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Infrastructure Planning, Appraisal and Development MSc

London, Bloomsbury

Successful infrastructure projects have the power to deliver important services to populations while tackling global economic, environmental, social challenges. Infrastructure Planning, Appraisal and Development MSc is designed in collaboration with leading infrastructure practitioners to equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to create holistic, robust, and sustainable infrastructure projects, preparing you for a successful career in infrastructure planning.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£18,400
£9,200
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£36,500
£18,250
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 27 Jun 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025
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. Applicants with degrees of a lower classification (minimum of 2:2 in all cases) but with considerable senior-level professional experience may also be accepted, and for applicants without a first degree or full professional membership, but with relevant and substantial work experience in the field, a special qualifying essay may be set.

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

Well-planned infrastructure forms the backbone of society, encompassing public and private investments in transportation, water, flood defences, social infrastructure, telecommunications, broadband, and energy. As cities, regions, and nations face unprecedented economic, environmental, and social challenges all sectors must rethink their practices and develop relevant, efficient, sustainable and resilient infrastructure. Infrastructure Planning, Appraisal and Development MSc is designed to equip you with the skills to plan, appraise, and develop large-scale, complex infrastructure programmes that address these global challenges in your future career.

During your degree you will:
 

  • Understand the fundamental characteristics of major infrastructure projects, plans and programmes, and the critical issues concerning sustainable infrastructure funding, financing and investment.
  • Explore challenges and trends in infrastructure planning, appraisal and development, learning about their contributions to environmental, social, economic, and institutional objectives.
  • Grasp international, national, and regional policies, legislative frameworks, market contexts, and consenting processes for nationally significant infrastructure development.
  • Navigate the diverse agendas of stakeholders, and inter-relationships and tensions between local, national, and global objectives.
  • Master methods including strategic planning, risk analysis and management, economic and social cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, environmental impact assessment, social impact assessment, strategic environmental assessment, and impact mitigation and management.
  • Utilise innovative methods and techniques including the 5 case business model, natural capital approaches, multi criteria decision making, life cycle analysis, stakeholder and issue analysis, environmental net gain, environmental outcome reports.  
  • Gain hands-on experience through a simulated consultancy exercise tackling a 'live' case study with government and industry representatives acting as proxy clients.
  • Explore your interests through an elective module specializing in areas such as urban transformation, historic cities, housing, sustainability, urban design, smart cities, sustainable development, and urban regeneration.
     

Who this course is for

This course is ideal for recent graduates looking to enter the infrastructure development field and for professionals seeking to expand their knowledge or transition into this area. Applicants typically have backgrounds in planning, civil engineering, policy studies, project management, estate management, architecture, economics and finance, social sciences, and other related fields.

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

What this course will give you

Research-led, industrially relevant education
Our school hosts the OMEGA centre, which has conducted case studies in mega infrastructure decision-making around the world. You will learn from international experts and practitioners who are actively researching, practising and influencing innovative planning and appraisal methods for infrastructure project development. Our faculty, The Bartlett, is ranked #1 for Built Environment studies in the world (QS World University Rankings 2024). The Bartlett is also where the UK’s most ‘World Leading’ and ‘Internationally Excellent’ built environment research is undertaken (REF 2021).

Study in London – a hub of major infrastructure projects 
From the extension of the underground Northern line to support the redevelopment of Battersea and Nine Elms, to the SWAN project which is creating a large district heat and low carbon network in the heart of the city, and the Thames Tideway Tunnel - a major new sewer system being built under the River Thames to reduce overflow and pollution in the river, London offers a diverse array of major infrastructure case studies for your studies. London is also the best city for students in the world (QS Best Student Cities 2025).

Gain a triple accredited degree
Infrastructure Planning Appraisal and Development MSc has accreditation from Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RCIS), Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM). These accreditations provide routes to membership in these professional bodies, showcasing your professional abilities to future employers.

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

The foundation of your career

95% of graduates from The Bartlett School of Planning are in employment or further study within 15 months of further study (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2017-2021).

They are now working in 44 countries around the world in careers across: 

  • Infrastructure fund management
  • Local, regional and national government
  • International financial institutions
  • International co-operation agencies
  • Investment banking
  • Infrastructure planning and community development
  • Academia
  • Consulting, both infrastructure related and more broadly
  • Construction industry
  • Research and academic institutions involved in the transport, energy, and housing sectors, as well as in urban, regional and environmental planning.

