Explore the environmental, social and economic aspects of urban planning on a professionally-accredited masters course.
Explore key planning issues at a global, national and local scale.
Adapt the course to meet your academic interests and career aspirations.
Gain core knowledge and skills for contemporary planning practice.
Learn with academic and professional practitioners.
Create a professional profile to kickstart your career.

Understand how our cities and neighbourhoods are developed and gain the relevant skills to shape their future. Accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), this course provides an adaptable approach to learning with a range of specialisms to explore. Choose from environmental planning, urban design & development, planning for housing, historic environment, transport & infrastructure or economic development.
Accredited by

Live projects

We base your learning experiences around coursework that reflects contemporary practice. You’ll plan policy reviews, consider professional practice and ethics, develop comparative studies, critique design and undertake your own research. Instead of examinations, you’ll be assessed on these practical applications of skills and knowledge.

You can also undertake independent masters-level research. This focuses on contemporary practice within a specialist area of urban planning while developing your project management and consultancy skills. 

On the optional Professional Project module you can choose a client and develop your own project. Here your learning takes place in a professional environment, with ongoing support from our tutors. 

Networking opportunities

We’ll also encourage you to develop your professional network through our extensive links to industry, leading authorities and fellow students.

All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.

The course explores the relationship between theoretical and practical knowledge through our dynamic approach to teaching. You’ll develop your skills as an independent, critical and reflective learner through a range of professional learning experiences. You’ll benefit from a mix of face-to-face lessons and online tutorials. Not only does our virtual learning platform help you interact with course material and other students – it also gives you the skills you need to operate as a contemporary planning professional.

Your course can span either two or three years with the third year focussing on your dissertation if you take this route.

You learn through 

• seminars
• workshops
• gateway talks and lectures
• individual and group tasks
• virtual fieldwork
• case study analysis
• real-life planning scenarios
• online learning platforms

Planners are employed across a range of private consultancies and public sector roles. They contribute to wider policy development, campaign bodies and pressure groups. 

A planning qualification can open opportunities in

• strategic planning and policy development
• regeneration
• development implementation and management
• environmental protection
• infrastructure planning
• transport and accessibility planning
• housing planning, development and delivery
• economic development
• health planning
• heritage and historic environment
• waste, energy and minerals planning

 

 

Normally you must meet our general entry requirements and have a minimum of a 2:2 degree. For the part-time course, we may consider you without a degree if you have extensive relevant experience, and subject to the approval of the course leader and the Royal Town Planning Institute.

International qualifications that are equivalent to UK qualifications are acceptable. You may also be able to claim credit points which can reduce the amount of time it takes to complete your qualification at Sheffield Hallam. Find out more

If English is not your first language you typically need an IELTS 6.0 score with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.0 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.

Important notice:

The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.

Final Year Compulsory modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Applied Research Methods	15	Coursework
Environment & Infrastructure	15	Coursework
Housing Planning And Development	15	Coursework
Major Research Project	45	Coursework
Planning And Growth	15	Coursework
Planning Theory And Context	15	Coursework
Policies For Space And Place	15	Coursework
Shaping Places	15	Coursework
Sustainable Master Planning	15	Coursework