MA in Town and Regional Planning

A career in planning is both exciting and challenging. Planners work in complex environments, exploring ways of resolving problems and enhancing the attributes of our urban and rural areas. This requires skills not only to understand the diverse contexts in which planners work but also how to act within them. As one of our graduates you will be equipped for a career at the forefront of this field.

Our 12 month MA course in planning is an innovative course aimed at enabling students from a wide range of backgrounds to gain the skills and knowledge relevant to a career in planning. The course is fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), allowing graduates to become chartered members of the Institute once necessary RTPI practice requirements have been met.

With our help, you will develop your knowledge of the world in which you will practice as a planner. You will engage with and critically evaluate concepts and ideas about urban and rural communities and you will bring together theory and practice to imagine new opportunities to enhance urban and rural living.

You will initially be given a grounding in the core skills required of planners, and will then apply this in the spring semester in a real-life project. You will also get the chance to specialise by choosing from a wide range of option modules. A fully-supervised dissertation completes the year.

Current student Susie Boyce explains why she decided to choose the Department to study her MA.

Graduate Profiles

Read some of our recent Graduate profiles

Study Abroad

Some of our students have the opportunity to study abroad during the course. As part of the Socrates-Erasmus Programme, students on the course are able to study for the Spring Semester in four institutions in Denmark, France or Italy. We have long-standing student exchange links with all institutions in these cities. Students studying in one of these four institutions will cover the same ground as those in Sheffield. More particularly, all students will engage in integrated project work related to urban development in the country of their choice.

Employability

Students graduating from MATRP are popular with a wide range of employers. Our graduates have found jobs in many leading organisations. Many others have gone on to work in private and public services or in business. MATRP gives you the ability to analyse, propose policies and implement strategies which is vital experience in moving forward to employment. You will also learn a wide variety of generic management and communication skills which is essential for any working environment. The transferable skills you develop in strategic thinking, teamwork, creativity and communication are exactly what most employers are seeking in almost any area in which you may subsequently decide to develop your career.

Admission Criteria

All applications are treated individually. The normal entry requirement is a good honours degree, normally a First or Upper Second Class degree or its international equivalent. However, we recognise the value of experience and welcome applications from people who have been in practice or who bring other experience to their studies. We do not stipulate a prior or undergraduate degree in a particular subject and welcome applications from students who have a keen interest in planning, a commitment to work in the field and strong academic credentials.

Course Structure

The first semester provides an introduction to planning and its practice at a variety of spatial scales. The modules link together around the theme of understanding these scales and how planners might act in these.

For more information contact

ainch Dr Andy Inch

Telephone +44 114 222 6926

Email a.inch@sheffield.ac.uk