no higher level score below 5.

Contextual offer

Contextual offers are typically one to two grade boundaries (equivalent to A levels) lower than the standard offer. IB Diploma grade and subject requirements for contextual offers for this programme will be published in Summer 2024.

UK applicants qualifications

For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:

Equivalent qualification

Pass in Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 30 credits at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit, all from Level 3 units.

BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (QCF) or BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (RQF - teaching from 2016) with Distinction, Distinction, Distinction.

D3,D3,M1 in three Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects

A,A,B at Advanced Highers (or A,A at Advanced Higher and B,B,B at Higher)

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

Successful completion of the WBQ Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate plus 2 GCE A levels at grades ABB.

International applications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

Access and widening participation

UCL is committed to widening access to higher education. If you are eligible for Access UCL you do not need to do anything in addition to the standard UCAS application. Your application will be automatically flagged when we receive it.

Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates

The Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPC) prepare international students for a UCL undergraduate degree who don’t have the qualifications to enter directly. These intensive one-year foundation courses are taught on our central London campus.

Typical UPC students will be high achievers in a 12-year school system which does not meet the standard required for direct entry to UCL.

For more information see: ucl.ac.uk/upc.

English language requirements

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.

A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education.

Course overview

What makes a city? As populations grow and the places we live are impacted by inequalities, climate change and gentrification, we need creative thinkers who understand how society, the economy, and politics shape the built environment. UCL’s Urban Studies BSc provides you with the knowledge and skills to address these challenges and make positive changes in our cities. 

During your studies, you will have the opportunity to go beyond the boundaries of traditional urban planning and urban design. You will have the flexibility to pursue you own interests by taking complementary modules from across our world-class faculty and university. Drawing from different disciplines - such as spatial analytics, development studies, management and economics - will enrich your studies and offer you new skills and methods to engage with the urban world.

You will study in the heart of London at the top School of Planning in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2024) and world #1 Faculty of the Built Environment (QS World University Ranking 2023). Not only is London the best student city in the world (QS Best Student Cities 2024), but it is also a dynamic, constantly evolving urban environment offering unique opportunities to engage in live projects. 

With the option to study abroad for a term in your second year, you will also have the opportunity to expand your horizons and international networks and put your urban knowledge into practice in another city.

What this course will give you

During your degree, you will develop an integrated understanding of cities and urban development as the outcome of social, cultural, economic and political processes, and learn to analyse, evaluate, manage, and deliver urban change, becoming familiar with theories, methodologies, skills, and techniques taken from the social sciences, urban planning and urban design disciplines. You will also gain the ability to think critically and creatively about space and place, appreciating the value that different disciplines bring to understanding and shaping our global towns and cities. In addition to core modules, you can explore your own interests and enrich your studies by taking modules from our world-class built environment faculty and university. 

You will put theory into practice by learning how to use industry-relevant software applications in urban design, graphic design, communication, GIS, and by engaging with London as an urban living laboratory in field trips and live projects. You also have the option to study abroad and expand your practice to another city, taking advantage of our long-established links with many universities in Europe as well as a growing list in the USA, Australia and the Asia-Pacific.

To explore further possibilities for your future career, you will gain access to a diverse range of employers, and an unrivalled concentration of professional meetings, seminars, conferences, exhibitions, and events around London.

Teaching and learning

In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

Upon successful completion of 360 credits, you will be awarded a BSc (Hons) in Urban Studies.

Modules

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

In Year 1 you will take: 

  • Seven compulsory modules
  • One elective module to be taken within The Bartlett School of Planning

In Year 2 you will take: 

  • Five modules selected from The Bartlett School of Planning 
  • Three modules to be selected from across UCL

In your second year you will also have the option to study abroad for a term.

In Year 3 you will take: 

  • Four modules to be selected from The Bartlett School of Planning
  • Four modules to be selected from across UCL

Your learning

The Bartlett School of Planning employs a very interactive, hands-on form of learning. Alongside lectures, seminars and tutorials we include field visits, group project work, and laboratory and design work sessions to improve your learning experience.

Depending on your modules of choice, you will have the opportunity to go on two extended field trips during your degree, in your first year and third year. The cost of these field trips is included in the  fees. Many modules include fieldwork or site visits as part of the hands-on learning experience.

In the third term of the third year, a voluntary two-week work experience placement is offered, drawing from our pool of employers.

