Urban Regeneration MSc

London, Bloomsbury

This MSc addresses the challenges of places in need of rejuvenation, reinvention or complete restructuring in the wake of changes to the functioning of contemporary urban environments. From single buildings to neighbourhoods, towns, and whole cities, urban areas go through cycles of growth and decline, periodic regeneration in whole or in part is inevitable. Drawing on theory and practice, you will learn how and to what extent the governance, planning, design, and management of the built environment can help to regenerate 'places in need', with what resources (human, financial and governmental) and with what consequences for communities and citizens.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£17,300
£8,650
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£34,400
£17,200
Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.
Duration
1 calendar year
2 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2024
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 28 Jun 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 16 Oct 2023 – 30 Aug 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Entry requirements

An upper second-class honours Bachelor's degree (or higher) from a UK university or an overseas qualification of equivalent standing is required. There is no particular subject requirement as the MSc provides an 'initial' planning and urban regeneration education for graduates with cognate or non-cognate degrees. Where candidates fail to meet the standard requirement (i.e. they hold a degree of a lower classification), the department will take into account professional experience when deciding whether to admit. Applicants who do not hold an upper second-class degree may, in exceptional cases, be admitted to the programme if they are able to demonstrate considerable senior-level professional experience in planning or a related field (but in all cases a minimum of a 2:2 is required).

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

This MSc addresses the challenges of places in need of rejuvenation, reinvention or complete restructuring in the wake of changes to the functioning of contemporary urban environments. From single buildings to neighbourhoods, towns, and whole cities, urban areas go through cycles of growth and decline, periodic regeneration in whole or in part is inevitable. Drawing on theory and practice, you will learn how and to what extent the governance, planning, design, and management of the built environment can help to regenerate 'places in need', with what resources (human, financial and governmental) and with what consequences for communities and citizens.

You will acquire the latest knowledge of the social, economic, environmental and design issues involved in regenerating urban areas and you will gain a case-based, multidisciplinary experience of real urban regeneration schemes. Through a combination of lectures, seminars, group work, site visits, and talks from cutting-edge practitioners, the programme will develop your creative and critical thinking as well as your problem-solving abilities. As a result, you will gain the ability to analyse complex urban issues, the insight needed to address those issues in an original and innovative manner, and the knowledge to turn those ideas into appropriate and feasible regeneration strategies.

Who this course is for

You are welcome to apply if you want to be part of our next cohort of urban experts tackling the challenges of cities and places in need of urban regeneration. UCL's MSc in Urban Regeneration has been running since 2001. Since then it has been preparing urban regeneration professionals from across the world. Students often have backgrounds in urban planning, economics, sociology, anthropology, political science, civil engineering, film studies, history, management and architecture or are professionals from the design and property professions or with administrative, business and community experience.

What this course will give you

The Bartlett School of Planning has been at the forefront of planning research and teaching in the UK and internationally since 1914. The programme, one of the oldest in The Bartlett, is delivered by globally distinguished academics. UCL is ranked #1 in the UK for Construction, Surveying and Planning according to The Guardian Good University Guide 2024.

You will be engaged with practitioners, alumni and academic guests through seminars, site visits and workshops in the UK and overseas. Upon graduation you will join both the UCL alumni network and the Urban Regeneration MSc network.

Following graduation you will also be eligible to apply for membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and, depending on your elective modules, the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

The foundation of your career

The destinations of our former Urban Regeneration MSc Students are very varied: from planning officers in different local authorities in London and other international destinations; to positions in other government bodies such as the GLA, Homes England, DHLUC and others; to private sector companies such as AECOM, JLL, Lichfields or Berkeley Homes; to international bodies such as UN-Habitat, or the World Bank Group; to third sector organisations such as Peabody or Clarion; to research positions in think tanks and universities here in the UK and abroad.

Employability

Graduates have been very successful in finding jobs in a wide variety of public, private and third sector organisations in the UK and around the world. Your career following graduation may include employment in a diverse range of areas like planning, real estate, regeneration and economic development consultancies; national and regional regeneration, housing and economic development agencies; local authorities; specific regeneration and local economic development programmes as well as voluntary and community sector organisations and NGOs. You may also wish to continue with further research for a PhD degree.

Networking

The Bartlett School of Planning and UCL’s dedicated Careers Network are here to assist you in exploring your career options, gaining valuable skills and experience, and guiding you through the job application process. You will be given the opportunity to participate in various events and training tailored to your industry, such as alumni and industry insight panels, career taster sessions, masterclasses, careers fairs and more.

Accreditation

The Master's programme is fully accredited by both RTPI and RICS

Teaching and learning

The School of Planning advocates for engaged and interactive learning. Alongside lectures, seminars and tutorials we include field trips, group work, presentations and individual assessments. We also have significant input from industry experts and external contributors. These diverse approaches to teaching and learning are developed to enhance your experience on the Urban Regeneration MSc.

The programme is delivered through individual and group project work, lectures, tutorials, seminars and workshops. You will be assessed through essays, individual and group projects, presentations, reports, an unseen written examination and the dissertation.

In addition, you have the option to participate for free (travel and accommodation covered by UCL, incidental expenses and any visa costs to be covered by you) in a field trip which will not be assessed.

We make every effort to bundle teaching for the core modules on two days per week so that students studying on a flexible basis can attend lectures one day per week. However, due to timetabling and venue availability restrictions no guarantee can be given that we will be able to offer this every year. There is also no guarantee that the electives you may wish to choose will be offered on the same day as the rest of your classes. Your coursework may require you to dedicate more than one slot per week to fieldwork or study.

In person contact hours with each module coordinator will be between 1.5 and 3 hours per week on average, depending on the module format and other elements of expected work as specified in the modules' outlines. As a note, in person contact time includes a variety of activities such as office hours and lectures.

Modules

Full-time students study for 37.5 hours per week during term time. Typically, lectures and seminars occur on two-three days per week. Part-time and Flexible students normally attend half this amount but this may include taught sessions on more than one day per week. However, due to timetabling and venue availability restrictions no guarantee can be given that we will be able to offer this every year. There is also no guarantee that the electives you may wish to choose will be offered on the same day as the rest of your classes. Your coursework may require you to dedicate more than one slot per week to fieldwork or study.

The programme consists of six compulsory modules on the theory and practice of urban regeneration, two elective modules of the students’ choice, and a masters’ dissertation.

Study is generally completed in two years (i.e. double the length of the corresponding full-time programme), with the student enrolled on all modules and attending lectures and seminars on-site at UCL.

Full-time students study for 37.5 hours per week during term time. Typically, lectures and seminars occur on two-three days per week. Part-time and Flexible students normally attend half this amount but this may include taught sessions on more than one day per week. However, due to timetabling and venue availability restrictions no guarantee can be given that we will be able to offer this every year. There is also no guarantee that the electives you may wish to choose will be offered on the same day as the rest of your classes. Your coursework may require you to dedicate more than one slot per week to fieldwork or study.

Year 1 - Term 1

  • BPLN0042 Urban Design: Place Making
  • BPLN0065 Urban Problems and Problematics

Year 1 - Term 2

  • BPLN0062 Property Development & Urban Regeneration
  • BPLN0066 Critical Debates in Urban Regeneration

Year 2 - Term 1

  • BPLN0064 Delivering Regeneration Projects (I)
  • Elective module

Year 2 - Term 2

  • BPLN0063 Delivering Regeneration Projects (II)
  • Elective module

Year 2 - Term 3

  • Dissertation in Planning

Study can take a maximum of five years to complete, with the student enrolled in all modules and attending lectures and seminars on-site at UCL. Study is undertaken on a module-by-module basis, with the student accumulating credit by selecting which module(s) to complete in any given year. Students do not have to take modules every year.

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits in total. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Urban Regeneration.

Fieldwork

The programme includes a residential field trip during which themes relevant to the course are explored in different place contexts. This is an opportunity to consider built environment issues in real world settings and network as a course community. The cost of travel and accommodation for the field trip are covered by UCL although students will need to cover visas, meals and other personal expenses.

Placement

No placements are offered as part of this programme.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: School of Planning

Whether your ambition is to design better buildings, plan better cities, build sustainable communities or help meet the challenge of climate change, The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment could be a big step towards it. Join this session to learn about the master's courses offered by our School of Planning.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £17,300 £8,650
Tuition fees (2024/25) £34,400 £17,200

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

The cost of the field trip (flights and accommodation) will be covered by UCL. Incidental and any visa costs are covered by students.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

UCL offers a range of financial awards aimed at assisting both prospective and current students with their studies.

In our faculty, The Bartlett Promise Scholarship aims to enable students from backgrounds underrepresented in the built environment to pursue master's studies. Please see the UK Master's scholarship and Sub-Saharan Africa Master's scholarship pages for more information on eligibility criteria, selection process and FAQs.

Any additional funding available from the Bartlett School of Planning and the Built Environment Faculty Office are advertised on the respective websites.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

Bartlett Promise Sub-Saharan Africa Masters Scholarship

Deadline: 3 April 2024
Value: Fees, stipend and other allowances (Duration of programme)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Bartlett Promise UK Master's Scholarship

Deadline: 31 May 2024
Value: Tuition fees plus £15,364 maintenance/yr (Duration of programme)
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

In your application make sure you tell us:

  • why you want to study Urban Regeneration at graduate level
  • why you want to study Urban Regeneration at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to the chosen programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme aims to deliver.

International students who require a Tier 4 visa are strongly advised to submit their application before June.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Got questions? Get in touch

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