Planning and Development MSc drafted

Program Overview

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Completion of this one-year conversion Masters, following your undergraduate qualification, will allow you to become an accredited planner.

Planning is a fascinating subject to study at university. It is about changing the places within which we live. How we can transform and improve our cities, towns, villages, neighbourhoods, and communities. So, it affects our everyday lives and is an extremely exciting discipline to study at university. A Planning degree provides you with the knowledge and skills to be able to make decisions that shape the processes of growth and development. We currently face many major challenges - for example, attracting investment, creating jobs, protecting the environment, energy policy, housing supply, transport links, providing local amenities, protecting health and wellbeing - and Planning affects how these things happen. Therefore, as future planners you will have a very important role to play in shaping the future. Planning is a broad subject matter and planners perform many different roles relating to the natural, physical, economic, social, and cultural environments that we live in. Given this, Planning offers a wide spectrum of employment opportunities. Studying Planning will equip you with the knowledge to understand how cities, towns, villages, communities, and neighbourhoods function and operate, and then have the skills to make decisions that shape how they grow and prosper. The discipline of Planning is located in the School of Natural and Built Environment, David Keir Building on Stranmillis Road, Belfast.

COURSE CONTENT

The course’s primary focus is on attaining a professional qualification. It is designed as a conversion Master's for graduates in any undergraduate subject to provide a broad knowledge of planning and the professional skills and experience you’ll need to forge a career in this area. Your dissertation may be a work-based project, working for a client organisation on a brief that they commission. You will learn the use of techniques (GIS, design software, statistical analysis) but more importantly, how to apply them to solve problems, create new solutions for the built environment and understand the complexity of environmental management.

THE ENVIRONMENT

You’ll be working in an applied problem-solving environment, confronting genuine challenges in the field and making a real contribution to sustainable environments. We place an emphasis on projects on live planning problems such as a Development Plan exercise for a client (local authority), on studio work and applied learning outside the class including problem-solving with controversial proposals, such as fracking and windfarm applications. You’ll work with your fellow students in teams to find practical approaches to the management and development of the built environment.

Planning and Development highlights

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Professional Accreditations

This MSc is professionally accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and has a strong emphasis on the practical skills and knowledge required for theoretically-informed practice.

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Industry Links

As well as including employers in our teaching and development of projects we value the input of practitioners on our examination panels. Our employer links are further enhanced through formal partnership meetings with our accreditation bodies (RICS and RTPI) and by providing student prizes, for example, for the best independent research project. Therefore, course development is closely aligned to the requirements of the planning sector. Employers are often also consulted by students in the development of the independent research project. For example, we have developed strong relationships in Northern Ireland with the Housing Executive, and the Planning Division of the Department of Infrastructure. As part of the support activities embedded in the degree employers contribute to regular careers events.

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Internationally Renowned Experts

The members of staff responsible for delivering the MSc are from a variety of professional and research backgrounds. Expertise includes international development, sustainable development, development economics and planning policy and practice. Each member will give a different perspective within the course, such that both theoretical and applied elements will be fully developed and a rounded high-level education will result.

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Student Experience

The degree incorporates a week-long study visit to a venue outside Northern Ireland and work shadow experience in Northern Ireland on the planning appeals process towards the end of Semester 2. Additionally a two-day planning practice study visit will be made to a venue in Great Britain or Ireland in semester two. Students are expected to contribute to the costs of these study visits.

The programme provides opportunities to strengthen competencies in key skills such as numeracy, literacy, ICT, problem solving, team work and aspects of urban design; it develops awareness of the ethical responsibilities of those involved in Planning and Development and enhances the ability to undertake a substantial piece of specialist independent research.

Dr Stephen McKay

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Course content

Program Outline

Course Structure

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Course Content	An intensive programme to prepare graduates from a broad range of disciplines for a career in planning and development. It is overseen by professional Partnership Boards of practitioners, academics and members of the Institutes, and accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). You’ll develop relevant skills in ICT, problem solving, team work and aspects of urban design; you’ll gain awareness of your ethical responsibilities; and you’ll benefit from a strong emphasis on the practical skills and knowledge required for theoretically-informed practice.
Semester 1 Modules	Introduction Planning Theory and Practice Environmental Planning & Governance Planning Skills & Ethics International Planning Studies GIS & Spatial Analysis
Semester 2 Modules	Design in the Built Environment Property Development Professional Practice Project Community Planning & Regeneration Planning Law and Practice
Semester 3 Module	Independent Specialist Research Project
Time spent in Classes, Tutorials/Seminars/Labs, and Private Study in a Teaching Semester	Approximately 10 hours per week in lectures, 4 hours in practical project work and 4 hours in tutorials.

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People teaching you

Dr Neil Galway

Course Coordinator

SNBE

Email: n.galway@qub.ac.uk

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Career Prospects

Introduction

Our graduates end up in leading positions in central and local government, planning consultancies in the private sector and in NGOs. Former students have also gained employment in related fields of housing, renewable energy, heritage and environmental advocacy internationally.

Queen's postgraduates reap exceptional benefits. Unique initiatives, such as Degree Plus and Researcher Plus bolster our commitment to employability, while innovative leadership and executive programmes alongside sterling integration with business experts helps our students gain key leadership positions both nationally and internationally.

http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/

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Learning and Teaching

This programme involves project-based team-working and field studies outside formally allocated lecture times. Full-time teaching is spread across 5 days (Mon-Fri) and part-time is designed to facilitate day-release with teaching on 1 day per week.

Contact teaching hours (per week): 14 hours full-time and 7 hours part-time.

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Assessment

Details of assessments associated with the course are outlined below:

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Formal examination (10 CATS)

Individual and group project submissions (110 CATS)

Dissertation (60 CATS)

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Overview

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Modules

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Modules

The information below is intended as an example only, featuring module details for the current year of study (2022/23). Modules are reviewed on an annual basis and may be subject to future changes – revised details will be published through Programme Specifications ahead of each academic year.

Year 1

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Core Modules

Community Planning and Regeneration

(10 credits)

Independent Specialist Project

(60 credits)

Planning and Environmental Governance

(10 credits)

Planning Law and Practice

(10 credits)

GIS and Spatial Analysis

(20 credits)

Professional Practice Project in Environmental Planning

(20 credits)

Planning Skills and Ethics

(10 credits)

Design in the Built Environment

(10 credits)

International Planning Studies

(10 credits)

Property Development

(10 credits)

Introduction to Planning Theory and Practice

(10 credits)

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Course content

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Entry Requirements

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Career Prospects

Introduction

Our graduates end up in leading positions in central and local government, planning consultancies in the private sector and in NGOs. Former students have also gained employment in related fields of housing, renewable energy, heritage and environmental advocacy internationally.

Queen's postgraduates reap exceptional benefits. Unique initiatives, such as Degree Plus and Researcher Plus bolster our commitment to employability, while innovative leadership and executive programmes alongside sterling integration with business experts helps our students gain key leadership positions both nationally and internationally.

http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/

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Additional Awards Gained

Students are required to undertake a compulsory field trip to a European city. They are responsible for funding travel, accommodation and subsistence costs and should budget for approximately £500.

Prizes and Awards(QSIS ELEMENT IS EMPTY)

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Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award for extra-curricular skills

In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.

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Entry requirements

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Fees and Funding