Loughborough University
UCAS Code: K421 | Master of Planning - MPlan
Entry requirements
A level
AAB
Considered on a case by case basis. Please contact Loughborough University directly.
This qualification is accepted in combination with other qualifications. For details please contact Loughborough University.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
A minimum of 5 GCSE grades 9 - 4 (A*-C) including Maths and English Language
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
35 (6,6,5 HL)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
A Level Grade A plus Distinction Distinction in BTEC Level 3 National Diploma.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)
A Level Grades AB plus Distinction in BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in a relevant subject: D*DD.
Scottish Advanced Higher
AB, plus Highers at majority A and B grades.
For 2025 entry, the following T Levels are currently being considered on a case by case basis. More information can be found on our website at https://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/apply/entry-requirements/
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this 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.
Modules
For a full list of areas studied, see the 'What You'll Study' section of the course page on our website.
Assessment methods
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.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Loughborough University
Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Planning (urban, rural and regional)
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Planning (urban, rural and regional)
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
This subject includes degrees in urban studies and housing as well as planning qualifications. Be a little careful when looking at the stats, as most jobs in planning, especially in town planning, go to Masters students in the subject — planning is a very popular Master's degree (and even then we don't actually have enough graduates to meet employer demand). So if you want a job in planning, expect to stay on at university after you have finished your first degree. First degree graduates in planning are more likely to start working in surveying than planning roles - although that is partly down to our serious shortage of surveyors. This all adds up to a subject that is in demand - but do keep a look out for work experience opportunities to make your good prospects even better.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Planning (urban, rural and regional)
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£28k
£37k
£46k
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.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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