Urban Planning and Development with a Professional Placement Year (BSc)

Why study this course

What could be more exciting than the challenge and responsibility of shaping the places in which we live, work, and play?

Accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and recognised by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) as a spatial qualification, this programme focuses on the social, economic and environmental challenges of creating better places in which to live.

Planning impacts our everyday reality in so many ways, influencing the homes in which we live and the quality and availability of opportunities which can support our health, wealth and well-being. It can affect our public and community spaces and our professional and leisure spaces, as well as how we travel and move between them. You will examine how and why places, such as cities, towns, and the countryside, change and how they can be improved through planning practice and research.

This programme opens a wide range of exciting career opportunities in planning, development and surveying. Graduates have an excellent track record securing employment in these sectors as well as transport, economic development, environment policy, housing and urban regeneration.

With modules that involve practitioners, you will also have the opportunity to understand how your learning applies to the real world and consider the ways in which you can develop your professional profile and employability.

Fieldwork and experiential learning are key facets in the development of undergraduate knowledge and skills within the discipline Planning. This programme provides a range of opportunities for students to develop this knowledge and skill set, including in-module 1 or 1/2-day field visits; group data collection and analysis assessments; and dedicated Year 2 and Final Year field study modules.

Increasing competitiveness in the graduate job market makes professional and practical experience invaluable in helping you to kickstart your career. The professional placement year allows you to put your lecture-based learning and skills into practice in a private or public sector organisation. It’s also an opportunity to build your professional profile, develop your network and identify your professional ambition.

This degree carries partial (spatial) RTPI accreditation. For full RTPI accreditation, once you have completed your spatial-accredited undergraduate degree, you need to complete a RTPI specialist-accredited Master’s degree.

Accreditations

• Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)

Careers and placements

Career prospects

We are committed to helping you achieve your professional ambitions, providing you with the skills, curiosity and confidence to make your mark in your chosen field.

There are numerous exciting and varied career opportunities open to graduates of this degree programme, and many occupy key positions in a range of public, private and third sector organisations. These include national and local governments, business consultancies, sustainable energy centres, environmental agencies, housing strategy companies, construction, and surveying.

Specific planning career pathways include surveying, design and development, as well as fields such as transport, economic development and urban regeneration. You could practise in local planning authorities, local and national government, neighbourhood planning organisations, transport organisations, private planning consultancies, private developers and environmental organisations in the United Kingdom, mainland Europe and internationally.

The experience and knowledge you gain from your placement year is highly valued by employers and could help give you a competitive advantage after graduation.

Placements

This degree is a four-year option with a placement year in the third year. The placement may be paid or unpaid. You won’t need to make a final decision on whether or not you want to explore this option until year two.

Each academic year also offers a subsidised field study visit which allows you to research and investigate a live issue/case study, on location.

In year one, these field study visits are local to the Cardiff city region. In year two and your final year, you can opt for a residential field study visit. These often encompass UK and overseas destinations. Please see the ‘additional costs’ section for more information.