Iram Mohammed

Iram graduated in 2006 with a BSc in Town & Regional Planning.

Why did you choose to study at Dundee University?

I had been advised that the Town Planning course at Dundee University was one of the best in the country and that the University as a whole is well established and consistently performs well in the national University League tables.

What have you done since graduation?

My first job was with the Cairngorms National Park Authority, where i was an Assistant Planning Officer. During the 18 months I was there, I was fortunate to work within a fantastic planning team and learnt a lot of core skills in development management and forward planning. Being given the opportunity to present your application cases to a 25-member planning committee was certainly an experience and a major learning curve.

I joined Atkins Ltd in April 2008 as a Graduate Planner, and then gained my MRTPI and was promoted to Planning Consultant in mid-2009. Working in a large multidisciplinary engineering company has meant that I've had the opportunity to work on many projects including road, rail and utilities infrastructure, public realm and masterplanning, education, energy, coastal and health developments. My work includes the preparation of planning appraisals and statements, stakeholder and public consultation, the submission of applications for small and large scale developments, research and analysis of policy and environmental impact assessments. I'm also on hand to give planning advice to Atkins architects and engineers. I have also been on the RTPI's Scottish Young Planners Network Steering Committee since 2007.

How has your degree helped you in the 'real world'?

The degree programme at Dundee University gave me a good academic grounding and covered a wide variety of planning and environmental topics, all of which have invaluable in the world of work, especially the Environmental Law module in 2nd Year which covers Environmental Impact Assessments - at the time I never thought it would come in useful!

The best thing is that as the world of planning in Scotland and even the UK is a small one, you inevitably end up working with your peers, whether its in the private or public sector.

What was the most enjoyable thing about your degree and why?

I found my time at the School of Town and Regional Planning (as it was known then) really enjoyable. Everyone from the lecturers to the students were passionate about the subject and the academic support I received was first class. Lecturers always made time to see students (in all years), no matter how busy they were.

What was your best university experience and why?

There were so many things! The most memorable experience was definitely our 3rd year trip to Amsterdam, as part of the European Spatial Planning module. Being given the opportunity to learn about different planning systems in the Europe was fascinating and can help to identify best practices which could be implemented in the UK.

Do you have any advice for potential new students?

I still feel that becoming a town planner was a great career choice. The best advice I can give is enjoy your time at Dundee University and try and soak up as much information and knowledge as you can, because you never know when it might come in useful! More importantly, if you want to be involved in shaping the way our built environment grows and changes and influence decisions affecting the future of our natural environment, then planning is definitely the career for you, and studying at Dundee University will allow you to meet your goals and achieve your dreams!