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Spatial Planning Degree Apprenticeship MSc

London, Bloomsbury

UCL’s Spatial Planning Degree Apprenticeship MSc is designed to advance your career in planning, blending UCL's Spatial Planning MSc studies with supported workplace learning and practical experience. This urban planning degree meets the UK government’s Chartered Town Planning Apprenticeship standard, so successfully completing the course will award you both a Spatial Planning MSc and Chartered Town Planner (MRTPI) status.

UK students International students
Study mode
Flexible
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£24,100
Programme only available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£24,100
Programme only available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
Not applicable
Up To 5 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

Candidates must have a sponsoring employer based in England who will employ them in a planning role and is prepared to provide a work place mentor and enter into an employer agreement with UCL. Applicants who do not have this arrangement may be interested in applying for the Spatial Planning MSc instead. All candidates must hold a Level 2 award (e.g. GCSE graded A*-C) in Mathematics and English. Ordinarily, candidates must also hold an undergraduate degree in any discipline classified 2:1 or above (or equivalent). However, the programme is open to applicants who do not have a 2:1 or above or do not hold a first degree at all where they are able to demonstrate at least five years of professional experience in planning or a related field. In such situations, a special qualifying essay will 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

As a degree apprenticeship, learning at the university is complemented by 'on the job' learning in from your workplace sponsor to become a chartered town planner.

Spatial planning is about managing space and developing places to meet societal, economic, and environmental needs. The Spatial Planning MSc degree explores the interaction and evolution of people, places, and the environment. You will delve into urban and regional planning issues in the UK, understanding current systems and comparing them globally. By investigating spatial and comparative perspectives, you'll learn the necessity for integrated planning solutions to achieve sustainable development goals. Understanding the social and physical dynamics, you'll appreciate how actions shape places. This knowledge, combined with ethical considerations, equips you to create planned interventions on urban and regional scales.

During the Spatial Planning Degree Apprenticeship MSc you will:

  • Develop practical skills to address planning challenges in your future career, supported by a conceptual understanding of essential theories and workplace experience.
  • Get hands-on experience of real-world spatial planning challenges through a residential field trip and site visits across London.
  • Explore your own interests, choosing elective modules to specialise in: Infrastructure Planning; Investigating Urban Transformation in Historic Cities; Planning for Housing; Planning for Sustainability, Climate Change and Inclusion; Planning for Urban Design; Smart City Theory and Practice; Sustainable Development Themes and Goals; or Urban Regeneration.
  • Learn from academic experts actively shaping the field of planning through innovative research and education.
  • Gain an RTPI accredited postgraduate qualification and level up your career by becoming a Chartered Town Planner.
  • Earn a salary whilst studying, working for your sponsor outside of university.

Who this course is for

The apprenticeship is designed for graduates of any undergraduate degree who wish to pursue a career in planning or gain professional status as a chartered planner. To enrol, you must have an offer of employment from a sponsoring employer in England, who will hire you as an apprentice and provide a mentor for the workplace learning component, or already be employed by a sponsoring employer who will support your attendance and upskilling. An employer agreement must be established between the employer and UCL. Before applying, you must secure a sponsoring employer as we do not currently offer assistance in finding employers.

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

What this course will give you

Gain workplace ready skills alongside an MSc
The degree apprenticeship equips graduates with a wide range of skills beneficial to employability including planning-specific skills, for example, an appreciation of policymaking and implementation, of spatial analysis, basic principles of urban design, social research and plan-making and decision-making processes. Graduates will also gain transferable skills such as group work, independent research, communication skills including presentation and writing, and problem solving skills.

Study at a world-class planning school
You will learn from experts at The Bartlett School of Planning, whose innovative research is shaping spatial planning. 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 living laboratory for your planning studies
Situated in the heart of London, we utilise the city as a ‘living laboratory’ to bring together theory and practice, with a long history of developing the reflective professional planners of the future. London is also the best city for students in the world (QS Best Student Cities 2025).

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

The foundation of your career

96.4% of graduates from Spatial Planning MSc are in employment or further study within 15 months of graduation (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2017-2021).

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

  • Local and national government 
  • Consultancy
  • Planning, urban regeneration and environmental agencies
  • Housing and transport sectors 
  • Public and private utility companies
  • Think tanks and public policy organisations 
  • Environmental campaign groups
  • Teaching and research

Employers of our Spatial Planning MSc alumni include Iceni projects; London Borough of Newham; the UK government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities; Savills, Quod Planning and Development consultancy; Aecom; Buro Happold; Building Design Partnership; Lend Lease; The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.

Learn more about careers in planning and our alumni careers ►

Employability

The degree will equip you with a wide range of planning skills ready for your future career including:

  • Policymaking and implementation 
  • Spatial analysis 
  • Urban design 
  • Social research and plan-making 
  • Decision-making processes

You will also gain transferable skills, such as group work, independent research, communication skills including presentation and writing, and problem solving.

Networking

The Bartlett School of Planning, in collaboration with UCL’s dedicated Careers Network, is here to help you explore career options, gain valuable skills and experience, and guide you through the job application process. You will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of events and training tailored to your industry, including alumni and industry insight panels, career taster sessions, masterclasses, careers fairs, peer and alumni networking, and more.

