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.

The course unit will have the following content:
1. Conceptual masterplanning and analysis
2. Studio Crit 1 Developing the masterplan (week 4)
3. Scenario testing of urban design options/proposal
4. Studio Crit 2 Evaluating the design options (illustrative) (week 7)
5. Detailing the design and using 3D digital modeling
6. Studio Crit 3 finalising the design (technical) (week 10)
7. Delivering and communicating a comprehensive masterplan/urban design project (week 12)
 

1. Provide advanced practice in urban design
2. Consolidate the work on the interface of urban design and masterplanning scales
3. Develop advanced graphical and presentation skills to deliver urban design projects
4. Develop a critical approach to the urban design process and a strong link between the theory and the practice of urban design
 

1. Lectures: Lectures will be shorter overviews of analytical and design techniques and process, introducing students to key themes, approaches, terminology, and practice.
2. Studio: Students will work collaboratively with staff and peers to develop individual projects in-class through applied learning. This will take the form of one-on-one times, group working, and engaging with current design soft wares
3. Seminars: Seminars allow students to receive valuable and regular feedback on their individual projects and seek peer guidance and support with particular shared issues or aspects of the design/analysis

E-Learning: The VLE will be used to engage students outside of the lecture hall with e-lectures and case study materials linking to best practice urban design examples and current global urban developments of interest. The online urban design toolkit also acts as a valuable technical resource for out of class learning and enabling students to continue work on individual design projects during non-contact hours.

• Understand the processes of masterplanning and urban design considering issues of scale, form and the spatial elements of urban space
• Develop awareness of the multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary nature of masterplanning at larger scale

• Consider multiple strategic scenarios and design options in the development of urban design projects
• Apply masterplanning principles and approaches to deliver a robust design solution
   

• Working on a collaborative multi-scale urban analysis to deliver a comprehensive design project
• Use a variety of design software (including sketch-up, CAD, and advanced Adobe Creative Suite)
   

• Develop individual professional urban design portfolio
• Work collaboratively in a busy studio environment
• Develop advanced skills in design software
   

Developing the masterplan (group work), 4 A3 pages and 10 minute presentation 20%

Masterplan Crit A1 board presented in studio 5 minutes, 10%

Delivering a comprehensive masterplan (Individual), 3 A1 Boards, 70%

Crits provided in weeks 4 and 11– crits offer students opportunity to present work to staff member and receive immediate oral feedback.

Studio and seminar sessions designed to provide students with weekly feedback and critique on their design project

Written feedback provided for both assessment tasks
 

1. Jacoby (2016) Drawing Architecture and the Urban, Wiley
2. Firley and Gron (2014) The Urban Masterplanning Handbook, Wiley
3. Meeda et al (2009) Graphics for Urban Design. UDG
4. Littlefield (2009) Metric Handbook Planning and Design Data, Architectural Press