International Planning and Development (MSc)
- Duration: 1 year
- Mode: Full time
Conversion course
This is a conversion course. Conversion courses allow you to study a subject unrelated to your undergraduate degree or current career, and support you with a change of career path.
Open day
Find out more about studying here as a postgraduate at our next Open Day.
Why study this course
Urban planning is fascinating and tackles the challenges of change and development in an urbanising world, and this course is designed to help you shape your future career in professional practice.
Professionally recognised
Fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute.
A global outlook
Undertake a field-study visit and benefit research and teaching links with countries throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.
Open and accessible
Follow your passions - no previous planning education or experience required.
Make a difference
Develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to help tackle the grand challenges facing cities and their populations.
The MSc International Planning and Development aims to provide a broad education in international planning and development, enabling you to acquire the knowledge and critical understanding to make a significant contribution to the management of human settlements and urban systems. The course is suitable for those who want to work in the planning profession and especially those who want to gain an international perspective on planning and development issues.
The course tackles the challenges of urbanisation in the 21st century. Since 2008, more than half the world's population has lived in cities. Cities are crucibles of culture, knowledge and innovation, but also harbour poverty and exclusion; globalisation, environmental pollution, and climate change all threaten the well-being of urban residents.
This course spans the disciplines of spatial planning and development studies, enabling you to acquire the knowledge and critical understanding to make a significant contribution to the design and management of cities.
Core teaching focuses on issues of development and underdevelopment, city futures in a globalising world, and creation of space and place within different political, cultural, economic and environmental contexts. Options enable you to follow specialisms in urban design, real estate and housing – or a general route with options in planning, environment, transport, real estate, site planning, regeneration and housing. The dissertation is an opportunity for you to develop your specialist interests.
Accreditations
Where you'll study
School of Geography and Planning
Join us as we explore and tackle the social, political, economic, development and environmental challenges which affect where and how we live.
Admissions criteria
This is a conversion course. Conversion courses allow you to study a subject unrelated to your undergraduate degree or current career, and support you with a change of career path. No prior knowledge or degree in the subject is required.
In order to be considered for an offer for this programme you will need to meet all of the entry requirements. Your application will not be progressed if the information and evidence listed is not provided.
With your online application you will need to provide:
- A copy of your degree certificate and transcripts which show you have achieved a 2:2 honours degree in a relevant subject area such as architecture, crop protection, economics, engineering, finance/business, geography, history, land resource management, planning, politics, sociology, or an equivalent international degree. If your degree certificate or result is pending, please upload any interim transcripts or provisional certificates.
- A copy of your IELTS certificate with an overall score of 6.5 with 5.5 in all subskills, or evidence of an accepted equivalent. Please include the date of your expected test if this qualification is pending. If you have alternative acceptable evidence, such as an undergraduate degree studied in the UK, please supply this in place of an IELTS.
Application Deadline
We allocate places on a first-come, first-served basis, so we recommend you apply as early as possible. Applications normally close at the end of August but may close sooner if all places are filled.
Selection process
We will review your application and if you meet all of the entry requirements, we will make you an offer.
Find out more about English language requirements.
Applicants who require a Student visa to study in the UK must present an acceptable English language qualification in order to meet UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) requirements.
Criminal convictions
You are not required to complete a DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) check or provide a Certificate of Good Conduct to study this course.
If you are currently subject to any licence condition or monitoring restriction that could affect your ability to successfully complete your studies, you will be required to disclose your criminal record. Conditions include, but are not limited to:
- access to computers or devices that can store images
- use of internet and communication tools/devices
- curfews
- freedom of movement
- contact with people related to Cardiff University.
Course structure
This course is offered full-time over 12 months and is divided into two parts:
- Part one includes the taught programme of core and optional modules, allowing you to develop specialist skills and knowledge to support a range of career paths. Cutting-edge techniques in planning and international development are taught where relevant.
- Part two is the individual dissertation which allows you to develop advanced postgraduate research skills.
Your taught modules will have a credit value of 120 and the dissertation is 60 credits. Acquisition of 120 credits will lead to an award of a Diploma in International Planning and Development, and acquisition of 180 credits to the award of MSc International Planning and Development.
The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum. Final modules will be published one month ahead of your programme starting.
| Module title | Module code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Development and Urbanisation Processes | CPT781 | 20 credits |
| Planning City Futures | CPT866 | 20 credits |
| Space and Place: International Planning Practice | CPT870 | 20 credits |
| Research Methods | CPT926 | 20 credits |
| Dissertation | CPT508 | 60 credits |
| Module title | Module code | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Site Planning, Design and Development | CPT805 | 20 credits |
| Environmental Policy and Climate Change | CPT855 | 20 credits |
| Planning and Real Estate | CPT857 | 20 credits |
| Designing Cities | CPT867 | 20 credits |
| Planning for Sustainability | CPT878 | 20 credits |
| Sustainable Transport Policies | CPT903 | 20 credits |
| Digital Planning and Development | CPT931 | 20 credits |
The University is committed to providing a wide range of module options where possible, but please be aware that whilst every effort is made to offer choice this may be limited in certain circumstances. This is due to the fact that some modules have limited numbers of places available, which are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, while others have minimum student numbers required before they will run, to ensure that an appropriate quality of education can be delivered; some modules require students to have already taken particular subjects, and others are core or required on the programme you are taking. Modules may also be limited due to timetable clashes, and although the University works to minimise disruption to choice, we advise you to seek advice from the relevant School on the module choices available.
