Town and Regional Planning

Why study Town and Regional Planning at Dundee?

Dundee is a long established centre of excellence for professional planning education. It is an ideal place to study for a planning qualification as the City of Dundee and its rural surroundings offer excellent case studies of innovative planning practice. The Dundee Central Waterfront Master Plan and the Mill O'Mains Community Regeneration are two outstanding examples of best practice.

Our staff are engaged in research of national and international importance in the fields of housing and homelessness, urban regeneration, environmental assessment and urban conservation.

What's so good about Town and Regional Planning at Dundee?

Professional Accreditation

The MA Town and Regional Planning is fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), the planners' professional body, which means you can go on to become a chartered planner.

Transatlantic Student Exchange Programme

Students have the chance to undertake some of their studies in North America, through a planning exchange programme with the University of North British Columbia in Canada, and via the University's Transatlantic Student Exchange programme, which allows students to study in a range of universities across the USA and Canada.

Student society

There is an active student society called SPAD (Student Planners Association Dundee) which organises social events and visiting speakers.

Fieldtrips and Coursework

The first video shows third year Town and Regional Planning students working on a Town Study of Crieff, and the second shows first year students on a day trip to the Scottish Lime Centre in Charlestown.

Teaching & Assessment

This course is taught by the Town and Regional Planning team based in the School of the Environment.

The University's flexible MA structure means that for your first two years you can combine Town and Regional Planning with other subjects that interest you, such as Geography, Economics and Environmental Science.

We frequently welcome contributions from our graduates and other planning practitioners to enrich the student experience and make it relevant to topical concerns. Planning students at Dundee also benefit from close links with geography, environmental science and architecture within the University.

Careers

We maintain close links to the planning profession and our graduates readily find work in Scotland, the UK and abroad. As well as jobs in central and local government, planners are employed by planning consultancies, regeneration companies, house builders, supermarkets and utilities such as water companies.

They perform a variety of tasks such as:

• preparing national and regional development strategies
• regenerating declining urban areas
• shaping new and sustainable housing
• protecting and enhancing historic buildings
• promoting biodiversity
• conserving sites of nature conservation value
• negotiating with property developers
• engaging with local people

The MA degree provides students with a sound knowledge and understanding of the built and natural environment and a range of transferable skills such as problem solving, IT, communications and team work. These qualities have allowed some of our graduates to obtain rewarding jobs in careers other than planning such as business management, retailing, computing and tourism.

Postgraduate Study

Further study is available by taking one of our postgraduate Masters programmes specialising in aspects of the built environment.

Entry Requirements

The following are the minimum requirements, please note qualifications have to be obtained at the first sitting of examinations.

Courses starting September 2013

Level 1 entry

Qualification	Grade
SQA Higher	AABB
GCE A-Level	BBB
ILC Higher	AABB
IB Diploma	30 points (including 5, 5, 5 at Higher Level)
Essential Subjects	None, but see requirements for other Joint Honours subjects
EU & International	Visit our EU and International webpages for entry requirements tailored to your home country

Advanced Entry (to Level 2)

Qualification	Grade
SQA Advanced Higher	AB (Advanced Higher) + BB (Higher) in different subjects
GCE A-Level	AAB
IB Diploma	34 points (including 6, 6, 5 at Higher Level)
Essential Subjects	MA Geography and Planning requires Geography at SQA Advanced Higher, GCE A-Level or IB Higher Level MA Spatial Economics and Development requires Economics and Geography at SQA Advanced Higher, GCE A-Level or IB Higher Level
NOTE Advanced Entry to MA Town and Regional Planning is not available on the basis of SQA Advanced Highers or GCE A-Levels but a relevant HND with some merits in the final year will be considered

Other Qualifications

Qualification	Grade
SQA	A relevant HNC with grade B in the Graded Unit (Level 1 entry) A relevant HND with BB in the Graded Units (Level 2 entry)
Scottish Baccalaureate	Pass with CC at Advanced Higher (Level 1 entry) Pass with BB at Advanced Higher (Level 2 entry)
SWAP Access Programmes	Relevant subjects with ABB grades to include English Literature/Language at SCQF Level 6 and Communication 4 plus Literature 1 (Level 1 entry)
EDEXCEL	A relevant BTEC Extended Diploma with DDM (Level 1 entry) A relevant BTEC Extended Diploma with DDD (Level 2 entry)
Advanced Diploma	Grade B with ASL-A Level at B (Level 1 entry) Grade A with ASL-A Level at A (Level 2 entry)
Welsh Baccalaureate	Pass with A Levels at BB (Level 1 entry) Pass with A Levels at AA (Level 2 entry)
Entry to BSc degrees requires a Science component equivalent to SQA Higher.
Applicants with alternative overseas qualifications should visit the relevant country page on our International website.

Joint Honours Degrees

For details of typical entry requirements for Joint Honours degrees, please visit the relevant webpage for the other subject.

Fees and Funding

There have been many changes to the arrangements for funding students entering higher education in recent years, yet a degree from the University of Dundee, with its high rate of employment success, remains a cost-effective option.

The fees you pay will, in most cases, depend on your current country of residence.

