Urban Studies BSc
London, Bloomsbury
Urban Studies BSc (2025)
This programme, which accepts only a small number of students each year, has been designed with a range of professional career opportunities in mind. It offers great flexibility for students curious to explore a broader range of studies relating to the built environment, as well as other related subjects offered elsewhere in UCL.
Study mode
Duration
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
Programme starts
September 2024Application deadline
31 Jan 2024UCAS course code
Entry requirements
- Grades
- AAB
- Subjects
- Economics, Geography, Government and Politics, History and Sociology preferred.
- GCSEs
- English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 5.
Contextual offer information
- Grades
- BBB more about contextual offers
- Subjects
- Economics, Geography, Government and Politics, History and Sociology preferred.
- 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
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 ABB.
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
This programme equips students with a core understanding of urbanism and the built environment which can be combined with a wide range of disciplines and fields of studies across UCL.
The programme shares common modules with the Urban Planning, Design and Management BSc and the Urban Planning and Real Estate BSc, but it allows a more flexible mode of study. In addition to a specified number of core modules, students are free to choose from eligible modules across the faculty and university in the second and third years.
Core modules are structured around the three streams of understanding, managing and delivering urban change. In these modules, 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.
The programme offers the opportunity to study overseas for a term in the second year. 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.
Over the second and third years, Urban Studies students can choose seven eligible and related modules from across The Bartlett and UCL.
What this course will give you
This BSc degree provides a broad-based education in urbanism and the built environment, offering flexibility to choose additional related modules across UCL and benefit from the wide educational offerings across the university.
The Bartlett has a strong history of research and leading policy advisory work. It places itself at the heart of international debates on the future of cities and regions.
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 School has a strong 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 Studies.
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.
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 have the opportunity to go on two extended field trips during their degree, in their first year and their third year. These field trips are part of taught modules and therefore when selecting modules, BSc Urban Studies students would need to take this into account, should they wish to join the field trip. The cost of these field trips is included in the students' fees. 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.
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.
The total number of hours per module and the balance between contact time and independent study might vary for modules taken outside the Bartlett School of Planning.
Assessment
Your final marks will reflect your success in a wide range of assessment types including essays, individual and group reports, urban design outputs such as posters and models, presentations, and a small number of exams. This is a distinctive feature of our planning programmes, and of The Bartlett's approach in particular. As an Urban Studies student, the balance of your assessments will depend on the optional modules that you choose in the second and third years.
Details of Year 1 modules are shown below. In your second and third years you will take some modules from the UPRE and UPDM degree courses and can choose your remaining modules from those offered by the Faculty of the Built Environment or other departments at UCL.
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
Graduates work in a vast range of positions in the private, public and third sectors within the built environment and urbanism disciplines (such as planning, property, urban design, economic development, housing, transport, and regeneration), as well as in other sectors where their analytical, negotiating, problem-solving and creative skills are valued.
Employability
The programme enables you to acquire highly transferable knowledge and skills such as data collection, analysis and presentation, graphic skills, resolution of 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 does not lead to eligibility for professional membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) or Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). If students are interested in gaining these accreditations, they would be advised to choose one of our sister programmes, the Urban Planning, Design and Management BSc or the Urban Planning and Real Estate BSc. Alternatively, students can apply for a suitable accredited Master's programme following graduation, which would be an alternative route leading to eligibility for professional membership.
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
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 of your second year of studies, 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 the 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.
Scholarships
Funding opportunities relevant to the department may appear in this section when they are available. Please check carefully or confirm with the programme contact to ensure they apply to this degree programme and 2024/25 entry.
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Bartlett Promise Undergraduate Scholarship
Deadline: 5 July 2024Value: Tuition fees plus £15,364 maintenance/yr (Duration of programme)Criteria Based on financial needEligibility: UK
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 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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