International Planning and Sustainable Development

Entry requirements

You should have a good first degree (normally Second Class Honours or above) in a relevant built environment or land planning related discipline (such as urban or transport planning, architecture, landscape design, surveying, civil engineering, or land management) from a higher education institute in the UK or EU, or a comparable qualification from another country.

Alternatively, you may have a good first degree (normally Second Class Honours or above) in a relevant human geography, social or environmental science subject from a higher education institute in the UK or EU (or a comparable qualification from another country), and relevant practical experience of working in a built environment discipline.

Months of entry

September

Course content

This course is aimed at built environment professionals and others with a relevant background who wish to gain an in-depth understanding of planning and sustainable development, whether to improve career prospects in their country or enter international practice. Through the course you will examine the growing problems of sustainable development facing cities, regions and communities in a rapidly urbanising world, subject to growing climate change and other environmental, economic and social pressures and risks.

Based in London, you will have access to internationally recognised experience of spatial planning for sustainable development, and explore contemporary theories, public policy thinking and good practice in planning in both the developed and developing worlds. The University of Westminster is the UK's first Habitat Partner University. We work with UN-HABITAT and like-minded institutions to promote the socially and environmentally sustainable development of towns, cities and regions, in accordance with the UN Millennium Development Goals.

This course addresses the growing problems of sustainable development facing cities and communities in a rapidly urbanising world. It explores contemporary theories, public policy thinking and good practice in planning that spans both developed and developing world contexts, and offers you the opportunity to explore one area of specialism in a related field in some depth.

There are two Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)-accredited pathways through the course. The Spatial Planning Pathway has a strong urban design component and an emphasis on the development planning process. The Urban Resilience Pathway provides a sustainable development-focused route with a core emphasis on climate change mitigation and adaptation planning. Both pathways cover all these aspects to some degree.

Information for international students

If your first language is not English, you will need an IELTS score of at least 6.5 (or equivalent) with a minimum score of 6.0 in each component.

Qualification and course duration

MA