Learning and assessment
How will I be taught?
Core teaching focuses on issues of development and underdevelopment, city futures in a globalising world, and creation of space and place within different political, cultural, economic and environmental contexts.
Optional modules will enable you to follow specialisms in urban design, real estate and housing – or a general route with options in planning, environment, transport, real estate, site planning, regeneration and housing.
The dissertation provides an opportunity for you to develop your specialist interests.
How will I be assessed?
Modules are summatively assessed by way of coursework. Assessment methods used may include essays, reports, project work and verbal presentations.
Essays and reports will be used to test your core knowledge and powers of analysis. They will allow you to employ knowledge generated during the modules in pieces of policy evaluation or sustainable development in action.
Project work will develop your skills in project design and implementation, and spatial awareness to test subject skills in planning.
Seminar presentations and debates will encourage you both to develop and clarify your understanding of core knowledge (in order to defend a debating a position) and give you an opportunity to enhance your oral presentation skills.
How will I be supported?
You will have access to a range of facilities and resources, including:
- A dedicated 40 PC laboratory with high quality peripherals including; network account laser printing, large format colour printing, A4 colour printing
- GIS facilities/workstation/access to Edina digimap digital mapping facility
- An additional 30 PC open-access laboratory in the Glamorgan Building
- An excellent Planning library containing around 12,000 books, 280 journal titles and substantial annual stock expenditure
- Access to online international databases/computerised library facilities
- Access to Dyslexia resource facilities
- Use of Learning Central in all modules to provide module information and learning resources.
You will have regular meetings with your allocated personal tutor to review your progress.
English language support will be available if your first language is not English.
Support will also be available if you are working/being assessed through the medium of Welsh.
We will support the development of your professional skills during induction week by providing training on computer use and presentation skills.
Feedback
Formative feedback is given in tutorials, discussion classes and problems classes as well as through individual written comments on coursework.
What skills will I practise and develop?
As a graduate of the programme you will be critical and analytical, and will develop the conceptual resources to appraise and influence the foundations of planning in different contexts – legislation, institutions, or practice – with particular expertise in applied research and in evaluating policies and interventions.
You will be able to:
- Develop critical skills as a foundation for the understanding of spatial planning (making space and mediating place), and will contribute to high quality planning and development practice in a wide range of international contexts.
- Develop a framework for comparative assessment of the potential for planning and development interventions in different international contexts.
- Understand the potential of spatial and development planning to contribute to the agendas of poverty reduction, good governance and sustainable development.
- Evaluate the interaction of theory, policy and practice, and develop a critical self-awareness of their own work and practice.
- Develop transferable and specialist skills within the broad specialism of international planning research and practice, based on independent and critical thought about the resolution of urban planning problems and policy issues.
- Assess the roles of key actors in planning and development processes, including government, private sector and civil society, and the value of transparent governance in the creation of equitable urban policy.
Transferable skills:
- Analytical skills, including research skills
- Communication skills, especially report writing and presentations
- Time management
- ICT skills
- Team working.
Professional:
- Using the planning policy process
- Planning law (introductory)
- Site planning.
Tuition fees for 2025 entry
Your tuition fees and how you pay them will depend on your fee status. Your fee status could be home, island or overseas.
Learn how we decide your fee status
Fees for home status
| Year | Tuition fee | Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Year one | £10,700 | None |
Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland
If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss national, your tuition fees for 2025/26 be in line with the overseas fees for international students, unless you qualify for home fee status. UKCISA have provided information about Brexit and tuition fees.
Fees for island status
Learn more about the postgraduate fees for students from the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
Fees for overseas status
| Year | Tuition fee | Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Year one | £24,700 | £2,500 |
More information about tuition fees and deposits, including for part-time and continuing students.
Financial support
Financial support may be available to individuals who meet certain criteria. For more information visit our funding section. Please note that these sources of financial support are limited and therefore not everyone who meets the criteria are guaranteed to receive the support.
Additional costs
You will need to pay towards your field study visit. This will be partly subsidised by the School.
Living costs
We’re based in one of the UK’s most affordable cities. Find out more about living costs in Cardiff.
Funding
Career prospects
This course offers the knowledge and expertise for a career in academia, government and the private sector, in a wide variety of organisations including international agencies, central or local government, consultancy and NGOs.
Fieldwork
You will take part in a UK-based field study visit. The trip is subsidised by the School but you should be prepared to pay towards this yourself.
Next steps
Open Day visits
Register for information about our upcoming dates.Make an enquiry
Contact us for more information about this course.International
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HESA Data: Copyright Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited 2021. The Higher Education Statistics Agency Limited cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived by third parties from its data. Data is from the latest Graduate Outcomes Survey 2019/20, published by HESA in June 2022.
