Urban Design, Planning and Development
BA (Hons)
Key facts
UCAS code
KK42
Start dates
September 2023 / September 2024
Location
Course length
Full time: 3 years
Part time: 6 years
Department
Accreditation(s)
Accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and The Royal Town Planning Institute
UCAS Tariff Points
104
Overview
Our Urban Design, Planning and Development course offers you a unique learning experience. Our approach is based on a structure of Urban Labs, interconnected modules and study trips in the UK and abroad.
You will learn how the disciplines of urban design, planning and development are integrated. And you will understand how to use this framework to impact the future of cities and create great places.
You will study:
- infrastructure
- economics
- heritage
- place-making
- sustainability
- globalisation.
Visiting speakers and live projects provide you with opportunities to apply theory to practice.
We will introduce you to employers and help you develop your portfolio so you will be ready for work after graduating. Our graduates have found jobs with companies such as Barton Willmore, Savills, AECOM and the UK government.
We are accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), when combined with the Postgraduate Diploma in Planning, or MSc in Spatial Planning.
How to apply
Wherever possible we make our conditional offers using the UCAS Tariff. The combination of A-level grades listed here would be just one way of achieving the UCAS Tariff points for this course.
Standard offer
UCAS Tariff Points: 104
A Level: BCC
IB Points: 29
BTEC: DMM
Contextual offer
UCAS Tariff Points: 88
A Level: CCD
IB Points: 27
BTEC: MMM
Further offer details
We welcome applications from candidates with alternative qualifications, and from mature students.
Entry requirements
Specific entry requirements
GCSE: GCSE Maths and English Grade 4 (C)
Please also see the University's general entry requirements.
Selection process
We value the personal statement. In this we are looking for evidence of motivation and commitment: what interests you about the subject and why you want to study it.
After reading personal statements and considering predicted grades, all eligible applicants are required to attend a pre-offer event day hosted by the Faculty, to offer insight & engagement about the course. If invited to one of these, we usually do not make offers without an interview.
The events will usually be hosted between November and mid-March. If you cannot attend the first suggested date offered to you, there can be provision to attend alternatives - please be communicative with the Faculty Programme Administrator.
English requirements for visas
If you need a student visa to enter the UK you will need to meet the UK Visas and Immigration minimum language requirements as well as the University's requirements. Find out more about English language requirements.
Pathways courses for international and EU students
If you do not meet the entry requirements for this degree, or if you would like more preparation before you start, you can take an international foundation course. Once you enrol, you will have a guaranteed pathway to this degree if you pass your foundation course with the required grades.
If you only need to meet the language requirements, you can take our pre-sessional English course. You will develop key language and study skills for academic success and you will not need to take an external language test to progress to your degree.
Terms and Conditions of Enrolment
When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.
Credit transfer
Many of our courses consider applications for entry part-way through the course for students who have credit from previous learning or relevant professional experience.
Find out more about transferring to Brookes. If you'd like to talk through your options, please contact our Admissions team.
Application process
Full time Home (UK) applicants
Apply through UCASPart time Home (UK) applicants
Apply direct to the UniversityInternational applicants
Apply direct to the UniversityFull time international applicants can also apply through UCAS
Tuition fees
Questions about fees?
Contact Student Finance on:
Tuition fees
Please note, tuition fees for Home students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by government. Oxford Brookes University intends to maintain its fees for new and returning Home students at the maximum permitted level.
Tuition fees for International students may increase in subsequent years both for new and continuing students.
The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.
How and when to pay
Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.
- For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
- For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page
Additional costs
Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.
