MSc Planning

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2027, the tuition fees are as follows:

• MSc (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £13,200
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £28,100
• MSc (part-time)
  UK students (per annum): £6,600
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £14,100

The fees quoted above are fully inclusive of tuition, administration and computational costs.

Fees for entry are subject to yearly review. The University reserves the right to increase your tuition fee by up to 7% each year for courses lasting more than one year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our educational and wider student experience. Postgraduate fees information .

Always contact the admissions team if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

International student CAS deposit

Self-funded international applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2500 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. Some applicants will be required to pay a higher deposit. More information on tuition fee deposits .

An overseas field visit is an optional part of the course.

Please note there is a student contribution towards the cost of the trip depending on the location.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.

Learn more about - student finance options for UK students.

Learn more about - fees and finance for international students.

Graduates of The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University can receive a 10% discount on their master's degree tuition fees as part of our Manchester Alumni Loyalty Discount scheme.

This module enables students to appreciate the interactive nature of infrastructure provision and spatial planning in the complex policy-making environment of England, with a specific focus on national significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) and strategic planning for infrastructure and housing. The delivery of the course unit includes a combination of lectures, practice-based project work, discussion sessions and special guest lectures from policymakers and practitioners on the development of different infrastructure sectors.

1. Conceptualise the relationship between strategic spatial planning, spatial forms and 
infrastructure provision and how it is shaped by the changing socio-economic and political contexts. 
2. Introduce the process, actors, resources and governance of strategic planning for major infrastructure and housing, and to highlight the tension between achieving economic competitiveness, sustainable development and spatial equity. 
3. Provide a critical understanding of the approaches, drivers, delivery and outcomes of planning for infrastructure projects.
4. Provide a critical understanding of the current policy frameworks and financing mechanisms for infrastructure and housing in England. 

Lectures from academics and practitioners (10 x 3 hour session) including short interactive elements involving group discussion of key concepts and Q&A with guest speakers. The initial series of lectures cover the key academic theories and policy knowledge of the strategic planning system for infrastructure and housing to provide the grounding for students to undertake their groupwork assignment. Later in the course unit there are a number of practitioner-led (guest) lectures to show how these concepts and policies are translated into action in different policy sectors.

Group project presentation 2 hours: interactive workshop with ppt presentation and live Q&A session

Group tutorial / feedback sessions to help prepare for group presentation (2x 0.5 hour session)

Essay surgeries (2 x 1 hour sessions) to help students prepare for their individual assignment.

Examine the relationship between spatial form and the provision of infrastructure in strategic spatial planning.
Critically evaluate the tensions and dilemmas faced by planners engaged in strategic planning for infrastructure and housing.
 

Analyse the relationship between actors and governance arrangements for major infrastructure projects and housing.
Critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of  policy frameworks for major and local infrastructure and housing planning in England.

Communicate arguments a variety of forms to a professional standard and that are accessible to the policy community
Appraise data and information from a variety of relevant  sources including national policy.

Appreciate the importance of working constructively with others in a professional planning context 

• Group presentation 10 minutes (25%)
• An individual essay (2,000 words) (75%)

Presentation: Oral feedback in class, as well as written feedback online in line with Faculty guidance

Individual essay: Online in line with Faculty policy

Information is provided for each session on more detailed reading and key policy documents are made available with online library links on the VLE. Key readings include:

•    National Infrastructure Planning website: http://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/
•    National Infrastructure Commission website: https://nic.org.uk/
•    National Policy Statements: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/legislation-and-advice/national-policy-statements/
•    National Planning Policy Framework (the latest version is 2024): 
•    Town Planning Review 2014 Special Issue on ‘Planning for Infrastructure: transitional pathways for lagging regions’, edited by M Baker, B Webb and C Wong. (7 papers in this issue)
•    Flyvbjerg, B (2005) Policy and Planning for Large Infrastructure Projects: Problems, Causes, Cures, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 3781. 
•    Hall, P. (1980) Great Planning Disasters, Penguin Books, Harmonsworth.
•    Marshall, T. (2013) Planning Major Infrastructure: A Critical Analysis, Routledge, London.