Urban Studies
University of Sheffield
UCAS Code: L722 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
University of Sheffield
UCAS Code: L722 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Award of Access to HE Diploma in a relevant subject, with 45 credits at Level 3, including 30 at Distinction and 15 at Merit
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE Maths grade 4/C
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
+ B at A Level
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
in a relevant subject
Scottish Higher
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (last awarded Summer 2024)
+ AB at A Level
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
Study the past, present and future of urban and built environments using cutting-edge theories and practices in politics, economics, design, sociology, environmental studies and geography.
**Study urban and built environments using cutting-edge theories and practices to anticipate and shape the future of the built environment.**
Explore cutting edge interdisciplinary theory and practice, and think creatively about how cities and urban spaces work on our BA Urban Studies course.
From core knowledge and skills, to key issues such as climate change and urban inequalities, this three year course gives you a practical grounding and a broad intellectual understanding of concepts and practices in urbanism, spatial change and planning.
With a blend of academic and live project work, field trips and site visits, this course encourages you to develop specialist interests through optional modules whilst giving you key analytical skills to prepare for your future career. You’ll have the flexibility to transfer to the MPlan Urban Studies and Planning (subject to criteria), plus the opportunity to spend a semester studying abroad in Europe, or spend a year further afield at one of our partner institutions.
**Why study this course?**
- 1st for construction, surveying and planning: According to the Guardian University Guide 2025.
- Dedicated employability team: Based in the school, they support you to get placements, bring in alumni to give guest lectures, work with industry to ensure our students develop the most in-demand skills, and support students with career planning and CV workshops.
- Professional skills modules: Running through all three years of the course, these modules prepare you for professional employment or higher-level study and cover skills like project management, teamwork and negotiation. They will encourage you to reflect on the skills you’ve developed during your degree and will enable you to articulate and professionally present your skills and strengths (eg in a job interview).
- Research and impact: We're the UK’s top accredited planning school for research and impact, with more than 95% of our research considered world leading or internationally excellent, according to the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University of Sheffield
School of Geography and Planning (Urban Studies)
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score 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.
£22k
£29k
£30k
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.
Explore these similar courses...
Lower entry requirements
Nearby University
Higher entry requirementsSame UniversityThis is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.
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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
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Course location and department:
This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the 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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