Manchester Metropolitan University
MSc in Place Management and Leadership
Manchester, United Kingdom
MSc
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 3,750 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* EU and non-EU international students part-time fee £3750 per 30 credits
Key Summary
Developed in partnership with the Institute of Place Management (IPM), this part-time course will give you the practical skills to succeed, and develop into a confident, reflective place leader.
Learn the principles of place management and leadership. You’ll look at the role of modern place marketing and branding in the co-creation of place and place identity. You’ll also refine your leadership skills as you study units on place governance and learn how to build lasting and effective partnerships in a variety of cultural contexts. PgDip and MSc students will also learn about different approaches to local economic development and inclusive place-making, and the research skills and knowledge required to undertake place based data collection and analysis.
Your proven partner in place management
Manchester Met is the home of the Institute of Place Management. IPM is an internationally recognised professional body, advising high streets, cities and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and producing leading research on the vitality and management of places. The IPM is currently leading the UK Government’s national High Streets Task Force for England.
You’ll learn from some of the industry’s most highly regarded professionals who will support your distance learning and residential study throughout this part-time course.
Features and Benefits
- Internationally recognised – study a course that is developed with the Institute of Place Management, a global professional body.
- Triple accredited – our Business School holds the globally recognised trio of accreditations from EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA - placing us among the best business schools in the world.
- Place experts – learn from internationally renowned academics and practitioners in place management, who are shaping national policy decisions.
- Stackable degree – join the course as a PgCert student and then decide how far you want to take your studies, you could complete a PgDip or even a full MSc within 2 years part-time.
- A city of opportunities – Manchester is a global city and one of the fastest growing economic centres in Europe. It’s a great lab for your studies during the residential workshops.
- A unique course – Manchester Met is the only university to offer postgraduate qualifications in Place Management and Leadership.
- Valuable connections – take advantage of our extensive connections in the industry and close ties with IPM. You’ll be able to network with managers and leaders from a wide range of locations.
- Flexible learning – the part-time, blended learning nature of this course allows you to remain in full-time employment, fitting your assignments in around work.
- Employability – develop skills that will help you further your career in place management or prepare for different roles in this transformative sector.
Course information
There’s nowhere else in the world you can earn a qualification like this. That’s because we’re home to the Institute of Place Management, with world-renowned researchers and leading practitioners setting the standard in the field.
This is a flexible course, made for working professionals. It’s not only designed to allow you to apply academic principles to your real-world workplace issues, but its part-time structure also gives you room for your other commitments. In short, it’s an opportunity to take a leading role in the field, providing you with both the formal qualification and the focused skills to excel in senior and strategic roles in place management.
The course is taught via a blended learning approach. Each 30-credit unit is delivered through a 12-week programme of online learning and tutor support, combined with a 2-day in-person student residential. MSc students will complete their study with a 60-credit dissertation in place management and leadership, an independent research project, which ideally will help their place or organisation.
Stackable degree
We deliver three qualifications in Place Management and Leadership: PgCert, PgDip and MSc. All students initially apply for the PgCert, which consists of two core units studied part-time over an 8-month period.
Once the PgCert is complete, you have the option to either graduate or upgrade your qualification to a PgDip by studying two additional units. Including your PgCert this will take approximately 16-months part-time.
Once you’ve finished the PgDip you could then make the choice to upgrade to the full MSc qualification by completing a dissertation project, including your PgDip and PgCert this will take approximately 2-years part-time.
Please note: If you choose to upgrade your qualification you will not receive separate awards, upon graduation you will receive one award for the highest qualification that you reach on this course.
Year 1
All students enter through the PgCert route and will complete two modules in the first 8-months of study (January 2026 – August 2026).
If you decide to continue with your studies post-PgCert you will be required to complete one further module in your first 12 months of study (September 2026 – December 2026).
Core Modules
- Place Management and Leadership
- Place Marketing, Branding and Communication
- Place and Economic Development
Year 2
All students completing the PgDip or full MSc will study one core module in their second year of study (January 2027 – April 2027).
For students progressing onto the full MSc, you will also complete a 60-credit dissertation in place management and leadership (January 2027 – December 2027).
Core modules
- Place Research and Data Analysis
- Dissertation in Place Management and Leadership
When you finish this course, you’ll have developed a global perspective of place management. As this course has been developed with worldwide professional standards, you’ll be able to develop your career in the UK and internationally.
Working in town and city centre management will be just one of your options. Your valuable place management and leadership skills can also allow you to go into:
- Politics and local government
- Business Improvement Districts (BIDs)
- Destination management and marketing
- Destination development
As well as taking on more senior and strategic roles within your current organisation, this course can also allow you to move into research and teaching positions. You might also decide to use your skills to become a place management consultant.
Study
- Part-time 20% lectures, seminars or similar; 0% placement; 80% independent study
Assessment
- Part-time 100% coursework; 0% practical; 0% examination