Town planner : Entry requirements

In order to work as a planner, a Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)  accredited qualification is important. To become a professionally qualified planner (known as a chartered town planner), you need an accredited academic qualification supported by two years' work experience. It is important to obtain a qualification accredited by the RTPI, whether you wish to practise in the UK or overseas.

RTPI-accredited town and country planning or urban studies courses are available as first degrees. If you wish eventually to gain chartered status, you must complete an RTPI-accredited ‘combined’ programme of study. This covers both spatial planning and knowledge of a specialist area of planning. Neither a ‘spatial’ nor a ‘specialist’ qualification alone is sufficient to qualify you for chartered membership. A spatial undergraduate programme, for example, may be taken with a specialist Masters course to complete a full RTPI-accredited combined programme. It is important when looking at courses to think about the area of specialism you are interested in and choose a course accordingly.

Not all planning courses are accredited by the RTPI so before choosing a course, contact the institution you are interested in to make sure it fully satisfies the RTPI’s requirements for chartered membership.

Courses usually take at least four years to complete - three years of undergraduate study followed by a placement year with an employer and/or one year of postgraduate study leading to a Diploma or Masters.

Graduates who have not completed an RTPI-accredited undergraduate planning course will need an RTPI-accredited postgraduate degree. The following degree subjects may improve your chances:

• architecture or landscape architecture/design;
• politics, government or public administration;
• urban studies;
• economics;
• geography;
• sociology;
• law;
• geology;
• history;
• statistics;
• transportation;
• ecology and environment.

Entry on to a postgraduate course for those without a degree but with substantial professional experience in planning may be possible. Contact individual institutions for more information.

Full-time and part-time courses are available at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. A distance learning Masters course in Town and Country Planning is available through the Joint Distance Learning Consortium. A list of all accredited courses is available on the RTPI website.

If you have an HND rather than a degree, you could consider entry at planning technician level. With relevant experience, this route can lead to professional qualification as a technical member (TechRTPI) of the RTPI.

Pre-entry experience is desirable. Examples of relevant experience include vacation work in the planning department of a local authority or with a consultancy, work shadowing a planner, experience of dealing with the public or administrative experience, especially in a local authority.

Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:

• problem-solving skills;
• analytical skills;
• report writing skills;
• communication and organisational skills;
• the ability to work as part of a team and to manage an individual caseload;
• project-management skills;
• self-motivation;
• the ability to listen to and negotiate with a diverse range of people;
• accuracy and attention to detail; 
• flexibility, initiative and innovation;
• creative thinking skills and the ability to come up with imaginative solutions to problems.

Student membership of the RTPI gives access to up-to-date sector information, relevant publications and networks, as well as information about career opportunities. Students on some accredited RTPI degree courses can obtain membership free of charge. Check the RTPI website for details.

Most public sector vacancies are advertised. Networking and creative job hunting may be helpful in the private sector.

The economic downturn had an impact on the profession and there may be fewer employers looking to recruit planners in the short term. However, it is expected that the job market for town planners will improve once the economy has fully recovered.