MSc in Urban and Regional Planning (with RTPI accreditation)

Fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), our Urban and Regional Planning MSc is designed to develop students as reflective practitioners in the planning profession and related disciplines in the built environment.

The use of land and space is a hotly contested issue of fundamental importance to creating healthy communities and maintaining a good quality of life for local residents. Planners play a critical role in mediating competing interests and building the foundations for equitable growth, sustainable environments and livable communities.

Fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), this programme is designed to develop students as reflective practitioners in the planning profession and related disciplines in the built environment, and can be studied either full or part-time. It is ideal for those who wish to gain a professional qualification that will enable them to pursue and build a career in spatial planning and related areas of regeneration, economic development, housing and transport.

The structure enables students to combine the core modules and material in spatial planning with a specialist focus on fields such as urban regeneration, community-based planning, economic development and urban resilience.

In addition to the MSc Urban and Regional Planning, for students who are currently employed in a Planning role, we now offer a Level 7 Chartered Town Planner Degree Apprenticeship. This represents a new and exciting opportunity for learners to gain an MSc in Urban and Regional Planning as well as a Chartership with the RTPI. This route requires the support of employers and it is funded by the Degree Apprenticeship Levy.

Why study this course?

Our students benefit hugely from the diversity of activity undertaken by CURS within the School of Geography. Our extensive research and consultancy work ensures that our teaching is relevant, up-to-date and research-led while losing none of its intellectual rigour.

The College of Life and Environmental Sciences is dedicated to exploring the diversity and evolutionary challenges of life in all its forms.

Across the breadth of life and environmental sciences, we discover, apply and translate science, forging major advances in human and environmental health. From exercise, biomedicine and mental health to climate change, food security and resilience we combine original thinking and real-world experience with clear focus and rigour. This is underpinned by our enabling technologies, which combine state-of-the-art equipment with expert staff.

We are home to one of the best stand-alone Schools of Psychology in the UK, as well as being ranked consistently in the top five in the world QS league table for Sport and Exercise Sciences. Supported by a major gift from a philanthropist, we have developed the unique Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BiFoR), which is investigating the effect of rapid climate change on tree canopy development and pathogens.

The College is comprised of four Schools: Biosciences; Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences; Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences; and Psychology. We combine our discipline expertise with those across the wider University to address the most significant human and environmental questions of the present, past and future.

Our extensive engagement with partners across academia, industry and communities deliver a growing impact on the local, national and global stage.

Talented staff

With a faculty of more than 700 academic and professional services staff working in partnership, we are actively engaging with University initiatives to make high-quality appointments in the College’s established and emerging centres of research excellence. Among our academic staff are a number of outstanding, high potential, early career researchers, appointed as part of the University’s sector-leading Birmingham Fellowship programme. Our professional services staff provide valuable support to academic colleagues, enabling an exceptional educational experience for our students, and helping us to grow our influence regionally, nationally, and globally.

One of our core aims in the College is to help our staff to look after themselves. We have a range of apps, programmes and information available to our staff to improve and support both their physical, and mental health.

World-leading research

In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF2014) the majority of our research was rated as world-leading (4) or internationally excellent (3). Our world-leading multidisciplinary research areas include:

• Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR)
• Environmental Sciences
• Microbiology and Infection
• Water Sciences
• Centre of Precision Rehabilitation for Spinal Pain
• Centre for Human Brain Health
• Institute for Mental Health

In recent years, the College has placed significant investment into key interdisciplinary initiatives including the Centre for Computational Biology and, recently, the Centre for Human Brain Health. Established in 2017, the Institute for Mental Health will largely focus on transforming NHS services from an evidence base of the highest quality research. These investments build on the College’s outstanding infrastructure and reputation for enabling technologies.

Teaching excellence

The College is home to around 5,000 students studying a diverse range of more than 100 undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research programmes.

The combination of outstanding research, training, fieldwork and facilities enables our students to engage with the most exciting and pioneering research through its impact and application to real-world challenges. As a result, they learn both transferable and discipline-specific skills giving them the confidence and experience to succeed in a wide range of careers across the globe.

International students in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences

We are home to a diverse and vibrant community of international students who have chosen the University of Birmingham to further their studies in biosciences, geography, earth sciences, environmental sciences, planning, psychology, sport and exercise sciences and physiotherapy.

Muhammad Nadzmie Bin Zulkifli - Malaysia (MSc Air Pollution Control and Management)

“My favourite thing of being a student in the University of Birmingham probably would be the community, the diverse international community here. It makes me feel at home.”

Christy Wong Hei Yan - Hong Kong (BSc Psychology)

“Studying abroad can broaden my horizons”

Our schools

• Biosciences
• Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Psychology
• Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences

Fellowships

Pursue an independent fellowship in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham, and gain the opportunity to further your own research within a globally respected multi-disciplinary environment.

Postdoctoral and Early Researcher Career Development and Training - PERCAT

The PERCAT programme within the Colleges of Engineering and Physical Sciences and Life and Environmental Sciences aims to provide a gateway to resources and support available at the University of Birmingham for career development and training for postdoctoral and early career researchers, including events, seminars, career development opportunities, research council funding, fellowships and other support services.