A planning-related degree could be for you if you are:
Newcastle provides the ultimate case study for planning students. The rise and decline of industry and the recent cultural renaissance have turned the city into a ‘living laboratory’ for exploration and study.
There is a fantastic range of live planning projects on your doorstep and you will have plenty of opportunities to get out and about in the city and beyond through frequent projects and field trips. You may also undertake a European field trip in second year to examine planning issues in a European city.
Both of our planning degrees are professionally accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). This means they satisfy the standards set by the planning profession.
See the Route to Chartered Town Planner section below for more information about our RTPI accredited qualifications and the flexibility of the planning programme at Newcastle.
Newcastle is ranked in the top 10 UK universities for planning in The Times Good University Guide 2013, The Guardian University Guide 2013 and The Complete University Guide 2013. We also ranked sixth nationally for overall student satisfaction in the 2012 National Student Survey.
This programme is more vocationally oriented and this is reflected in the different methods of tuition we use. This means 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. Further information can be found on our undergraduate web pages about the approach to teaching and learning at Newcastle University.
Methods of assessment include individual essays and projects, group work, presentations, and examinations. Our innovative teaching and assessment techniques involve the use of film, posters and presentations, making learning a creative and dynamic process. Teaching and assessment methods may vary from module to module, more information can be found in our individual module listings.
At Newcastle you have control over how far you want to take your planning education.
See the Route to Chartered Town Planner section below for more information.
It is possible to combine planning with another subject through our Joint Honours degrees:
As a planning student at Newcastle you will be part of the School of Architecture Planning and Landscape. This is one of the few academic Schools in the UK specialising entirely in the built environment. The School has world-renowned expertise in:
As a founder member of the Association of European Schools of Planning, we also have strong European links. This gives you the chance to experience differences in planning approaches beyond the UK through European field visits. MPlan students can also undertake a semester of study in Europe through the Erasmus exchange scheme in Stage 4.
At Newcastle, we offer an RTPI accredited route to Chartered Town Planner status. Importantly, you have time to decide whether this route is for you as you progress through the course:
To become a Chartered Town Planner you also need to first complete two years’ experience in planning practice. MPlan students can take advantage of our unique opportunity to gain one of these two years of experience by completing our Certificate in Planning Practice between Stages 3 and 4 of their degree.
Certificate in Planning Practice (1 year full-time)
This consists of a one-year work placement, providing real planning experience. The placement is paid (salaries up to £24,000). You also complete three practice-based modules.
Many students return to permanent positions with their host organisations after completion of the MPlan.
Find out more about becoming a Chartered Town Planner on the RTPI’s website.

I chose Newcastle University because I wanted to study in an institution with an esteemed academic reputation, with good career prospects, but also that had a reputation for providing a fantastic student life, in terms of both social life, and studying facilities. I visited Newcastle University on an open day, and it ticked all the boxes