MPlan Planning with Professional Placement / Course details

MPlan Master of Planning with Professional Placement is a five-year enhanced undergraduate degree, which gives you real-world experience and key employability skills, and is accredited by both the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

The curriculum of Years 1, 3 and 4 are the same as our BSc Planning and Real Estate, in which you will consider the issues faced by professionals in dealing with the planning, development and management of all aspects of our built and natural environments. 

In the third year of study, you will embark on a paid work placement with an organisation engaged with planning, environment, urban design and/or real estate to apply the conceptual, digital and communication skills you practice.  

The fifth year of study is at taught master's level and provides professional training in planning.  

However, if you change your mind about your future career, you can choose to exit the MPlan after four years and graduate instead with a BSc Planning and Real Estate degree. 

Effective planning, development and management of our towns, cities and natural environment is crucial in an age when governments and societies all over the world are struggling to deliver sustainable development.  

Big data, real estate finance, spatial analysis, policy formation, environmental sustainability and public engagement are all key to this process and form the core principles of the programme.  

Understanding and engaging with the problems facing the communities and places in which we live, work and play is at the heart of what we do in the Department of Planning and Environmental Management at The University of Manchester. 

The Master of Planning (MPlan) satisfies the spatial planning curricula for initial qualification with the RTPI and the RICS Planning and Development pathway. 

Manchester is a great place to study planning.  

It is a major UK city undergoing rapid urban change, which provides an ideal base for exploring urban development pressures and how these shape economic, social and environmental futures.  

Developing an appreciation of the interaction of people, the economy, and the politics of development are central to this process and your studies in Manchester.

The city is also ideally placed for you to learn about a wide variety of rural environments which have interesting implications, including three spectacular National Parks, areas of intensive farming and impressive coastlines. 

Accreditation   

This course is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) - meaning you'll be well set-up for a professional career in planning or real estate after you graduate. 

International fieldwork   

Take part in international fieldwork in Portugal or another European country during your second year, where you can put what you've learnt so far into practice. 

Local fieldwork   

Conduct fieldwork on a local scale, exploring the city of Manchester - and its surrounding areas - to supplement your studies and assessments. 

Year in practice   

Spend 12 months working within the dynamic world of planning, environment, urban design and real estate putting into practice the skills you learn on the degree helping you to gain your professional accreditation.

We combine traditional lecture-based teaching with tutorials, seminars and workshop sessions. 

Practical subjects, such as Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Photoshop and SketchUp - as well as general computer skills - are taught primarily in the Humanities computer suites.  

This work is accompanied by group work and the occasional lecture session, giving you an overall hands-on learning experience. 

Project-based learning, incorporating studio-based design work, field research and study visits are integral to our MPlan course.  

These projects provide an excellent opportunity for you to integrate your knowledge and skills and apply them to real situations - exposing you to professional practice.

We place strong emphasis on coursework and continuous assessment, and less than half of your total assessments throughout the course consist of formal written examinations in traditional essay formats. 

Coursework takes a variety of forms - from essays and reports, to posters, oral presentations, team promotions, and project demonstrations (sometimes to practising professionals).  

Your dissertation, which takes place in the fourth year, will draw together the different strands of the course and allow you to study a subject that really interests you.  

You will work with an individual supervisor to conceive, plan, execute and write up an independent and novel piece of research.

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

For more information, see  Facilities .