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Urban Planning, Design and Management BSc

London, Bloomsbury
Urban Planning, Design and Management BSc (2023)

Urban planning is concerned with the complex management of change within the built and natural environment. This programme, accredited by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), mapped to the Planning and Development pathway, and recognised by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), gives you the skills to work in both traditional planning careers and in various related professional and specialist areas.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
Duration
3 academic years
UK tuition fees (2023/24)
£9,250
Overseas tuition fees (2023/24)
£32,100
Programme starts
September 2024
Application deadline
31 Jan 2024
UCAS course code
K421
Apply via UCAS

Entry requirements

A levels IB Diploma Other qualifications
Grades
AAB
Subjects
No specific subjects. At least two A level subjects should be taken from UCL's list of preferred A level subjects.
GCSEs
English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 5.

Contextual offer information

Grades
BBB more about contextual offers
Subjects
No specific subjects. At least two A level subjects should be taken from UCL's list of preferred A level subjects.
GCSEs
English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 5.
Points
36
Subjects
A total of 17 points in three higher level subjects, with no higher level score below 5.

Contextual offer

Points
32 more about contextual offers
Subjects
A total of 15 points in three higher level subjects, with no higher level score below 5.

UK applicants qualifications

For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:

Equivalent qualification

BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (QCF) or BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (RQF - teaching from 2016) with Distinction, Distinction, Distinction.

Pass in Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 30 credits at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit, all from Level 3 units.

Successful completion of the WBQ Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate plus 2 GCE A levels at grades ABB.

A,A,B at Advanced Highers (or A,A at Advanced Higher and B,B,B at Higher)

D3,D3,M1 in three Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

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.
Check your Access UCL Scheme eligibility

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

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

The programme is structured carefully to equip students with a coherent understanding of urbanism and the built environment with a focus on the role of urban planning, urban design and urban management.

Core modules are structured around three streams of understanding, managing and delivering urban change, with specialist modules covering transport, climate change, rural planning, urban regeneration and real estate. The hands-on project-based stream "Delivering Urban Change" is designed to allow students to put into practice the knowledge gained through the two other streams.

Students will become familiar with theories, methodologies, skills, and techniques taken from the social sciences, urban planning and urban design disciplines. The aim is to develop critical and creative thinking about space and place as the basis for action and intervention.

In the first two years students follow eight core modules a year, one of which is related to an urban planning specialism. In the final year, students specialise in urban design, regeneration and transport.

The programme offers the opportunity to study overseas for one term in the second year as part of the degree. The school has long-established links with many universities in Europe, as well as a growing list in the USA, Australia and the Asia-Pacific.

This programme shares common modules with the BSc in Urban Studies and the BSc in Urban Planning and Real Estate. Students can move freely between the three programmes up until the end of their first term, as long as they have met the entry requirements for the programme to which they wish to transfer.

What this course will give you

This programme offers students a broad-based education in the built environment with an opportunity to specialise in planning and urban design. It provides students with a route towards professional accreditation by the two most internationally recognised professional bodies for built environment professionals in the UK.

The Bartlett's strong track record in academic research and policy advisory work, as well as our links to professional practice, feed into the core and specialist aspects of the programme, ensuring that contemporary challenges and issues in theory and practice are addressed.

Based in London, we are able to offer our students a range of fascinating 'live projects' to use as case studies in their academic work, access to a diverse range of employers, and an unrivalled concentration of professional meetings, seminars, conferences, exhibitions and events.

The Bartlett maintains an international outlook and provides opportunities for combined study overseas in Europe, North America, Australia and Hong Kong.

Teaching and learning

In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

Upon successful completion of 360 credits, you will be awarded a BSc (Hons) in Urban Planning, Design and Management.

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.

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Compulsory modules










Compulsory modules










Compulsory modules










Your learning

The School of Planning advocates and employs a very interactive, hands-on form of learning. Alongside lectures, seminars and tutorials we include field visits, group project work, and laboratory and design work sessions to improve your learning experience.

Students go on extended field trips during their undergraduate degree, in the first and third years. In addition, many modules include fieldwork, site visits or day trips 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.

Students study eight modules in each of the three years. Each module typically requires a total of 150 hours of study, including lectures, seminars, workshops, groupwork and private study. Each module has 2 - 4 hours contact time with academic staff per week.

Assessment

Methods of assessment include a combination of individual and group work, essays, examinations, project work, urban design projects and other skill-based practical work such as graphic communication skills, presentations, and film-making.

Assignments are spread across term 1 and term 2 of each year. Examinations take place in term 3. The broad range of assessment types is a distinctive feature of our planning programmes, and of The Bartlett's approach in particular.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.

Visit us

All open days and events

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UCL Main Campus, Gower St, London WC1E 6AE, UK - Open day

UCL Undergraduate Open Days

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Join us on Friday 30 June or Saturday 01 July and experience was it is like to study at UCL. The in-person Open Days are an opportunity to tour our campus, accommodation and facilities. You can learn more about the programmes of study and the wide range of support services available and meet academics and students to help you decide if UCL is the place for you.

The foundation of your career

Graduates find work in a vast range of positions in planning, property, urban design, economic development, housing, transport, and regeneration as well as other diverse sectors where their analytical, negotiating and problem-solving skills are valued. Demand for people with planning skills in the UK and abroad is strong. 

Our students go on to work in the private, public, and third sector including planning, urban design, and infrastructure development consultancy firms, property development companies, local government, civil service, and national 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 graduates also go on to further study.

Employability

The 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, team work and leadership, managing work tasks, preparing and writing professional reports, as well as written, graphic and oral presentation skills.

Accreditation

This BSc, if followed by an appropriate Graduate Diploma or MSc programme, leads to eligibility for professional membership of the the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). 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).

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2023/24) £9,250
Tuition fees (2023/24) £32,100

The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2023/24 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 2023/24 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

This programme does not have any additional costs apart from purchasing books or stationery, printing or photocopying. If you are selected for the voluntary study abroad programme in Term 2, you are responsible for the costs associated with this.

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

Funding may be available from the Bartlett School of Planning or Bartlett Faculty Office.

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.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

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

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.

You may be asked to submit an essay in support of 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 page: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/admissions-enquiries, if you need further advice about the acceptability of non-standard qualifications.

We aim to invite offer-holders living in or near 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.

Apply via UCAS
Application guidelines
Download prospectus

Got questions? Get in touch

Bartlett School of Planning
Bartlett School of Planning

Admissions enquiries

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