Compulsory costs
| Additional costs | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
Drawing equipment |
£50 |
Although access to our model making workshop is free, you will need to source your own build materials. |
£50 |
Optional costs
| Additional costs | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
| Although there is provision to show work digitally, the portfolio elements of the course generally do require high quality printing | £100-200 |
European or international field trip |
£350-600 |
If you choose to participate in any additional, optional trips, you are responsible for any associated costs. |
£10-150 |
Personal laptop onto which you can install specialist software |
£500-1200 |
It’s your responsibility to cover print / binding costs where coursework submission is required. Please note that a lot of the coursework is now submitted online. |
From £30 |
| You may choose to purchase books to support your studies. Many books on our reading lists are available via the Library, or can be purchased secondhand. | £20-60 per book |
Accommodation fees in Brookes Letting (most do not include bills) |
£94-265 per week |
Accommodation fees in university halls (bills included, excluding laundry costs) |
£122-180 per week |
Graduation costs include tickets, gowning and photography. Gowns are not compulsory but typically students do hire robes, starting at £41. |
Typically £0-200 |
Students are responsible for their own travel to and from university for classes. BrookesBus travel is subsidised for full-time undergraduate students that are on a course with a fee of £9,250 or more, or living in an Oxford Brookes hall of residence. There is an administration fee for the production of a BrookesKey. |
From £10 |
Funding your studies
Financial support and scholarships
Featured funding opportunities available for this course.
All financial support and scholarships
Learning and assessment
In Year 1 you will explore how economic, social and political processes affect the change in cities. You will learn how urban development systems impact different development types. We will teach you key policy frameworks.
In Year 2 you will understand how policies and agencies come together to create cities. You will learn to develop change in cities through:
- urban regeneration
- heritage conservation
- master-planning.
We teach you how urban design policies affect outcomes in the UK and abroad. You will learn how environmental decision-making and planning work together with urban design ideas to produce a masterplan for a site. We will also teach you how to engage with public participation.
In Year 3 we prepare you for the professional work environment. You will conduct a research project on a contemporary issue in urban design, planning and development. Our Professional Practice module introduces you to the dynamics and opportunities of a work environment.
Learning and teaching
Our teaching gives you the skills you need for professional practice. You will gain practical and theoretical knowledge through single and double modules (‘Urban Labs’).
You will learn through:
- lectures
- seminars
- project-led workshops
- site visits and field trips
- presentations.
You will experience working with clients such as communities or private practice professionals through "Charrettes”. Charrettes are short, focused design work, which take place in studios or project sites.
You will learn through project-led modules for 50 % of your course. In a typical week, you will attend:
- two single modules (a mixture of lectures, seminars or workshops)
- one Urban Lab (a mixture of lectures, in-Lab training workshops and studio time).
Field trips
There is one mandatory residential field trip (either abroad or in the UK), this trip is mandatory and comes at no additional cost. A separate fee will apply for any optional field trips or site visits within other modules.
Assessment
Assessment methods used on this course
Assessment is 100 % coursework. We use a variety of coursework types so that you can develop different skills, these include:
- essays
- reflective work (essays, diaries)
- professional planning
- urban design reports
- design work
- oral presentations.
We give you consistent feedback throughout your Urban Labs and single modules. You will have a clear idea of how well you are doing, and how you can improve your learning and results.
Study abroad
You may be able to go on a European or international study exchange while you are at Brookes. Most exchanges take place in the second year. Although we will help as much as we can with your plans, ultimately you are responsible for organising and funding this study abroad.
After you graduate
Career prospects
You will have developed the knowledge and skills sought after by leading companies in the urban design, planning and development industry. You will be skilled to work in private or public sectors, charities, NGOs, local communities, research centres, government and educational institutions for example. Your graduate profile will provide you with a flexibility of choice and a range of experiences to enable you to work in the UK and international job market.
Further study
For those wishing to obtain membership of the RTPI it is necessary to complete either a PG Diploma in Planning or the MSc in Spatial Planning. These can be completed on a part-time or full-time basis.
We offer the best in postgraduate research degree teaching, with a wide range of relevant, well-structured courses, and our thriving research culture provides a friendly and supportive community in which to undertake a research degree.
The Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development (OISD), based at Oxford Brookes, is the largest academic research institute in the UK dedicated to research on sustainable development in the built environment. It comprises active teams of researchers who focus on the environment, cities, international land markets and architecture, culture and technology.
We have led or contributed to reviews of national planning, transport, housing and environmental policy guidance, sustainable building specifications, and valuation standards which presently affect our town and country areas including building design and construction processes.
Our Staff
Dr Graham Wood
Graham's teaching interests include environmental assessment and management; GIS and information technology in environmental planning and management; environmental decision-making; and research methods.
Read more about GrahamFree language courses
Free language courses are available to full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on many of our courses, and can be taken as a credit on some courses.
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Full-time study
Part-time study
Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been
published on the website. For more information, please visit our
changes to programmes page.