MSc City Planning and Design
Belfast, United Kingdom
MSc
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 23,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* international fee
Key Summary
In a world facing environmental, social and economic challenges, how we manage changes to our natural and built environments will be crucial for our future. In our urbanised world, how we design and plan our cities impacts our environmental sustainability, health and even happiness. This programme will equip you with the skills to be part of making progressive changes in your place.
In practice, there is a common tension between those developing and interpreting planning policy on the one hand, and the designers of cities on the other. This programme brings these groups together to engage in project-based learning. You will develop planning, research, urban analysis and design skills before deciding whether to complete an urban design thesis or dissertation. Both of these options can be completed as work-based studies with opportunities for summer placements.
City Planning And Design Highlights
Professional Accreditations
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is accredited as a standalone programme.
Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) accreditation is awarded upon completion of an accredited undergraduate planning degree.
Global Opportunities
There are fantastic opportunities to work with planning and urban design, both locally and globally. Belfast is a city that is developing rapidly, and this reflects a wider confidence in urban regeneration and development at a national level. Many recent graduates are working in planning authorities and consultancies throughout the UK and Ireland, with others working in the related fields of housing, natural and built heritage and renewable energy.
Student Experience
Significant emphasis is placed on the development of problem-solving skills during live projects in this programme. The option of a work-based study for the thesis module reflects the local confidence within the planning and urban design sector in the quality of QUB student work. Placements can be in planning offices, interdisciplinary practices or with related heritage, environmental or community sector groups.
Belfast is one of the UK and Ireland's most vibrant and affordable cities, packed with energy, culture and history. Queen's majestic campus is in Queen's Quarter, with cafes, bars, restaurants, plenty of shopping and entertainment venues (Complete University Guide 2025).
Internationally Renowned Experts
The members of staff responsible for delivering the MSc are from a variety of professional and research backgrounds. Staff expertise includes international development, sustainable development, development economics and planning policy and practice. Each member will give a different perspective within the course, such that both theoretical and applied elements will be fully developed and a rounded, high-level education will result.
Industry Links
As well as including employers in our teaching and development of projects, we value the input of practitioners on our examination panels. Our employer links are further enhanced through formal partnership meetings with our accreditation bodies (RICS and RTPI) and by providing student prizes, for example, for the best independent research project. Therefore, course development is closely aligned with the requirements of the planning sector.
Employers are often also consulted by students in the development of the independent research project. For example, we have developed strong relationships with the public and private sector planning bodies across the island of Ireland and in Northern Ireland with the Housing Executive, and the Planning Division of the Department of Infrastructure. As part of the support activities embedded in the degree, employers contribute to regular careers events.
Our graduates end up in leading positions in central and local government as well as in planning consultancies in the private sector. Others are employed as urban designers and in related industries such as Housing, Climate Change, Community Advocacy, Renewable Energy, Heritage and Construction.
Employment after the Course
Examples of employment: Urban Design and Planning practices, Research institutions, GIS companies, Housing organisations, Community Advocacy Groups, Environmental and Community sector NGOs.
Employment Links
Graduate employers include:- Belfast City Council, Department for Infrastructure and other public and private sector planning consultancies.
Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award for extra-curricular skills
In addition to your degree programme, at Queen's you can have the opportunity to gain wider life, academic and employability skills. For example, placements, voluntary work, clubs, societies, sports and lots more. So not only do you graduate with a degree recognised from a world leading university, you'll have practical national and international experience plus a wider exposure to life overall. We call this Graduate Plus/Future Ready Award. It's what makes studying at Queen's University Belfast special.
Course Content
The MSc is designed to allow you to develop real world project management skills through the completion of live design projects for local authority and community sector clients. You will also acquire urban and data analysis skills that you can use to develop strategic regeneration policies and design solutions. The course content gives theoretical and practical coverage across a wide variety of topics including:
- Green infrastructure
- The Inclusive City
- Urban Technological Developments
- Low carbon transition
- Critical Heritage Perspectives
- Cities and the e-economy
- Planning the Urban-Rural dialectic
- Demographic challenges
- The future of urban housing
- Health in future cities
Course Modules
- Comparative Urban Design (20 CATS)
- Spatial Literacy (20 CATS)
- Urban Futures (20 CATS)
- Future Planning Practice (20 CATS)
- Planning for Sustainable Communities (20 CATS)
- Approaches to Development (20 CATS)
- Thesis (60 CATS)
Part-time Modules
- EVP7039, EVP7040 & EVP7043 modules will be delivered in year one.
- EVP7038, EVP7041, EVP7042 & EVP7044 modules will be delivered in year two.
Students failing more than 20 CATS points worth of taught modules will not normally be permitted to progress on to the Thesis Module. A student who has failed one 20 CATS taught module will normally be allowed to progress to the Thesis Module at the student's risk. If a student fails the Thesis Module on a second attempt, a post-graduate Diploma may be awarded.
How do I fund my study?
The Department for the Economy will provide a tuition fee loan of up to £6,500 per NI / EU student for postgraduate study.
A postgraduate loans system in the UK offers government-backed student loans of up to £11,836 for taught and research Masters courses in all subject areas (excluding Initial Teacher Education/PGCE, where undergraduate student finance is available). Criteria, eligibility, repayment and application information are available on the UK government website.