Options with your subject: Town and regional planning

Town and regional planning graduates work in a variety of planning areas, from household planning to protection of endangered species, as well as alternative careers...

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Town planner
• Transport planner
• Facilities manager
• Housing manager/officer
• Local government officer
• Historic buildings inspector/conservation officer
• Government social research officer

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Civil Service administrator
• Community development worker
• Energy manager
• Environmental manager
• Estate agent

You will work with land use plans in many jobs related to town and country planning

Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here. To find out what jobs would suit you, log in to My Prospects.

Work experience

If you want to pursue a career in planning or a related area, it is important to keep up to date with current planning, built environment and wider environmental issues. Also, try to gain work experience through part-time or temporary jobs, voluntary positions or internships. Many local authorities and private sector employers offer work placements, and they may also have opportunities for work shadowing or workplace visits. These offer invaluable knowledge and insight into different areas of the profession. 

You could apply to volunteer through Planning Aid England , a service that provides free planning advice to those who cannot afford professional fees.

You should consider registering as a student with the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)  in order to increase networking and training opportunities through initiatives such as the Young Planners' Network .

Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.

Typical employers

Planning posts exist across the public sector including local authority departments (such as regeneration services or planning and development), central/devolved government and major public bodies such as:

• British Waterways  
• Historic Scotland
• National Parks
• Natural England

There are posts with a variety of employers and consultancies in the private sector, often in specific areas such as planning law, transport or urban regeneration. These positions often require experience. 

There are career opportunities in the voluntary sector with various employers, such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)  or the National Trust , and further opportunities to work overseas, especially in New Zealand, Australia and North America.

Find information on employers in property and construction, public sector, and other job sectors.

Skills for your CV

As the field of urban regeneration develops and the required knowledge base of planners expands, it is crucial you recognise professional skills developed in your degree, including:

• general management skills;
• knowledge of planning law and legislation;
• finance and policy development;
• analytical research abilities;
• professional report writing and presentation skills;
• partnership working and collaboration.

You will also have picked up transferable skills that will be useful in many different career areas. These include:

• clear verbal and written communication;
• negotiation and mediation skills;
• impartiality and diplomacy;
• decision-making skills;
• people management;
• pragmatism and sensitivity.

Further study

There are some postgraduate courses that further your knowledge of the subject and lead towards chartered membership (with experience) of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) . Masters and postgraduate diploma course titles include:

• town and country/regional planning;
• urban design/planning/regeneration.

You could also use the degree to enter related study in areas including:

• transport and planning;
• business management;
• built environment.

For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see postgraduate study in the UK and search courses and research.

What do town and regional planning graduates do?

Around 60% of town and regional planning graduates are in employment six months after graduation. More than a third of these work in professional and technical occupations. A quarter of graduates are in further study, either full time, or part time while working.

Find out what other graduates are doing six months after finishing their degrees in What Do Graduates Do?  

Graduate destinations data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

AGCAS

Written by Colin Dewar, University of the West of Scotland

Date: 

December 2011

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