Accreditation

Spatial Planning Degree Apprenticeship MSc incorporates an MSc degree fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and an End Point Assessment which involves the assessment of professional competence to become a fully chartered town planner as a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI). The degree element of the course is also eligible for accreditation by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Students successfully completing the MSc in Spatial Planning are eligible for licentiate membership of either or both bodies, regardless of the subject focus of their undergraduate degree, but the RTPI status is an integral part of the degree apprenticeship whereas RICS licentiate membership could be organised by a graduate after completing their studies if they wanted.

Teaching and learning

The course offers a multi-disciplinary education that spans the social sciences along with elements of urban design. It 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 degree which gives students both conceptual understanding, and the skills needed to tackle practical problems of urban and regional planning in practice.

Throughout the degree you will be assessed through individual and group work, essays, examination, skills-based practical work, and the dissertation. For the End Point Assessment, you undertake a professional discussion and complete a written practical experience and professional development portfolio.

In terms one and two of the first 2 years of study students will typically attend UCL one day per week for between 5-6 hours contact time and the rest of the day dedicated to self-directed study. Outside of days at UCL, students will be working at their usual job. They may choose to spend additional time completing self-directed study and completing coursework assignments.

In the third year, students focus on workplace learning and working towards the completion of the End Point Assessment to become fully chartered town planners. There is no requirement for them to attend UCL in this period, but they should keep in regular contact with supervisors.

Modules

All students take the degree apprenticeship on what is termed a ‘modular/flexible’ basis. This means studying on a part-time basis with the taught modules generally expected to take two years and the End Point Assessment a third year. Although students are generally expected to complete in three years, there is flexibility to take up to five years if personal circumstances require.

Years one and two involve part-time completion of the MSc Spatial Planning modules, and the apprenticeship specific skills module.

In year one, students take the following core modules between September and June:

  • Spatial Planning: Concepts and Contexts
  • Spatial Planning: Critical Practice
  • Urban Design: Placemaking
  • From Strategic Vision to Urban Plan

In year two, students take the following core modules between September and September:

  • Pillars of Planning: Economics
  • Pillars of Planning: Politics and Sociology
  • Dissertation in Planning

They also take two linked optional modules (which are taken as pairs) from the following choices:

  • Governance for Sustainability and Inclusion and Participatory Urban Planning Project or Governance for Urban Sustainability: Project
  • Sustainable Urban Development Key Themes and Sustainable Development Goals & Spatial Planning
  • Urban Problems and Problematics and Case Studies in Preparing Regeneration Projects
  • Urban Design: Layout, Density and Typology and Urban Design: Guidance, Incentive and Control
  • Planning for Housing: Process and Planning for Housing: Project
  • Infrastructures as Agents of Change and Critical Issues in Infrastructure Funding, Finance and Investment
  • Planning Discourses for Urban Development in Historic Cities and Neighbourhoods and Planning Practices for Urban Development in Historic Cities and Neighbourhoods
  • Smart Systems Theory and Smart Cities: Context, Policy and Government

In the third year, students focus on workplace learning and working towards the completion of the End Point Assessment to become fully chartered town planners.

Please see the links to our module catalogue below for further details about each module.

Compulsory modules











Optional 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 Spatial Planning Degree Apprenticeship.

Fieldwork

The course features a week-long European residential field trip where you will explore spatial planning themes in various real-world contexts. This trip provides an opportunity to examine built environment issues first hand and to network with fellow students and faculty as a course community.

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

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Master's Degrees at The Bartlett Development Planning Unit (Session 1)

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Discover master’s degrees in architecture, urban design, planning, construction, sustainability, innovation, and policy at The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment. Our programmes offer pathways to shape better cities, build sustainable communities, and address challenges facing the future of the built environment. Join over 4,000 students from 50+ countries at the world’s #1 ranked institution for built environment studies (QS World University Rankings 2024).

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Master's Degrees at The Bartlett School of Planning

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Discover master’s degrees in architecture, urban design, planning, construction, sustainability, innovation, and policy at The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment. Our programmes offer pathways to shape better cities, build sustainable communities, and address challenges facing the future of the built environment. Join over 4,000 students from 50+ countries at the world’s #1 ranked institution for built environment studies (QS World University Rankings 2024).

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Master's Degrees at The Bartlett Development Planning Unit (Session 2)

—

Discover master’s degrees in architecture, urban design, planning, construction, sustainability, innovation, and policy at The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment. Our programmes offer pathways to shape better cities, build sustainable communities, and address challenges facing the future of the built environment. Join over 4,000 students from 50+ countries at the world’s #1 ranked institution for built environment studies (QS World University Rankings 2024).

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £24,100
Tuition fees (2025/26) £24,100

Programme only 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

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

As a degree apprenticeship, the costs of the programme can be covered through central government's apprenticeship levy, with the student apprentice also undertaking paid work for a planning organisation alongside their studies. To be eligible, students must have a sponsoring employer in England, who will employ them in a planning related role for the three-year duration of the apprenticeship

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

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Spatial Planning at graduate level
  • why you want to study Spatial Planning 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 by becoming a chartered town planner

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.

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

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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