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Entry requirements
Here's what you will need to get a place on the Urban Planning course at Loughborough University.
Select a qualification to see required grades
A level
A,A,B
AAB
Tuition fees
| Location | Fees |
|---|---|
| England | £9,535 per year |
| Scotland | £9,535 per year |
| Wales | £9,535 per year |
| Northern Ireland | £9,535 per year |
| EU | £26,500 per year |
| International | £26,500 per year |
Course summary
What this course is about
UCAS code: K420
Here's what Loughborough University says about its Urban Planning course.
A degree in Urban Planning offers a unique opportunity to help shape the world around us. Our cities and built environments face huge future challenges. Cities around the world are threatened by climate change, rising sea levels, population growth and economic change. We need to change how our cities are planned and developed to tackle these economic, social and environmental challenges.
Our Urban Planning course draws on our diverse expertise, providing you with the skills required to help you shape our future and solve the big issues our society faces. This course has been specifically developed with leading planning practitioners to equip you with the latest skills and knowledge needed for a future in Urban Planning. A key feature of our course is the focus on developing your digital and data skills needed for planning smart cities, which are highly attractive to graduate employers. These new digital and data skills will provide us with new ways to understand, plan and adapt our cities.
The course incorporates practical and hands-on experiences, such as live case studies, in many aspects of urban planning and design, helping you link theory to practice. It examines ways in which our cities and urban environments have historically developed and been designed, whilst challenging you to propose visions of the future in order to make our cities healthier, more vibrant, sustainable and safer. You will focus on the role and potential of the planning profession to manage technological change in cities and exploit the potential of smart cities to enhance our urban environments.
Urban Planning is a multidisciplinary subject. You will benefit from studying in the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, providing an integrated and holistic approach. As such, you will gain invaluable practical experience of working in interdisciplinary teams with Architecture, Civil and Architectural Engineering, Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying, and Construction Engineering Management students, giving you a unique insight into the role of planners in development projects, thereby simulating your potential future career. In addition, the course draws from the expertise of leading academics from across the School and University, particularly Geography and Environment.
Throughout the Urban Planning course, our students normally undertake several field trips each year. Field trips are an exciting and invaluable learning experience as they provide unique insight and opportunity to explore planning in the real world. All field trips, which are incorporated within modules, are included within your tuition fee.
What's the difference between MPlan and BSc?
BSc and MPlan students study the same course for the first three years of the programme and transfer is possible between the two degrees. Students on the Urban Planning BSc (Hons) degree may transfer to the MPlan course at the end of Year 2 subject to satisfactory performance.
Our BSc in Urban Planning will enable you to develop a broad understanding of the main principles of spatial planning and placemaking and forms the foundation for a successful career in planning.
Our MPlan in Urban Planning gives you the opportunity to undertake a combined planning course. In addition to the principles of spatial planning and placemaking, it is designed to enable you in your final year to explore ideas, perspectives and debates in a specialist area of planning. The final year includes a significant integrated planning project and specialist areas of study may include transport planning, infrastructure planning or advanced analysis for smart cities.
Course details
Qualification
Master of Planning - MPlan
Department
Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering
Location
Main Site | Loughborough
Duration
4 Years
Study mode
Full-time
Subjects
• Urban and regional planning
Start date
September 29, 2025
Application deadline
January 29, 2025
The modules you will study
For a full list of areas studied, see the 'What You'll Study' section of the course page on our website.
How you will be assessed
Students are assessed through a combination of individual and group work, such as reports, presentations, examination, and design-based project work. Approximately 75% of assessment will be by coursework with 25% by examination.
Loughborough University reviews
Showing 281 reviews
1st year student
Wide variety of clubs and societies to chose from allowing all to get involved.rnBars and clubs are brilliant rncampaigns and representation of student issues regonised all the time through posters,events,marches,etc.
1 year ago
1st year student
Campus life both in the daytim and evening is very vibrant and provides an excellent atmosphere.Loads of events and activities each day to get involved in for cheap/no cost.rnrnLoughborough town life is relatively good with various shops as well as places for a night-out.rnrn
1 year ago
1st year student
Cost of living- Free cereal,tea and coffee weekdays in the morning help reduce living costsrnAccomadation costs affordable,wide range of different accommodation to suit different budgets.
1 year ago
1st year student
Wellbeing and Mental health support- Very beneficial in helping me achieve success to help manage my difficulties and challenges. rn
1 year ago
1st year student
University accomadation is brillant A wide choice of halls to chose from both self-catered and catered. Libary is open from 8am till 2am and 24/7 during exam season making it accessible to all regardless of other commitments Other campus based facilities such as university chaplaincy,gyms,stadium,sw...
1 year ago
1st year student
My course is very niche however it provides all the fundamentals to become a sports engineer, timetable is very well organised, quality of teaching is top tier along with review reocrdings to relisten to lectures if needed. Wide variety of modules including ergonomics,CAD,biomechanics,Materierals en...
