Home

Spatial Planning Degree Apprenticeship MSc

London, Bloomsbury

The Spatial Planning Degree Apprenticeship MSc combines the educational elements of UCL's existing Spatial Planning MSc with supported workplace learning and practical experience meeting the requirements of the RTPI's Chartered Town Planning Apprenticeship standard. Successful completion of the apprenticeship will give you a Spatial Planning MSc and the status of being a Chartered Town Planner (MRTPI) having gained practical experience in the workplace.

UK students International students
Study mode
Flexible
UK tuition fees (2022/23)
£19,400
Programme only available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2022/23)
£19,400
Programme only available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
Not applicable
3 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2022
Applications accepted
All applicants: 18 Oct 2021 – 29 Jul 2022

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 senior-level professional experience in planning or a related field. In such situations, evidence of prior knowledge and experience will be required and will be assessed via completion of a qualifying pro-forma assessment of this prior knowledge and experience.

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Good

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. International Preparation Courses

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 analyse the definition of, and solutions to, urban and regional planning problems and the nature of existing planning systems and practices in the United Kingdom. We focus on the British tradition of planning in the programme. Emphasis is placed on the importance of a spatial and comparative perspective to planning and the need for integrated solutions to planning problems and the achievement of sustainable development.

Who this course is for

The apprenticeship is primarily for graduates of any undergraduate degree who wish to make a career in planning or gain professional status as a chartered planner. In order to join the programme, an applicant will need to have an offer of employment from a sponsoring employer in England, who will employ them as an apprentice and provide a mentor for the workplace learning element of the apprenticeship, or already be employed by a sponsoring employer in England who will support them to attend the course and upskill. An employer agreement needs to be made between the employer and UCL in relation to this. Applicants MUST already have the sponsoring employer in place. UCL does not currently offer a service for applicants to find employers.

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

What this course will give you

The Bartlett School of Planning (BSP), UCL has a strong history of teaching and research. It has been at the forefront of planning research and teaching for 100 years and is one of the foremost planning schools in the United Kingdom, with an international reputation. Based in the heart of London there is much for students to learn from being at the cutting-edge of policy-relevant critical debate, empirical study and research-led teaching. The staff profile is multidisciplinary and teaching staff 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.

Although situated within global and European contexts, the focus for the programme is primarily the UK, and particularly London. London is a complex setting that provides the natural and most accessible laboratory for BSP students. An emphasis on understanding the social and physical world will lead to a greater appreciation of how action or intervention shapes place. There is also a concern with ethical issues as a framework for planned intervention.

As a degree apprenticeship, this programme combines the excellent educational inputs of the long established Spatial Planning MSc degree with workplace experience and learning, leading to the fulfilment of all the knowledge, skills and behaviours necessary to become a fully chartered town planner in England (MRTPI).

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

The foundation of your career

The programme equips graduates with a wide range of skills beneficial to employability including planning-specific skills, for example, an appreciation of policy-making 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.

Employability

Graduates of the Spatial Planning MSc have been very successful in gaining subsequent employment, including core public and private sector planning careers (such as local government and local, national and international consultancies), as well as the housing and transport sectors; planning, urban regeneration and environmental agencies; public and private utility companies; think tanks and public policy organisations; environmental campaign groups; and teaching and research.

Accreditation

The MSc Spatial Planning is fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through individual and group project work, skills-based practical and IT work, lectures, tutorials and seminars. A short field course based in a European city outside the UK will take place in the second term. Assessment is through individual and group work, essays, examination, skills-based practical work, and the dissertation.

A usual requirement is to attend UCL one day per week for contact time and self-directed study.

Modules

Flexible

Students study the programme over three years.

Years one and two involve part-time completion of the MSc Spatial Planning modules, and the apprenticeship specific skills module. Students take five modules in year one (BPLN0037, BPLN0042, BPLN0043, BPLN0047, BPLN0107) between October and June. Students take BPLN0002, their two specialism modules and the dissertation (BPLN0039) in year two between October and September. 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 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.

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 School of Planning hope to run field trips as part of the programme in 2022-23, however these may be subject to restriction due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, for example it might be possible to offer a UK field trip rather than one to elsewhere in Europe. Students will be kept updated on plans.

In Term 1, we would usually offer a short overnight field trip to a British city outside London. In Term 2, there would normally be a week-long field trip to a European city outside the UK, for example Copenhagen or Delft/Amsterdam. The trips cover a range of spatial planning themes, linking directly to the Master's programme. Part-time students would need to be available to attend the trips during their first year of study.

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 & Wellbeing team.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2022/23) £19,400
Tuition fees (2022/23) £19,400

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

The cost of the field trip (flights 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

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
Scholarships relevant to this department are displayed below.

Bartlett Promise Scholarship - Master's

Applications Open: 1 March 2022. Deadline: 31 May 2022
Value: Tuition fees plus £15,364 maintenance/yr (Duration of programme)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Bartlett School of Planning Centenary Scholarship

Deadline: 30 June 2022
Value: £9,200 towards tuition fees (1 year)
Criteria Based on both academic merit and 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.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes in any application cycle.

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Bartlett School of Planning Department
Bartlett School of Planning Department

bartlett.pgt-admissions@ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.

This page was last updated 28 Sep 2021