Graduate have gone on to take up positions working for Arcadis, Asper Investment Management, Morgan Sindall, Siemens, North Projects, London City Airport, Deloitte, Stantec, and more. Some have used their degree as a foundation for PhD research.

Alumni experiences

“As a graduate in urban planning, this programme was definitely a major stepping-stone for my future career in my entry to the professional field of private consulting. I found the programme to be well structured and provided a solid insight and understanding of the complex relationship between urbanised development and environmentally sustainable futures, with a specific focus on decision-making, risk management and practical planning and appraisal tools suited to 21st century large-scale infrastructure investment challenges.” - Helen Chen, Infrastructure Planning, Appraisal and Development MSc graduate.

Learn more about careers in planning and our alumni’s careers ►

 

Employability

You will gain many industry specific and transferable skills required to build your career in infrastructure appraisal and development. These include:
 

  • Tools and methods for stakeholder analysis, participation and engagement
  • Environmental Impact Assessment & Management, Life cycle analysis
  • Risk analysis and management
  • International business case development via the HMT’s 5-case model Project appraisal and evaluation, optioneering, Cost Benefit Analysis and Multi Criteria Decision Making, Natural Capital approaches
  • Policy analysis, scenario planning and strategic planning
  • Methods and tools for infrastructure funding and financing
  • Laws, legislation and consenting processes for Infrastructure Planning
  • Consultancy project planning, client liaison, and report writing

Working with dedicated specialists in UCL's Careers Service you will be supported in exploring your options, gaining valuable skills and experience, demonstrating your hands-on experience and guiding you through the job application process. 
 

Networking

Throughout your degree we invite leading experts and senior practitioners from a variety of sectors and disciplines, with 3-5 contributing to each of your taught modules.  Some of these speakers discuss their career paths during their presentations. Some also provide information on graduate recruitment opportunities within their companies. We encourage students to use these sessions to form links with industry to expand their professional networks.

The OMEGA Centre at the Bartlett School of Planning also hosts a seminar series on topics related to the planning, appraisal and delivery of mega infrastructure projects and their impacts on development. These are events have open invitation to staff, students, practitioners and the public, providing further opportunities to expand your professional network.

The Bartlett School of Planning and UCL's Careers Service 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 events and more.

Accreditation

Completing the MSc qualifies you for professional membership with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The course is also accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) as a 'specialist' fourth year for graduates of RTPI-accredited three-year undergraduate programs. Additionally, it is recognized by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) as a Further Learning program for holders of a Chartered Engineer (CEng) accredited first degree.

Teaching and learning

You will engage in interactive and hands-on learning. Our lectures, seminars and tutorials feature significant inputs from infrastructure planning practitioners. We include site visits, group project work and simulated consultancy exercises to enhance your learning experience.

You will be assessed through individual and group work, essays, examination and project work.

In terms 1 and 2 full-time students can typically expect between 8 and 15 contact hours per teaching week through lectures, workshops, tutorials and site visits. In term 3 students will be completing their own dissertation research, keeping regular contact with their dissertation supervisors. Outside of lectures full-time students typically study the equivalent of a full-time job, using their remaining time for self-directed study and completing coursework assignments.

A Postgraduate Diploma, seven core modules (105 credits), one optional/elective module (15 credits), full-time nine months and part-time 2 to 5 years is offered.

Modules

In term 1, you will explore infrastructure as an agent of change, risk analysis and management, strategic planning, and the development of business cases across financial, strategic, economic, management, and commercial domains. You will also learn the fundamentals of cost-benefit analysis and project appraisal, establishing the foundation for the master's program. Additionally, you will participate in a group project exercise focusing on a selected project from the UK's major infrastructure project pipeline to start honing your infrastructure planning skills.

In term 2, you will study financing and funding mechanisms for infrastructure, infrastructure policy, regulatory and consenting regimes, and choose between the multidimensional challenges of sustainable development or the environmental and social impact assessment of infrastructure. These topics build on the key concepts learned in term 1. You will also complete the group project exercise and prepare your dissertation proposal for term 3 and the summer. By the end of term 2, you must complete either Sustainability and Major Infrastructure Investments or Environmental Assessment and Management.