1 year ago
National Student Survey (NSS) scores
The NSS is an annual survey where final-year students are asked to rate different aspects of their course and university experience.
Here you can see ratings from Loughborough University students who took the Urban Planning course - or another course in the same subject area.
Select an option to see a detailed breakdown
Teaching on my course
83%
med
Teaching on my course
83%
med
How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?
89%
med
How good are teaching staff at explaining things?
84%
low
How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?
77%
med
How often is the course intellectually stimulating?
82%
med
Learning opportunities
82%
med
Learning opportunities
82%
med
To what extent have you had the chance to bring together information and ideas from different topics?
88%
med
How well does your course introduce subjects and skills in a way that builds on what you have already learned?
79%
med
How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?
74%
low
To what extent have you had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth?
87%
med
To what extent does your course have the right balance of directed and independent study?
84%
high
Assessment and feedback
67%
low
Assessment and feedback
67%
low
How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned?
80%
low
How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course?
66%
low
How often does feedback help you to improve your work?
51%
low
How often have you received assessment feedback on time?
72%
med
How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work?
68%
low
Academic support
86%
med
Academic support
86%
med
How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?
88%
med
How well have teaching staff supported your learning?
83%
med
Organisation and management
71%
med
Organisation and management
71%
med
How well were any changes to teaching on your course communicated?
75%
med
How well organised is your course?
66%
med
Learning resources
88%
med
Learning resources
88%
med
How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?
89%
high
How well have the library resources (e.g., books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?
91%
med
How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g., equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?
85%
med
Student voice
69%
low
Student voice
69%
low
How clear is it that students' feedback on the course is acted on?
62%
med
To what extent do you get the right opportunities to give feedback on your course?
76%
low
To what extent are students' opinions about the course valued by staff?
70%
low
How well does the students' union (association or guild) represent students' academic interests?
71%
med
Other NSS questions
Other NSS questions
During your studies, how free did you feel to express your ideas, opinions, and beliefs?
82%
low
How well communicated was information about your university/college's mental wellbeing support services?
78%
med
Student information
See who's studying at Loughborough University. These students are taking Urban Planning or another course from the same subject area.
| Most popular A-levels studied | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Grade | |||||
| Geography | A | |||||
| Sociology | A | |||||
| Economics | A | |||||
| Mathematics | A | |||||
| History | A | |||||
Graduate prospects
What graduates do next
Facts and figures about Loughborough University graduates who took Urban Planning - or another course in the same subject area.
Graduate statistics
80%
In a job where degree was essential or beneficial
90%
In work, study or other activity
75%
Say it fits with future plans
60%
Are utilising studies
Top job areas
35%
Business and public service associate professionals
20%
Managers, directors and senior officials
10%
Architecture and construction professionals
10%
Finance Professionals
Graduate statistics percentages are determined 15 months after a student graduates
Earnings after graduation
Earnings from Loughborough University graduates who took Urban Planning - or another course in the same subject area.
Earnings
£31.4k
First year after graduation
£37.4k
Third year after graduation
£52.2k
Fifth year after graduation
Shown here are the median earnings of graduates at one, three and five years after they completed a course related to Urban Planning.
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree
Discussions
Discussions
Students are talking about Loughborough University on The Student Room.
Chat with Loughborough University
A leading university in the UK, Loughborough is extremely proud of its reputation for providing an unbeatable student experience. Founded over 100 years ago, Loughborough University produces research that matters and provides excellence in teaching and sport.
We are a family.
Loughborough is proud of its strong community feel, which is a defining feature across both of its Loughborough and London campuses. It’s what makes people’s experiences at Loughborough special and life-shaping.
We deliver a life-changing experience.
Both academically and socially, Loughborough is renowned for delivering a life-changing experience. We offer innovative programmes across a range of disciplines and equip students with the skills they need for their future careers. Many employers are impressed by the energy, enthusiasm and competitiveness that Loughborough graduates demonstrate.
We are committed to inclusion.
Our community is a diverse body of people with different perspectives, values and attitudes. We are working to create an inclusive environment where such differences are shared and valued and where all individuals can reach their full potential.
We take our responsibilities seriously.
Embedded into all our processes, we take sustainability and social responsibility very seriously and ensure that we manage our environmental impact at both a local and global level.
We are a world leader in sport.
Our hard-earned global reputation for sport is well known, and we strive to ensure everyone can enjoy sport regardless of their ability or level of interest. We create an inclusive, positive and life-shaping sporting experience for all through our world-leading coaching, outstanding student experiences, state-of-the-art facilities and impressive events.
We are Loughborough University.
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Loughborough University open days
Are you thinking of applying to this university?
Before you do, it's a good idea to go to an open day. You can have a good look around campus, getting a better idea of what it's like to study there. You'll meet current students and staff and get the chance to ask them questions.
Universities will list upcoming open days on their websites. Most will also have virtual open days; these are a great alternative if you really can't get there in person. For tips on preparing for open days, check the advice section here on The Uni Guide.
