MSc Urban Design and International Planning

If you’re considering a master’s at Manchester, there are a range of ways you can connect with us to find out more.

• Taught master's information sessions
• Taught master's guided campus visits
• Study fairs in the UK
• Education fairs overseas

For more information, see our page on meeting us .

Please submit the following documents with your completed application form:

• copies of English Language Certification,e.g.IELTS, TOEFL or Pearson test score report. Applications without an English language qualification are placed on a waiting list and are assessed only when an acceptable English language qualification is provided;
• copies of official degree certificates and transcripts of your previous study, showing the subjects taken and grades obtained. If these documents are in languages other thanEnglishplease provide official translations;
• your CV.

Ensure that you enclose all the necessary documents to avoid any delays.

MSc Urban Design and International Planning is your gateway to a global career reimagining how people live, move, and connect in cities across the world.

This course combines creative design thinking with critical planning knowledge to tackle some of the most urgent urban challenges of our time; from climate resilience and social equity, to sustainable development and cultural identity.

You’ll gain the professional and technical skills to design better places at every scale - from streets and neighbourhoods to entire urban regions, and understand how planning systems shape cities worldwide. Whether you’re interested in regeneration, global development, or future cities, you’ll graduate ready to make a meaningful impact.

Fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and recognised by the Urban Design Group, this course puts you on the path to becoming a chartered planner and a Recognised Practitioner in Urban Design.

• Allow you to tailor the course to your professional interests by choosing from numerous optional course units.
• Provide you with the practical skills to deliver comprehensive urban design proposals across multiple scales and within differing international contexts.
• Explore the relationship between urban design and planning within international settings.
• Provide you with an international perspective on overseas fieldwork.

• Benefit from small-group teaching, close staff-student relationships, and guided one-to-one supervision.
• Develop practical skills in project studios with drawing facilities, model-making workshops, and specialist design and spatial analysis software.
• Be an active part of the Manchester Urban Design LAB (MUD-Lab) and benefit from its wide range of resources including bespoke urban design toolkits, tutorials, events, and world-leading research on applied urban design.
• Receive a year-long licence for Adobe Creative Suite software, including illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign for your personal computer to be able to work effectively on projects at any time.
• Have the flexibility to mix discipline units or specialise and choose from a wide range of optional course units.
• Study in Manchester, a city where planning has been taught for more than 50 years, and urban development and environmental impacts are on your doorstep.
• This course has normally included a weeklong overseas field trip. The course fee covers the cost of this overseas field visit. Past locations include Barcelona, Amsterdam, Dublin, Seattle, Toronto, and Vienna.

Important notice: factors affecting fieldwork and placements

The School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) recognises the value of fieldwork and placements. However, the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff remains our priority.

The School will assess on a regular basis the viability of any travel and fieldwork and communicate any significant changes to our students at the earliest possible opportunity.

The role of SEED

• changes to the rules and guidance on travel and activities implemented and published by the UK and overseas governments;
• a risk assessment conducted by or on behalf of the University identifying unmanageable risk;
• changes that enhance the educational value and student experience of the activity;
• changes to the situation of a placement provider (for example, which cause them to be unable to accept students);
• the unavailability of appropriate insurance cover;
• the unavailability of appropriate travel and accommodation and any significant changes to their financial costs;
• where fieldwork and placements are a compulsory element of the Programme, they will be replaced with something academically similar;
• where a trip or placement is not a compulsory element of the Programme, it may not be replaced.

We will consult with affected students at the earliest possible opportunity and explore the options available to them.

The duty of students

Preparation, attendance and conduct

Attendance at preparatory classes is a compulsory pre-requisite of the fieldwork and placements to ensure safety and learning outcomes are met.

Students who do not attend the compulsory preparatory classes may be prevented from participating in the fieldwork or placement. It is the duty of students to discuss any attendance issues with the field course or placement convenor.

Students are representatives of the university during their fieldwork or placement. Behaviour deemed by the convenor to be unacceptable may result in students being sent home.

