Urban Planning and Real Estate BSc
London, Bloomsbury
Urban Planning and Real Estate BSc (2024)
The Urban Planning and Real Estate BSc teaches urban planning and design combined with expertise in property markets, investment decisions and real estate economics. This undergraduate degree, accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), will teach you the skills ready for a career in real estate, property development, or urban planning.
Study mode
Duration
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
Programme starts
September 2025Application deadline
29 Jan 2025UCAS course code
Entry requirements
- Grades
- AAB
- Subjects
- Geography, Mathematics, Economics, Business, and History preferred.
- GCSEs
- English Language at grade C or 4, plus Mathematics at grade B or 6.
Contextual offer information
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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
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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 AAB.
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
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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
Our towns and cities are constantly evolving. From the development of new homes to ensuring communities have access to essential services, urban planning and real estate markets make the built environment and shape our experiences of where we live. As an Urban Planning and Real Estate BSc student at UCL you will gain an understanding of how our towns and cities are made. You will learn about the social, economic and environmental factors that form the urban environments we live in, and acquire specialist knowledge in real estate investment, development and appraisal.
During this accredited degree, you will learn about theories, methodologies, skills, and techniques used widely in urban planning, design, and real estate professions. Your modules will teach you about understanding, managing and delivering urban change, as well as real estate economics, management, investment, development and appraisal. You will gain hands-on experience applying this knowledge through project work, site visits and field trips. Ready to kick-start your career, you will also have the opportunity to undertake a 2-week work experience placement with London-based employers.
Studying at the UK #1 School of Planning (Guardian Good University Guide), you will benefit from the vast experience of our academic team, along with our longstanding partnerships with industry, local governments and communities. As a constantly evolving urban environment at the heart of real estate investment and development, London is an ideal location for planning and real estate studies. The city offers unrivalled professional networking opportunities, with a wealth of seminars, conferences, exhibitions and events that will enrich your education.
What this course will give you
During your degree, you will learn essential theories, methodologies and skills used widely by urban planning and real estate professionals, and receive training in tools used industry-wide, for example QGIS, Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Excel for valuation. You will put theory into practice by gaining hands-on experience in urban and real estate challenges through fieldwork and site visits.
You will also have the opportunity to undertake a two-week voluntary work experience, drawing from a pool of London-based planning and real estate employers. To explore further possibilities for your future career, you will participate in workshops from our school’s Career’s Co-ordinator and the UCL Careers Service.
Once you fulfil the learning requirements to apply for professional membership with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, or with an additional year of study, you will be eligible for professional membership with the Royal Town Planning Institute.
Becoming a student of the Bartlett School of Planning means you will study at the UK’s #1 Planning school (The Guardian University Guide 2024), benefitting from research-led education from leading practitioners in the field, and you will study in London, the world’s best city for students (QS Best Student Cities 2024). You also have the option to study abroad, subject to academic performance in Year 1, and an opportunity to take 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.
Teaching and learning
In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual compulsory modules, normally valued at 15 credits, adding up to 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken.
Upon successful completion of 360 credits, you will be awarded a BSc (Hons) in Urban Planning and Real Estate.
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.
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Whilst studying this accredited degree full-time, each year you will take eight compulsory modules on urban planning and real estate. You will have the option to apply to study abroad for a term in your second year. In the third term of the third year, a voluntary two-week work experience placement is offered, drawing from our pool of employers.
Your learning
Our teaching is very interactive and practical. Alongside lectures, seminars and tutorials we include site visits, group project work, and studio and design work sessions to enrich your learning experience.
Students go on field trips during the first and third years of their studies. The cost of travel and accommodation on these trips is covered by the School. In addition, many modules include fieldwork or site visits as part of the 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.
You will study 8 modules in each of the three years. Each module typically involves a total of 150 hours of study, including lectures, seminars, workshops, groupwork and private study. Each module has 2-4 hours of contact time with academics per week.
Assessment
Methods of assessment include a combination of individual and group work, essays, project work and other skills-based practical work, and examinations. Assignments are spread throughout Terms 1 and 2 of each year. Most modules comprise two assignments, or one piece of coursework plus an exam.
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
Demand for people with planning skills combined with knowledge of the real estate sector in the UK and abroad is strong. Graduates will be equipped to take up employment in a vast range of positions within the property and planning professions where their analytical, negotiating and problem-solving skills will be valued.
Our planning students go on to work for a range of employers in the private, public and third sectors, including property companies, surveying firms, planning consultancies, developers, in the civil service, and in local and international non-governmental organisations. Due to the nature of our BSc programmes as a route for eligible membership of RICS/RTPI, many of our students go on to further study.
(HESA Graduate Outcomes surveys 2017-2021)
Employability
This programme enables you to acquire highly transferable knowledge and skills such as data collection, analysis and presentation, graphic skills, the ability to resolve 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
After graduation you are eligible to apply for the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) which leads to full professional membership of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). This BSc, if followed by an appropriate Graduate Diploma or MSc programme, leads to eligibility for professional membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
Fees and funding
Fees for this course
| 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 UK 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, real estate, society, economy, environment. In your application you can 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, quantitative subjects (such as maths), 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.
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 webpage 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. This will typically include an introduction to UCL and the School of Planning, a presentation on UCL accommodation and finance, a taster lecture delivered by an academic in the School of Planning, a tour of the campus with current students, and an interactive Q&A session with members of staff and current students.
Got questions? Get in touch
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