Newcastle University Undergraduate programs
Master of Planning MPlan
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Master degree
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 25,600 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
Take the first steps towards becoming a Chartered Town Planner on our dual-accredited degree.
Our Master of Planning MPlan programme is accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). It's designed so you can fast-track your route to chartership.
Build your core competencies in urban planning, apply them through a year of professional practice, then refine and specialise them in your final year.
Our degree equips you with the practical knowledge, providing a solid foundation in:
- Urban planning processes
- Housing policy
- Climate change
- Urban design
You'll also undertake a year of paid professional practice, which contributes towards your professional experience for chartership.
Professional accreditation and recognition
Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
This degree is dual accredited. It is professionally accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and fully meets the educational requirements for chartered membership.
Stage 1
You'll build a firm foundation in urban planning. You'll learn to ‘read’ a city and understand the importance of design and sustainability. You'll also develop knowledge of the political, social and economic forces that shape society and cities.
Compulsory Modules
- Planning Processes
- Design Awareness and Communication
- Economics of Development I
- Environment and Sustainability
- Social Worlds
- Understanding Place: Methods and Perspectives
- Shaping Towns and Cities
- Planning for a Better World
Stage 2
You'll focus on professional development and skills. You'll learn vital research methods and develop an understanding of professionalism in the planning sector. You'll have a choice of optional modules to help tailor this year to your interests.
You’ll also have the opportunity to spend a semester studying abroad.
Compulsory Modules
- Researching Local Economies
- Research Skills
Optional Modules
- Participation: Theories & Practice
- Houses and Homes
- Design & Neighbourhood
- Understanding Cities
- Digital Civics
- Urban Infrastructures: A Lens on the City
- Global Course on Institutional Design for Spatial Planning
- Study Abroad for Stage 2
- Researching Local Economies (Placement)
Stage 3
You'll study modules concerned with strategic planning, planning politics and development management. A dissertation will give you the chance to study in depth a topic of interest to you, showcasing your knowledge and skills to future employers.
Compulsory Modules
- Strategies into Action: Planning
- Development Management
- Planning Theory and Politics
- Dissertation
Optional Modules
- Chinese Cultural History and Urban Development
- Disasters, Monsters and Mess
- Strategies Into Action: Urban Design
Stage 4
Following your one-year paid work placement, you'll return to the University to complete a final year of advanced professional modules in planning.
Based full-time at the University, you'll have the opportunity to work with outside planning and planning-related organisations on live reports and attend practitioner workshop sessions.
Compulsory Modules
- TCP8025: Linked Research Project
- TCP8024: Consultancy Project
- TCP8942: Reflexive Practitioner
- TCP8958: Mapping, Data and Measurement
- TCP8950: Valuation and Appraisal for Planning
- 9th in the UK – The Complete University Guide 2025 (Town and Country Planning, Landscape category)
- 18th in the UK – The Guardian University Guide 2025 (Construction, Surveying and Planning category)
- Global Top 130 University - QS World University Rankings 2025
- 65% increase in research power since 2014 – Research Excellence Framework 2021
- 42% of our research is classified as 4* world-leading research – Research Excellence Framework 2021
- 9th in the UK – Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025 (Town and Country Planning and Landscape category)
- Top 25 in the UK and Top 100 in the world for sustainable development – Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024
- Global Top 170 University - Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024
Our graduates do exceptionally well in the job market, both regionally and nationally, with many going on to pursue accredited Town Planner status.
Graduate town planners are often employed by local authorities and by private planning consultancies that advise organisations and individuals on specific planning schemes.
Major companies also employ their own teams of planners to find appropriate areas for expansion and to oversee the planning and design of new premises. Such companies include utility companies, large retail businesses and transport organisations such as airports. In addition, many of our graduates gain employment sectors which work with environmental and conservation organisations.
Our graduates have also gone on to become teachers, accountants, solicitors, academics, business managers and officers in the armed forces.
This programme is vocationally oriented and this is reflected in the teaching methods we use.
A typical week may involve lectures, seminars, and individual and group project work.
Field trips in the UK and abroad are integral to the programme and form a key part of tuition and assessment.
Our innovative teaching and assessment techniques involve the use of film, posters and presentations, making learning a creative and dynamic process.