Skip to main content

Spatial Planning PGDip

Our Spatial Planning PGDip gives you the academic and professional core knowledge, understanding and skills to enable you to practise professionally as a town and country planner.

You are currently viewing course information for entry year:


Start date(s):

  • September 2025
Join our webinars for a step-by-step guide to applying to PG study. Sign up now

Overview

Planning is about understanding places and placemaking. This ensures that we can achieve the best social, economic and environmental outcomes. We offer a friendly and supportive environment for you to make the transition towards a career in:

  • planning
  • wider built environment professions

Through our high-quality research and teaching we provide you with a complete planning education. You'll gain:

  • academic core knowledge
  • understanding
  • skills

The course is a spatial planning conversion degree so you do not need to have studied planning before. It is for anyone with an interest in planning. The course attracts students from a range of backgrounds and nationalities.

Pathways are available in:

  • conservation
  • development
  • global development
  • green infrastructure and landscape planning
  • regeneration

 

Important information

We've highlighted important information about your course. Please take note of any deadlines.

What you'll learn

The majority of the course consists of a series of compulsory modules. They will introduce you to the core values and principles of planning. You'll build on these throughout the rest of your studies and professional life. The main focus of these modules is the UK system complemented by international examples.

You'll also have a choice of optional modules. These help you to develop a specialisation in planning practice informed by the latest research.

Modules

You will study modules on this course. A module is a unit of a course with its own approved aims and outcomes and assessment methods.

How you'll learn

Your future

Careers

This course equips you to embark on your professional planning career. You'll be able to apply your planning knowledge and deal with the rapidly changing context of real-world planning and problem solving this requires.

Our Careers Service

Our award-winning Careers Service is one of the largest and best in the country, and we have strong links with employers. We provide an extensive range of opportunities to all students through our ncl+ initiative.

Visit our Careers Service website

Quality and ranking

All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body

Facilities

The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape has a range of facilities for planning students, including computer space and printing.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees for 2025 entry (per year)

What you're paying for

Tuition fees include the costs of:

  • matriculation
  • registration
  • tuition (or supervision)
  • library access
  • examination
  • re-examination
  • graduation

Find out more about:

Search for funding

Find funding available for your course

Entry requirements

The entrance requirements below apply to 2025 entry.

Qualifications from outside the UK

English Language requirements

Admissions policy

This policy applies to all undergraduate and postgraduate admissions at Newcastle University. It is intended to provide information about our admissions policies and procedures to applicants and potential applicants, to their advisors and family members, and to staff of the University.

University Admissions Policy and related policies and procedures

Credit transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) can allow you to convert existing relevant university-level knowledge, skills and experience into credits towards a qualification. Find out more about the RPL policy which may apply to this course

How to apply


Using the application portal

The application portal has instructions to guide you through your application. It will tell you what documents you need and how to upload them.

You can choose to start your application, save your details and come back to complete it later.

 

If you’re ready, you can select Apply Online and you’ll be taken directly to the application portal.

Alternatively you can find out more about applying on our applications and offers pages.


Apply Online  

Open days and events

Find out about how you can visit Newcastle in person and virtually

Overseas events

We regularly travel overseas to meet with students interested in studying at Newcastle University.

Visit our events calendar for the latest events

Get in touch

Questions about this course?

If you have specific questions about this course you can contact:

cVicky Young
Postgraduate Taught Secretary
School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape
Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 6004
Email: vicky.young1@ncl.ac.uk

Online

For more general enquiries you could also complete our online enquiry form.

Fill in our enquiry form

Live chat

Our Ncl chatbot might be able to give you an answer straight away. If not, it’ll direct you to someone who can help.

You'll find our Ncl chatbot in the bottom right of this page.

Keep updated

We regularly send email updates and extra information about the University.