MPlan Planning / Careers

Year of entry: 2024

Career opportunities

Our MPlan graduates are sought by a wide range of employers.

A popular graduate route is employment in planning, real estate or multi-sectoral consultancies, where students work to meet client needs on a wide range of areas from:
  • developing planning applications for large-scale developments;
  • designing and delivering large-scale infrastructure projects;
  • providing advice or developing policies on placemaking;
  • sustainable development or urban design.

Many students help to deliver bespoke projects or analyse, propose or develop policies or implement strategies as part of their day-to-day work.

Additionally, many of our graduates go on to work in the public sector, including national and local government, implementing and shaping policies in a wide range of different planning and development sectors.

Some of our graduates also gain employment in the third sector, including working for national and international organisations working in planning and development, sustainable development or international development.

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

Top employers of our graduates include local governments, UK Government departments, AECOM, ARUP, Atkins, Avison Young, Saville, Jacobs, Mott MacDonald, WSP.

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

For more information, see careers and employability .

The University 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 .

Accrediting organisations

  • Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)
  • Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)