In consultation with the course director, you will choose one elective module in either term 1 or term 2 to follow your interests.

Term 3 and the summer are dedicated to examinations and the completion of your dissertation. This in-depth piece of work allows you to specialise in a topic of your choice at the forefront of major infrastructure development.

As a part-time student you will typically take your eight taught modules over a period of two years (four teaching terms) and will complete your dissertation in term 3 at the end of your second year.

Initially through your modules you will explore infrastructure as an agent of change, risk analysis and management, strategic planning, and the development of business cases across financial, strategic, economic, management, and commercial domains. You will also learn the fundamentals of cost-benefit analysis and project appraisal, establishing the foundation for the master's program. Additionally, you will participate in a group project exercise focusing on a selected project from the UK's major infrastructure project pipeline to start honing your infrastructure planning skills.

You will also study financing and funding mechanisms for infrastructure, infrastructure policy, regulatory and consenting regimes, and choose between the multidimensional challenges of sustainable development or the environmental and social impact assessment of infrastructure. These topics build on the key concepts learned initially.

In consultation with the course director, you will choose one elective module to follow your interests.

In your final year you will complete your dissertation. This in-depth piece of work allows you to specialise in a topic of your choice at the forefront of major infrastructure development.

Modular/flexible students can take their eight modules during term time and after completing this will move to their dissertation research. The modular/flexible approach can be completed in 2-5 years.

Initially through your modules you will explore infrastructure as an agent of change, risk analysis and management, strategic planning, and the development of business cases across financial, strategic, economic, management, and commercial domains. You will also learn the fundamentals of cost-benefit analysis and project appraisal, establishing the foundation for the master's program. Additionally, you will participate in a group project exercise focusing on a selected project from the UK's major infrastructure project pipeline to start honing your infrastructure planning skills.

You will also study financing and funding mechanisms for infrastructure, infrastructure policy, regulatory and consenting regimes, and choose between the multidimensional challenges of sustainable development or the environmental and social impact assessment of infrastructure. These topics build on the key concepts learned initially.

In consultation with the course director, you will choose one elective module to follow your interests.

In your final year you will complete your dissertation. This in-depth piece of work allows you to specialise in a topic of your choice at the forefront of major infrastructure development.

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 Infrastructure Planning, Appraisal and Development. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a PG Dip in Infrastructure Planning, Appraisal and Development.

Fieldwork

The course includes a residential field trip to explore degree themes in real-world contexts. This trip provides an opportunity to examine infrastructure planning and development issues firsthand while networking with fellow students. In recent years, students have visited significant European infrastructure projects and received presentations from senior professionals, civil servants, and academics on case studies such as France's High-Speed TGV network, the Port of Hamburg, the Öresund Link between Sweden and Denmark, and more.

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 Services team.

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All open days and events

22 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0QB - Open day

Graduate Open Events: The Bartlett Postgraduate In-Person Open Evening

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Join us for an open evening at The Bartlett. Explore our graduate courses, discuss your options with academic staff, learn about scholarship opportunities and hear from our current students and alumni.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £18,400 £9,200
Tuition fees (2025/26) £36,500 £18,250

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

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

For flexible/modular offer holders a £500 fee deposit will be charged.

There is no fee deposit required for PG Dip and PG Cert applicants.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

This course includes one field trip. Travel and accommodation (including breakfast) for the trip will be covered by UCL, however students will need to cover the costs for visas, other daily meals and any other personal expenses. The exact costs will depend on the location and prevailing exchange rates; however, it is estimated that students would need to budget between £200 and £300.

During the course we will also attend site visits across London. Students will need to pay for their own transport to sites. Based on visits last year you should expect to budget up to £60 across the year to access sites by public transport. Sites are always within the TFL travel zones, and full-time students should be able to benefit from a student Oyster card for slightly discounted travel rates.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your 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.

Information on additional funding you may be eligible for is available from The Bartlett School of Planning and The Bartlett 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: 28 March 2025
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 2025
Value: Tuition fees plus £15,864 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. Further information can be found at Application fees.

To support you in the application process we’ve written a guide on writing an urban planning personal statement.

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Infrastructure Planning, Appraisal and Development at graduate level
  • why you want to study Infrastructure Planning, Appraisal and Development at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to the chosen programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

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: 2025-2026

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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