Students study eight modules in each of the three years. Each module typically requires a total of 150 hours of study, including lectures, seminars, workshops, groupwork and private study. Each module has 2 - 4 hours contact time with academic staff per week. The total number of hours per module and the balance between contact time and independent study might vary for modules taken outside the Bartlett School of Planning.

Assessment

Your final marks will reflect your success in a wide range of assessment types including essays, individual and group reports, urban design outputs such as posters and models, presentations, and a small number of exams. 

As an Urban Studies BSc student the balance of your assessments will depend on the optional modules that you choose in the second and third years. Details of Year 1 modules are shown above. In your second and third years you will take some modules from our other Planning undergraduate courses and can choose your remaining modules from those offered by The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment or other departments at UCL.
 

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.

The foundation of your career

Planning graduates work in a vast range of positions in the private, public and third sectors within the built environment and urbanism disciplines (such as planning, property, urban design, economic development, housing, transport, and regeneration), as well as in other sectors where their analytical, negotiating, problem-solving and creative skills are valued. 

Many students also go on to further studies to continue developing their specialist interests.

(HESA Graduate Outcomes surveys 2017-2021)
 

Employability

The programme enables you to acquire highly transferable knowledge and skills such as data collection, analysis and presentation, graphic skills, resolution of problems and conflicts, negotiation and mediation, teamwork and leadership, managing work tasks, preparing and writing professional reports, as well as written, graphic and oral presentation skills.

Accreditation

This BSc in Urban Studies provides a solid foundation to apply for postgraduate studies which offer accreditation by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) or the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). 

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £9,250
Tuition fees (2024/25) £34,400

The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2024/25 academic year. The UK fees shown are for the first year of the programme at UCL only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase. The Overseas fees shown are the fees that will be charged to 2024/25 entrants for each year of study on the programme, unless otherwise indicated below.

Full details of UCL's tuition fees, tuition fee policy and potential increases to fees can be found on the UCL Students website.

Additional costs

Students will be expected to pay for travel to site visits within London (zones 1 to 3). For up-to-date costs visit the TfL website. If an overnight field trip is scheduled to take place outside the UK, non-UK nationals are responsible for the costs of securing a visa where needed. Students will also be expected to cover the costs of travel to and from the two-week voluntary work experience, with costs depending on where the student is working.

If you are selected for the (voluntary) study abroad programme in Term 2, you will pay normal UCL tuition fees but will be responsible for the additional costs of travel, visa application and accommodation associated with this. These vary widely depending on the destination institution. Students are offered information and guidance to support decision-making prior to committing to this opportunity.

This course does not have any other additional costs beyond purchasing books or stationery, printing or photocopying.

A guide including rough estimates for these and other living expenses is included on the UCL Fees and funding pages. If you are concerned by potential additional costs for books, equipment, etc., please get in touch with the relevant departmental contact (details given on this page).

Funding your studies

In our faculty, The Bartlett Promise Scholarship aims to enable students from backgrounds underrepresented in the built environment to pursue undergraduate studies. Please see the Bartlett Promise Undergraduate Scholarship page for more information on eligibility criteria, selection process and FAQs.

Various funding options are available, including student loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students whose household income falls below a certain level may also be eligible for a non-repayable bursary or for certain scholarships. Please see the Fees and funding pages for more details.

Scholarships

The Scholarships and Funding website lists scholarships and funding schemes available to UCL students. These may be open to all students, or restricted to specific nationalities, regions or academic department.

Next steps

Your application

What we look for in an applicant is sincere interest in the degree subject and an intellectual curiosity towards cities, society, economy and the environment. Students won’t have studied “Urban Studies” but could mention any relevant work shadowing, reading around the subject, hobbies, volunteering, or career aspirations. We don’t require particular subjects, but A level subjects should demonstrate interest in cities, social sciences, geography, politics, environmental studies, art, design.

How to apply

Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.

Selection

For further information on UCL's selection process see: How we assess your application.

You may be asked to submit an essay in support of your application.

We will consider applications from people with non-standard qualifications, including mature students with relevant study or work experience. Please use the query form on the admissions queries page: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/admissions-enquiries, if you need further advice about the acceptability of non-standard qualifications.

We aim to invite offer-holders living in or near to the UK to an applicant open day, either in-person or online.

Got questions? Get in touch

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