Fee category	Fees for students starting September 2012	Scholarships & Bursaries applicable
Scottish students	£1,820 per year of study. You can apply to the Students Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) to have your tuition fees paid by the Scottish government.	School Academic Scholarships Other Scholarships
Students from the rest of the UK	£9,000 per year, for a maximum of 3 years, even if you are studying a four year degree. You can apply for financial assistance, including a loan to cover the full cost of the tuition fees, from the Student Loan Company.	University of Dundee Bursaries School Academic Scholarships Other Scholarships
EU students	£1,820 per year of study. You can apply to the Students Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) to have your tuition fees paid by the Scottish government.	Other Scholarships
Overseas students (non-EU)	£9,700 per year.	School Academic Scholarships Other Scholarships

The fee shown is annual, and may be subject to an increase each year.

Living Costs

• Dundee is ranked as one of the most affordable places for students to live in the UK, and the cost of living is around 15% cheaper than the UK average.
• Increasing numbers of students are successfully undertaking part-time work to supplement their income. You can get advice from our Careers Service, both about job opportunities and how to find a suitable study/work/life balance. EU and international students are also allowed to work up to 20 hours per week.
• As a student in Scotland, you have free access to the National Health Service. Visits to doctors and hospitals, as well as prescriptions, sight tests and dental checkups, are available free of charge.

Your Application

All applications must be made through UCAS

UCAS Codes

Institution Code: D65

Degree	UCAS Codes	KIS data
MA Town and Regional Planning	K410	View KIS data for this course
MA Planning and Geography	LK74	View KIS data for this course
MA Spatial Economics and Development	LK14	View KIS data for this course

UCAS Application Process

International Applicants

We have information specifically for international applicants on our International website:

• Your Home Country - including information about qualifications from individual countries
• Fees and Funding
• English Language Requirements
• International Student Support

What skills, qualities and experience do I need?

Planning affects everyone. It operates from national, even international level, down to the scale of small neighbourhoods. It makes decisions which affect issues such as preservation of historic buildings and wildlife habitats to new houses shops and schools outwards to major transport and energy facilities. It is a vocational subject requiring dedication, ingenuity and imagination, do you therefore have an interest in current affairs, do you think about the many ways in which mankind impacts on the environment, can you communicate well, are you a member of any amenity societies, have you tried to find out more about the subject?

Our programme is intense and covers a considerable variety of subjects which have to be approved by the Royal Town Planning Institute. Therefore, while some cross-over with other subjects is possible during the first year, students tend to start in, and then remain in planning, developing their own areas of interest as they progress through to their final year. You should ideally therefore, be committed from the outset.

Students join the programme from a variety of different backgrounds both social and academic. Over the years it has proved a popular choice for people who, having decided to make a career change wish to become involved in something which they feel will be fulfilling and worthwhile. Qualifications vary through a wide range of subjects which might normally include Geography, Modern Studies, English, Art or IT. Virtually all subjects are relevant and while some are clearly more desirable than others, no one skill, for example design, is essential. What is most important is your enthusiasm for the subject and details of any relevant experience.

A variety of teaching methods are used; you will be expected to respond to the information and advice provided by academic staff in formal lectures, to prepare for and participate in small group tutorials, to work in practical classes and participate in site visits; to work individually or in groups on set assignments such as essays and projects and to ultimately be capable of "deep" learning in chosen aspects of the subject. We will look for evidence that you are able to work both systematically and independently and will engage well with other students in your year.

In a discipline as diverse as planning, other achievements and experience which may seem unrelated can in fact be extremely relevant. Positions of responsibility, voluntary work, sport and other hobbies will have given you attributes and personal skills which will help you to benefit from, enjoy, and ultimately graduate from the programme.

Tips for your application

The grades you have already attained, or are predicted to attain, in your chosen subjects are clearly important to us, they are one of the main ways we have of establishing whether or not you possess some of the desirable qualities mentioned above and that you have the capacity to do well in higher education.

However, in a vocational subject such as planning, academic attainment does not necessarily guarantee that the programme is appropriate to your particular interests and future plans. Non-academic qualifications which you might have achieved through an interest say, in nature conservation, would be of interest to us. Your personal statement is an opportunity for you to tell us about these interests and to say why you should be offered a place to study in Dundee. We are looking for applicants with an ability to express opinions clearly with reasoned support and evidence, who are open to critical guidance, who have a commitment to high standards of achievement and are enthusiastic in all they do. These qualities can be demonstrated not just through academic attainment but by extra-curricular activities of all kinds. The statement should be well written and well constructed.

Referees should concisely indicate your analytical abilities, communication skills, capacity for academic work, and commitment to your studies. We will be interested to hear about examples of initiative, leadership, and any evidence of organisational skills. Indicators of a positive outlook and engagement with social and cultural activities will be welcome, as will an assessment of your potential to develop in the university environment.

Advanced Entry Honours Degree

It is possible to study for most of our honours degrees in 3 years if you have the required grades and subjects as listed in the Entry Requirements section. There are definite advantages to considering this route as the time needed to study is reduced by one year which enables you to start working and earning earlier.

Any questions?

If you have any further questions about the application process, please contact: