Become a planner or upgrade your credentials with a 100% online degree.
A master's degree offers rigorous training and is suitable for both (a) people wanting to become city or town planners and (b) professionals already in the industry looking to upgrade skills and qualifications.
The premier qualification for planners is a Master of Urban Planning. Programs contain introductory, foundation subjects as well as advanced studies. Topics may include city redevelopment, spatial analysis, planning and environmental laws in Australia, urban design, and community engagement. Online courses allow you to study part-time as a working professional.
Develop the Skills You Need to Transform Communities
As a town planner, environmental manager, or policymaker, you will have the ability to shape city spaces and make a difference in people's lives. You will drive positive changes in resource management, strategic plans, and social amenities.
The quality of plans for urban environments is fundamental to our lifestyles and general standard of living. You can improve the impact and contribution you make. Build skills to take on multidisciplinary projects.
In Australia, urban planning is of immense importance since over 80% of Australians are either city residents or work in urban areas, or both. The main aspect that attracts such a large number of people to Australian cities has to do with the quality of life. - Archistar
Through a comprehensive program of study, you'll gain broad perspectives on planning goals, the constraints and challenges involved, and how to bring stakeholders along with you. But you'll also develop specific skills you need as a planner and get plenty of practice in solving realistic problems.
Master of Urban Planning Online
Earning qualifications as a planner is convenient and efficient with an accelerated online program. Students work through weekly content together as a virtual class but with no specific time commitments. You complete subjects individually in sequence over 6-7 week study blocks. Assessment is continuous rather than exam based on you can study part-time online while working full-time.
UTS Online
The UTS Online Master of Urban Planning provides students with the knowledge and practical skills to become effective planners. The course welcomes candidates with a background in a non-planning field, with the multidisciplinary nature of the learning enabling professionals to change careers. It is also ideal for professionals who aim to strengthen their current skills by engaging with up-to-date, ground-breaking approaches to town and city planning. Delivered 100% online, with part-time study, this course enables you to work full-time while attaining the skills to kickstart your career as a planner in Australia.
What You'll Study (Course Structure)
Degrees for planners are broad in nature since development projects vary and plans must satisfy numerous goals and constraints. Using case studies and simulated projects, you'll study different problems and learn to apply tools used in professional practice.
The UTS Online program consists of 13 coursework subjects and two major projects. Key study topics include planning processes, design skills, sustainability issues, community engagement, local planning and urban redevelopment.
In managing development, planners and designers need to understand the positions of others and to communicate effectively. In this subject, you'll learn community participation approaches, and negotiation and conflict resolution skills. Students also gain perspectives of developers and community stakeholders in city development, learning ethical principles when addressing development proposals.
Key support tools for town planners are Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA). They feed into development decisions, policy-making as well as services delivery. In this subject, with the help of case studies, students learn about EIA and SIA from both theoretical and professional practice viewpoints. You'll explore how to perform integrated appraisals that consider the social, environmental and economic implications of development. Other topics covered are ecologically sustainable development, community engagement, and using local knowledge and research data.
Students examine how local strategic plans shape future communities. We contrast strategic with statutory planning. Students also consider relationships among local, metropolitan and sub-regional plans, comparing differences across the states and territories. You'll gain a detailed understanding of the key components of strategic plans, which include community visioning, identifying priorities, defining local values, and long-term plans for land use and supporting infrastructure (e.g. transport).
Over two major projects, which count as two subjects towards your degree, you'll learn how to complete challenging planning problem-solving exercises. The skills gained will enable you to effectively design, do and supervise applied research. In consultation with an academic supervisor, you'll produce professional reports.
Contemporary plan and design problems are explored from both theoretical and practical viewpoints in this subject. Principles examined include place-making, community engagement, ecological sustainability, and social and economic equity. We'll discuss how to approach collaborative plans and design. You're encouraged to think critically about your role in shaping the built environment and affecting decision making.
In this subject, you'll become familiar with environmental controls and legislation in Australian states and territories. You'll compare systems for planners, the legal processes behind making plans, how to apply controls to development, and the nature of environmental controls across jurisdictions. Topics include pollution, contaminated land management, heritage, biodiversity, specialist courts and ethical professional practice. Students will develop a detailed understanding of one state's legislation. You'll consider how existing legislation supports or impedes desirable plan and design outcomes.
Students are introduced to the planning framework and see the impact on development decisions. Through assignments, you'll learn how to analyse demographics and markets. You'll also explore development feasibility in a scenario project. The future proofing of projects will be considered in the context of plan, design and development processes. One of the learning outcomes from this subject is the ability to evaluate the feasibility of a development project.
In this subject, you'll explore environmental, economic and social sustainability in town and city development. Using case studies from Australia and abroad, we'll define some sustainable practices. You'll also consider what constitutes urban resilience and ecology, and contemplate sustainability challenges for global cities. Adjustments for climate change are also considered, such as options for energy efficiency and the energy mix.
Planners and designers require analytical skills to ascertain the nature of issues, produce scenarios, and evaluate the impacts of certain strategies. We have well-established analytic methods for projecting change associated with demographics, economics and travel. Valuable data comes from people via surveys, focus groups and other methods. Along with census data, big data is being generated from new sources such as transit turnstiles, social media and Smart City initiatives. You'll explore data sources and data analytics methods.
This subject covers the principles and practice of urban design. You'll explore place and good design, with consideration of different scales. Students will review major design ideas and movements. You'll also examine how to use development control plans. The course emphasises real-life processes using case studies, applied workshops and design projects. To help further your communication skills, students are introduced to Sketch-Up.
In this subject, you'll examine the economic principles that underpin economic plans and investment in transport infrastructure. You'll also look at urban consolidation and challenges with housing affordability and disadvantage. The course features interactive lectures with practitioners and policy experts. Students also study real-world cases where investment into plans and infrastructure have unlocked development capacity.
Redevelopment of large urban sites requires consideration of design, transport and integrated land use integration. In this course, you'll explore redevelopment goals and how to plan large-scale redevelopment. Students evaluate real-world redevelopment projects. You'll work on a particular site, analysing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to produce a masterplan proposal.
Geographic information systems (GIS) are used by planners for spatial analysis. This course will build your skills in using ArcGIS software to handle spatial data, produce thematic maps, statistically analyse spatial relationships, and inform development decisions and policy. Data may include demographic, economic, topographic and environmental. You'll learn how to use data for site analysis, market analysis, master plans, development feasibility testing and to solve economic and social planner problems.
This project-based subject will develop your skills to plan large development on a Greenfield site. You'll gain a strong understanding of structure planning goals and methods. For the site project, students analyse constraints and opportunities using research on the existing community profile and social characteristics, environmental conditions and ecology, infrastructure and services, land use and density controls, transport networks and planning policies. You'll develop a structure plan, proposing land use zones, transport networks, city facilities and social infrastructure.
Career Opportunities
Embarking on an urban planner career can carry some risk because the job market is not especially deep. So, do your due diligence. However, jobs for urban and regional planners are projected to grow strongly, expanding by a forecast 18.6% over the five years to 2027.
Jobs include the design of new suburbs, coastal development, creating energy-efficient housing, and introducing new public transport services. You may work as a consultant or employee for local councils, state planning authorities, other government agencies, property developers and other private companies.
Planners balance many objectives and constraints in managing a project. These include aesthetics, functionality, social value, the environment, budgets, and regulatory compliance.
Generally speaking, the safest path is to study urban and regional planning after (i) you've gained qualifications and experience in a complementary field and (ii) can see job opportunities emerging for you based on talent. Complementary fields include architecture, engineering, business and environmental consulting.
Entry Requirements
The basic entry requirement is a university degree achieved with solid grades. For those lacking this, you can gain entry based on professional experience and non-degree postgraduate qualifications.
A Graduate Certificate course embedded in a master's program may provide an alternative pathway for those who don't automatically qualify for entry.
Pathway 1: A bachelor's degree or master's degree (or a UTS Graduate Certificate in Property Development or Graduate Diploma in Property Development) with a Credit average or above.
Pathway 2: No degree but a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma with at least a Credit average in one of the following disciplines: architecture, landscape architecture, urban design and regional planning, environmental design, community development, property economics, property development, planning, geography, geographic information science (GIS), environmental science, law, economics. The applicant must also have 3+ years of experience in one of the above fields.
Pathway 3: Work experience in a profession closely related to urban planning and design amounting to at least 5 years for mid-career positions and 3 years for senior positions.
English language proficiency requirements apply if you're from a non English speaking background. Fully online courses are unsuitable for international students who are student visa holders.
Tuition fees are $4,169 per subject in 2023. FEE-HELP Australian Government loans are available to cover course costs.
Pathway 1: A bachelor's degree or master's degree (or a UTS Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma in Planning, Property Development or Urban Planning and Design) with a Credit average or above.
Pathway 2: No degree but a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma with at least a Credit average in one of the following disciplines: architecture, landscape architecture, urban design and regional planning, environmental design, community development, property economics, property development, planning, geography, geographic information science (GIS), environmental science, law, economics. The applicant must also have 3+ years of experience in one of the above fields.
Tuition fees: $4,169 per subject (as at February 2023). FEE-HELP is available. The course is unsuitable for an international student in Australia on a student visa.
This degree is accredited by the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA), which is the national body representing the profession.
How to Become a Planner in Australia
Competition for city and town planner jobs is high and, for many positions, a masters degree is almost essential. You're better able to compete for senior roles by holding appropriate postgraduate qualifications.
To be a successful planner, you may be advantaged by first getting a bachelor degree in architecture, business, engineering or urban and regional planning. The profession demands diverse skills and wide-ranging knowledge of planning considerations.
To gain full membership with the Planning Institute of Australia (which is optional for your career), you may need a 4-year professional degree, or a graduate diploma or master's degree in urban planning. Online study is the easiest way to build expertise and meet academic requirements for professional accreditation.
FAQs
In Australia, planners typically hold a bachelor's degree in urban and regional planning, geography, environmental studies, or a related field. But people from different education backgrounds can become planners.
University programs provide students with knowledge skills needed to analyse and plan for the growth and development of cities and communities. Programs in Australia typically cover a range of topics, including:
- Land use plans and zones
- Transportation plans
- Environmental plans
- Housing and community development
- Economic development
- GIS and spatial analysis
- Policy analysis and development
Students in relevant programs may also have the opportunity to participate in fieldwork and internships, which can provide valuable hands-on experience in the field. In addition to their bachelor's degree, planners may also choose to pursue a master's degree. The postgraduate program can provide a more in-depth understanding of the discipline and may be required for some positions.
As with most professions, there are challenges with breaking into the field and getting a start on your career. Jobs as a city or town planner can be hard to come by. Gaining professional qualifications and experience is an important starting point, which is why a postgraduate education is almost essential.
Be aware that there are many different types of jobs in the broad field of town planning. Being open to different kinds of job opportunities may greatly increase your career prospects. Once you've made a start, you can quickly establish a base of experience and solidify your position.
Urban planners may specialise in areas such as community development, transportation, environmental management, design, and land use. Additionally, planners may work on projects ranging from small-scale neighbourhood plans to large-scale regional plans. The range of jobs and specialties provides opportunities for a diverse career paths.
The main employers of town planners in Australia are government planning agencies and private consulting firms. Local and state government agencies create and enforce land use plans and policies, manage development applications, and provide advice to communities and developers.
Private consulting firms offer planning services to clients, including strategic plans, land use analysis, community engagement, and environmental impact assessments. These firms may work on projects for local, state, and federal governments, as well as private sector clients such as developers and property owners.
