MSc Urban Design and International Planning

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

• MSc (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £14,900
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £32,000

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 .

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.

• Issues of analysing international planning systems through a comparative perspective 
• Definitions and conceptual concerns regarding international planning terminology 
• Historical foundations of planning practice, including legal, administrative and institutional frameworks 
• Country-specific case studies from Europe, Americas and Asia 
 

The unit aims to:
• provide a grounded theoretical understanding of how the planning system and 
legal arrangements are shaped by the social, political, administrative and economic 
contexts. 
• utilise a cross-national comparative perspective to develop critical thinking skills related to how planning policy and practice travel across different contexts. 
• examine planning approaches and their underlying design concepts in selected 
countries drawn from Asia, the Americas and Europe covering the global south and 
north. 
• develop the critical skills and logical reasoning to appraise different types of planning arrangements. 
• develop a more informed understanding of how to assess and engage in spatial planning practice under different socio-economic and institutional contexts. 
 

Lectures 22h synchronous
Seminars 6h synchronous (1h seminar and 5h drop-in support prior to group presentation and submission of individual essay)
Group Presentation session (2h)
 

Understand how planning systems are shaped by different spatial contexts, judicial-legal frameworks and socio-cultural traditions. 

Understand the principles, design and practice of planning systems in different countries. 
Explain the value of cross-national learning regarding both its potential and limitations while respecting the diversity of culture, values and ideologies of planning. 

Demonstrate communication skills that are relevant to professional practice settings.
Use data visualisations such as maps, plans, diagrams and graphs, and employ professional report-writing techniques.

Develop skills in comparative analysis, logical reasoning and applied evaluation.

Group presentation (15 minutes) and accompanying written brief (500 words) (20%)

Individual essay (2000 words) (80%)

Presentation - Immediately following presentation and written feedback within 15 working days via VLE

Individual Essay - Written feedback provided within 15 working days and by personal appointment 

Booth, P. (1995) Zoning or discretionary action: certainty and responsiveness in implementing planning policy, Journal of Planning Education and Research,14 (2): 103-112.

CEC (1997) The E.U. Compendium of Spatial Planning Systems and Policies. Luxembourg: Office for the official publications of the European Communities.

Healy, P. & Upton, R. (2010) Crossing Borders: International exchange and planning practices. London: Routledge.

Newman, P. & Thornley, A. (1996) Urban Planning in Europe. London: Routledge.

Reimer, M., Getimis, P., & Blotevogel, H. (2014). Spatial planning systems and practices in Europe: A comparative perspective. In Spatial planning systems and practices in Europe (pp. 21-40). London: Routledge.

Sanyal, Bishwapria, (ed.) (2005) Comparative Planning Cultures, Routledge, London.

UN HABITAT (2009), Global Report on Human Settlements 2009, Planning Sustainable Cities, London: Earthscan.