Where a student is unable to attend or complete the fieldwork or placement (e.g. due to mitigating circumstances), is prevented from attending due to absence from compulsory preparatory classes, or returned home due to poor conduct:

• a suitable alternative assessment will be offered (as appropriate) to ensure that the programme ILOs are met, and that the student is not academically disadvantaged;
• the University accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred by the student in relation to the fieldwork or placement.

Immigration, passport and visa requirements

It is the responsibility of the individual student to ensure they have:

• a valid passport to enter the destination country (including sufficient months prior to expiry);
• a valid visa (where required) and comply with its requirements.

The School cannot guarantee that visas required for fieldwork or a placement will be granted by the relevant authority. Please note that countries may change their immigration and visa regulations at short notice.

Where a student is unable to attend fieldwork or a placement because they do not have the required visa or passport:

• a suitable alternative assessment will be offered to ensure that the programme ILOs are met and that the student is not academically disadvantaged;
• the University accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred by the student in relation to the fieldwork or placement.

Assessment methods are largely individual-based but may also involve some elements of group work and submission.

You are continually assessed via a range of methods including essays, portfolios, presentations, and topic papers.

All design focused work is presented at A1 and includes crit presentations, peer-review, design defences, and 3D physical model making.

You will be required to submit a dissertation of approximately 15,000 words that can focus on crucial planning debates in an international context, urban design debates, or a combination.

Alternatively, you may choose to complete a design dissertation which includes a 3000-word Technical Report, eight A1 boards showcasing your design and process, a 3D physical model, and oral design defence.

Find out how our students feel about studying at The University of Manchester by visiting our student spotlights page.

You can develop your practical skills in our project studio, model-making workshop, and computer suites with specialist design and spatial analysis software.

The Manchester Urban Design LAB (MUD-Lab) incorporates a series of bespoke physical resources for student use.

A dedicated design studio equipped with a range of technologies and resources; a 3D model-making workshop with laser-cutter, 3D printer, spray booth, and a wide range of other tools and materials, and an urban design printing room with A0+ plotter and guillotine.

For more information, see  Facilities

This course has been specifically designed to equip you for professional practice in urban design and planning in a fast-moving international market.

Opportunities will arise in both the private and public sectors across global consultancies, development companies, government departments and agencies, and third sector organisations.

All student work is presented to a wide range of local, national and international employers at the end of year Manchester Urban Design LAB (MUD-Lab) showcase event, the best student work included in an annually published yearbook, and each student will develop a personal urban design portfolio to enhance their employment opportunities through the showcasing of their technical and applied design skills and knowledge.

More generally, Planning, Property and Environmental Management graduates are popular with employers, particularly in consultancy, where the ability to analyse and propose policies and implement strategies is vital.

After London, Manchester hosts the largest number of planning and environmental consultancies in the UK.

Our graduates have gone on to successful careers in areas including environmental management and consultancy, urban planning and design, real estate development, urban and regional development policy, central and local government, international development, energy and water, non-governmental organisations, and research.

Top employers of our Planning, Property and Environmental Management graduates include AECOM, Arup, Atkins, BP, EDF Energy, the Environment Agency, Jacobs, Rolls-Royce, Turley, Gillespies, and Barton Willmore.

If you decide not to follow a vocational career, your wide knowledge base and transferable skills in problem-solving, strategic thinking, teamwork, creativity and communication fit what most employers are seeking.

Hear from our professional partners on a 'Meet the Professionals' event for Planning, Environmental Management, Real Estate and Urban Design.

Careers support

The University also has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate.

At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability .

Careers support for international students

The Careers Service provide specialist resources, advice and events for international students to help with career planning and making the most of your time while studying in Manchester.

• Working in the UK after study
• Working during study
• Professional and alumni networks for international students

Global networks

The University of Manchester is proud to have the largest global alumni community of any campus-based university in the UK.

International alumni groups are a great way to keep in touch with fellow Manchester graduates in your country.

It is an opportunity to build professional and social networks.

View the alumni networks already operating across the globe