Urban and Rural Planning - MSc/Postgraduate Diploma/Postgraduate Certificate

The full Master's course comprises 180 credits divided into three 60 credits stages: Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, and Masters. Students work incrementally through the three stages and must pass all modules at each stage in order to progress to the next.

There are two distinct elements to the course. Year 1 and 2 are devised and run by the Consortium, and both years consist of four modules worth 15 credits each. Years 1 and 2 are each equivalent to 60 credits. Year 3 includes the Open University specialist element option (30 credits) along with the dissertation (30 credits). You study the modules in sequence, building on the material you've already covered.

• Context and law - This module explores planning history to provide a context for further study, before moving onto considering the regulatory framework in place today for managing the built and natural environment.
• Local planning - An in-depth look at planning at local and community level, considering plan making, policy, and community participation and involvement with planning.
• Strategic planning - Planning on a larger scale and in a strategic context, considering sub-regional, regional and national planning activity. It includes a focus on strategic infrastructure issues.
• Urban and sustainable design principles - Here you'll explore urban design and the creation of exceptional and high quality places and spaces.
• International planning - This module introduces supranational planning, looking at the scale of European and international planning activity.
• Implementation and management - Planning must consider implementation, so this module looks at the development process, finance and effective management strategies.
• Research techniques - This is a research methodologies-based module considering planning philosophies, approaches and techniques in an applied manner.
• Integrated planning project - Bringing all your prior study together, here you will take on a project based on creating a deliverable neighbourhood scale plan.
• Open University specialism option module - You will choose one from a series of module options to contribute towards one of the following RTPI specialisms: Environmental Decision-making; Social Policy; Management, decision-making and leadership.
• Dissertation - An individual piece of in-depth research related to your choice of Open University module to form your RTPI specialism for this module.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved we will inform you.

As you learn, you not only study, but also receive vital professional experience logged by the RTPI towards your accreditation. This course presents a unique approach to professional planning education through the flexibility of how and when you study, and at what pace. You will receive web-based study support and guidance throughout.

Course materials, announcements, messages and links to other published resources are available online at our virtual learning platforms, Blackboard and Piazza so you'll need internet access to study the course. When you enrol, you receive your username and password.

It's not possible to cover everything you need to learn online, so there is some additional reading. In each of your three years of study there's an optional field trip that provides valuable opportunities for networking, group work, face-to-face learning and practical work, and provides an opportunity to meet your teaching team.

For more details see our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

There are six modules in each of years 1 and 2. You are expected to spend around 15 hours a week on average studying, giving a total study time of 600 hours for each of the courses. This will include time spent on assignments, studying for exams and participation in attended sessions. There is considerable diversity in subject matter within each course reflecting the range of material necessary to be covered in a recognised RTPI course.

Assessment is through a variety of coursework and the dissertation.

For more details see our full glossary of assessment terms.