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Urban Design and Planning
School of Geography and Planning,
Faculty of Social Sciences
Course description
Study a course fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) designed to prepare you for a dynamic and rewarding career in urban design and planning in either the public or private sector.
Our MA explores the critical role of urban design and planning in solving global challenges and includes opportunities to engage in design and development issues faced across the Global South and Global North.
The course will equip you with specialist knowledge, awareness and understanding of the relationship between design and planning in contemporary cities. You'll learn from and engage with academic staff across the department who are at the forefront of their fields internationally, alongside leading practitioners.
Learning in our dedicated design studio and immersive design studio, you'll develop practical skills and knowledge of applied urban design through exposure to state-of-the-art technologies including virtual reality and augmented reality and training in professional design software e.g. Adobe Creative Cloud and CAD.
Through design studio learning and teaching, the MA will equip you with applied and technical urban design skills and methods that enable you to produce and deliver critical urban analysis, creative design development and comprehensive design proposals for real sites at multiple scales – from site level to masterplans.
On completion you will be able to produce professional graphics and visualisations of your design ideas and solutions.
Supported by drawing and 3D model-making facilities, specialist design software and new and emerging technologies we offer an integrated approach to urban design and planning required by leading consultants and city authorities around the world
The course includes opportunities to explore development viability and the financial appraisal of design projects. Through optional modules, you will be able to tailor the MA to suit your professional interests.
This course does not require you to have a previous background in design. Our MA cohorts feature students from planning, geography and architecture, as well as engineers, economists and graphic designers. We take students with a broad range of skills and experience. Our course is international, and we welcome students from around the world.
Accreditation
This MA is fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). By completing an accredited programme you will benefit from full eligibility to become a chartered planning professional – opening up a wide range of future career opportunities. The accreditation enables graduates to apply to become a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI), which will give you the professional title of Chartered Town Planner.
Modules
The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it's up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research; funding changes; professional accreditation requirements; student or employer feedback; outcomes of reviews; and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we'll consult and inform students in good time and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption.
Open days
An open day gives you the best opportunity to hear first-hand from our current students and staff about our courses.
You may also be able to pre-book a department/school visit as part of a campus tour.Open days and campus tours
Duration
1 year full-time
Teaching
We'll teach you to be an independent, critical thinker who can act as a reflective practitioner and deliver positive professional contributions across the built environment.
Your learning is informed by the cutting-edge research of our academic staff to ensure your knowledge and understanding of contemporary design and urbanism issues is based on the latest international thinking and evidence.
Our course is taught across our new dedicated urban design studio, our drawing studio and our immersive studio, which is used for projects involving virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).
Sessions comprise a mix of applied studio-based learning, small group workshops, design crits, seminars, computer workshops and tutorials as well as lectures.
You'll benefit from our dedicated immersive design equipment in VR and AR to help explore, analyse and design urban environments as well as 3D printers to create massing models and print/plotting facilities to present your work professionally.
MA students will have priority use of our studio spaces. All students receive a licence for Adobe Creative Cloud software, including Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign for your personal computer to work on design projects at any time throughout your degree.
We work with professional practitioners across the programme who bring their experience of cutting-edge practice to our teaching and learning environment.
Assessment
The MA prioritises portfolio development with a range of coursework assessment methods and types that enable you to produce a professional design portfolio on completion of the programme.
All design-focused work linked with studio modules is presented at A1 and will include studio critiques, peer-review, presentations, and 3D physical model making using our 3D printing equipment.
Other modes of assessment on planning and elective modules will include essays, reports, presentations, and portfolios.
Finally, you will complete a design dissertation or research dissertation which is assessed in the form of an 8,000 word design portfolio or 12,500 word research essay. Modules typically feature some elements of assessed group work as well as a larger weighted individual submission.
Your career
The MA will equip you for professional practice in urban design and planning in the UK and internationally. Past graduates have been well placed for jobs globally, particularly in East Asia and India as well as more locally across the UK. Further study for a PhD in our leading centre for doctoral training and research is another common route for our graduates.
MA Urban Design and Planning graduates are popular with employers in both the private and public sectors, particularly in consultancy as well as in government departments and agencies, and third sector organisations.
Our graduates have developed successful careers across the built environment sector including, in urban design, planning, real estate development, urban policy, central and local government, international development, non-governmental organisation, and research.
Our graduates are employed by a range of organisations including Lichfields, Savills, ARUP, Arcadis, Transport for London, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Crowley Associates, DLP Planning, and local government and city councils.
All students will develop an urban design portfolio to enhance their employment prospects demonstrating their competencies in urban analysis, design codes and policy, technical skills in software and drawing, and applied design on real world sites. We offer dedicated portfolio sessions delivered by professional practitioners to support this.
The course will teach you a wide range of transferable skills which are attractive to a broad spectrum of employers beyond the built environment sector including analytical skills, problem-solving, strategic thinking, teamwork, creativity, design competencies and communication..
The employability of our graduates is of paramount importance to us. The development of skills, knowledge and personal attributes that enhance your career underpins our course design. We'll prepare you for employment after graduation and have a dedicated Employability Manager to support you.
School
School of Geography and Planning
We have an intellectual reputation for theoretical strength, especially in the fields of urban inequalities and social justice. Study with us and become part of a new and exciting group of urban professionals and change makers.
As a student at Sheffield, you'll develop the knowledge and skills to build a successful career in planning and related urban and environmental professions. You'll be taught by world-leading academics whose cutting-edge research feeds directly into the seminar room. You'll learn using the latest technology in our dedicated teaching spaces; visualising complex data through Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software and using virtual and augmented reality to explore how people interact with urban spaces.
You'll be at the heart of a vibrant academic community and will benefit from an excellent staff-student ratio, resulting in a genuinely friendly and inclusive academic environment. Our open-door policy means you can drop in on your lecturers at any time during their office hours, without an appointment. We believe this will help with your wellbeing and encourage your intellectual curiosity.
We work with national governments, international bodies such as the UN, research councils, private business, the voluntary sector, and local communities to shape policy and inspire change in urban environments. Join us to explore the pathways to creating fair, just and sustainable places.
Student profiles
Entry requirements
Minimum 2:1 undergraduate honours degree in any subject.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 (with 6 in each component) or University equivalent
If you have any questions about entry requirements, please contact the school/department.
Fees and funding
Apply
You can apply now using our Postgraduate Online Application Form. It's a quick and easy process.
Contact
usp@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 6900
Any supervisors and research areas listed are indicative and may change before the start of the course.
Recognition of professional qualifications: from 1 January 2021, in order to have any UK professional qualifications recognised for work in an EU country across a number of regulated and other professions you need to apply to the host country for recognition. Read information from the UK government and the EU Regulated Professions Database.