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Housing and City Planning MSc

London, Bloomsbury

Shelter is one of the most basic human needs, but the provision of that shelter - the development of enough housing of the right type and quality in the most appropriate locations - is a challenge that few, if any, governments in the Global North have fully addressed. This MSc offers an interdisciplinary perspective on the 'housing question' in advanced economies, with contributions from across the faculty and from external practitioners.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£17,300
£8,650
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£34,400
£17,200
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2024
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 28 Jun 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 30 Aug 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

An upper second-class honours Bachelor's degree (or higher) from a UK university or an overseas qualification of equivalent standing is required. Admissions tutors may, at their discretion, consider applications from students who have not achieved this but hold professional qualifications (e.g. RTPI) or can demonstrate substantial work experience in the field of housing development, planning for housing, or housing design. (Applicants will still be expected to meet the minimum UCL requirement of a 2:2, however.)

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

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

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Students will develop appropriate design, analytical and presentational skills, and work on practical cases that test their capacity for creative thinking and problem-solving. The curriculum covers UK-specific policy and practice as well as a range of international case studies and globally relevant debates in the provision of housing.

Who this course is for

This programme is directed at urban professionals and graduates from the fields of planning, property, architecture and project management from around the world who are wishing to train as planners, or develop perspectives on residential development from construction management angles, and specialise in the area of housing development.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

Based in the heart of London, students are at the forefront of policy-relevant critical debate, empirical study and research-led teaching. The academic staff are multidisciplinary and are actively involved in shaping the theories and debates covered in their teaching. Our annual public lectures attract pre-eminent speakers from around the world and our student body has a broad international profile.

The Bartlett is the UK's largest multidisciplinary Faculty of the Built Environment, bringing together scientific and professional specialisms required to research, understand, design, construct and operate the buildings and urban environments of the future. The strong research focus across The Bartlett, and links to professional practice, feed into this programme, ensuring engagement with live issues and continual renewal of the subject material. UCL, and The Bartlett, is ranked #1 in the UK for Construction, Surveying and Planning according to The Guardian Good University Guide 2024.

Students also have the opportunity to spend a period of the programme at a partner institution elsewhere in Europe, North America or Australia.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

As well as preparing students for careers in planning practice and housing delivery, all of our programmes offer an introduction to research and to key research skills.

Employability

There is a growing demand for our Master's graduates from a wide range of both public and private employers in the UK and overseas. Many have taken up posts in local and central government planning, others have moved into planning related consultancies. Past students have also found employment in numerous specialist sectors: in housing and transport, planning, urban regeneration and environmental agencies, public and private utility companies, and also in teaching and research.

Networking

The Bartlett School of Planning and UCL’s dedicated Careers Network are here to assist you in exploring your career options, gaining valuable skills and experience, and guiding you through the job application process. You will be given the opportunity to participate in various events and training tailored to your industry, such as alumni and industry insight panels, career taster sessions, masterclasses, careers fairs and more.

Accreditation

The programme is fully accredited by RICS so all students completing the full MSc are eligible for licentiate membership of the RICS.

The programme has 'specialist' accreditation from the RTPI so students who have an RTPI accredited undergraduate degree in planning who then complete this programme are eligible for licentiate membership of the RTPI (the 3+1 route).

Teaching and learning

The MSc HCP offers a multi-disciplinary education that brings together aspects of urban planning, housing studies, real estate, urban design and other related sub-disciplines into the programme's three structuring themes of planning for housing, economics and management and sustainability. The programme is delivered through a range of teaching and learning methods, including lectures, seminars and tutorials, project work and field study visits, and rounded-off by an individual piece of dissertation research. Group-work is designed to develop a broad range of planning and design-relevant skills and knowledge. It is a principle- and theory-driven programme which gives students both conceptual understanding, and the skills needed to tackle practical problems of planning for the delivery of new and retrofitted housing.

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, field-trips, projects and problem-based learning. Assessment is through a mix of essays, group projects, problem-sheets, individual projects, classroom tasks and the dissertation.

For full-time students, typical contact hours are around 12 hours per week, supplemented by 24 hours of self-directed study.

Modules

Full-time study takes place over 1 year.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of six core modules (90 credits), elective modules (30 credits) and a research dissertation (60 credits).

Part-time study takes place over 2 years.

Students undertake a total of 60 credits in their first year, consisting of four 15 credit taught modules (BPLN0044, BPLN0045, BPLN0018, BPLN0019). Students take the remaining 120 credits in their second year, consisting of the two remaining 15 credit core modules (BPLN0108 & BPLN0109) as well as their elective module(s) worth 30 credits and the dissertation (BPLN0039).

Modular/flexible study takes place over no more than 5 years.

The structure will be discussed between the student and the programme director dependent how long they wish to study for, but would usually start with module BPLN0044 in the first year and finish with the dissertation (BPLN0039) in the last year.

Compulsory 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 are 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.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Housing and City Planning.

Fieldwork

The programme includes a residential field trip during which themes relevant to the course are explored in different place contexts. This is an opportunity to consider built environment issues in real world settings and network as a course community. The cost of travel and accommodation for the field trip are covered by UCL although students will need to cover visas, meals and other personal expenses.

Accessibility

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

Visit us

All open days and events

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: School of Planning

Whether your ambition is to design better buildings, plan better cities, build sustainable communities or help meet the challenge of climate change, The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment could be a big step towards it. Join this session to learn about the master's courses offered by our School of Planning.

Watch on demand event

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £17,300 £8,650
Tuition fees (2024/25) £34,400 £17,200

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

The cost of the field trip (travel and accommodation) will be covered by UCL.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

UCL offers a range of financial awards aimed at assisting both prospective and current students with their studies.

In our faculty, The Bartlett Promise Scholarship aims to enable students from backgrounds underrepresented in the built environment to pursue master's studies. Please see the UK Master's scholarship and Sub-Saharan Africa Master's scholarship pages for more information on eligibility criteria, selection process and FAQs.

Any additional funding available from the Bartlett School of Planning and the Built Environment Faculty Office are advertised on the respective websites.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Bartlett Promise Sub-Saharan Africa Masters Scholarship

Deadline: 3 April 2024
Value: Fees, stipend and other allowances (Duration of programme)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Bartlett Promise UK Master's Scholarship

Deadline: 31 May 2024
Value: Tuition fees plus £15,364 maintenance/yr (Duration of programme)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of Housing and City Planning
  • why you want to study Housing and City Planning at graduate level
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree and how this programme meets these needs

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Bartlett School of Planning
Bartlett School of Planning

bsp.pgt@ucl.ac.uk

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