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
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.
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.
View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2024-25.
See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.
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.
Module information is intended to provide an example of what you will study.
Our teaching is informed by research. Course content changes periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback.
Full details of the modules on offer will be published through the Programme Regulations and Specifications ahead of each academic year. This usually happens in May.
To find out more please see our terms and conditions.
Optional modules availability
Some courses have optional modules. Student demand for optional modules may affect availability.
| Compulsory Modules | Credits |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Planning law | 10 |
| Project 1: Spatial Strategies | 20 |
| Economics of Development | 10 |
| Planning Frameworks | 10 |
| Planning and Sustainability | 10 |
| The Reflexive Practitioner (MSc version) | 10 |
| Research Design | 10 |
| Planning, Power and People | 10 |
| Community Building | 0 |
The entire optional module list is shown above. Depending on your chosen pathway, you'll be able to select specific optional modules.
How you'll learn
We teach the course on our Newcastle campus. You can study full time over 9 months or part time over 21 months.
As a full-time student, you'll typically have 12 hours of taught time per week. You'll need to allow around 28 hours of independent study per week. Contact hours and independent study times will vary depending on modules, and are subject to COVID-19 restrictions.
Part-time study consists of the same modules and options as the full-time programme. If you study part time, we timetable teaching for day release (one full day per week).
We deliver knowledge and skills through a series of lecture-based modules in semester one and two. Subject to COVID-19 restrictions, teaching will typically be delivered through:
- workshops
- seminars
- tutorials
Depending on your modules, you'll be assessed through a combination of:
- Computer assessment
- Practical lab report
- Problem-solving exercises
- Report
- Reflective log
- Research proposal
- Research paper
- Written exercise
Your teaching and learning is also supported by Canvas. Canvas is a Virtual Learning Environment. You'll use Canvas to submit your assignments and access your:
- module handbooks
- course materials
- groups
- course announcements and notifications
- written feedback
Throughout your studies, you’ll have access to support from:
- peers
- academics
- personal tutors
- our University Student Services Team
- student representatives
You'll also be assigned an academic member of staff. They will be your personal tutor throughout your time with us. They can help with academic and personal issues.
Leading planning academics teach our modules. They are members of planning teaching staff in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape. Their world-leading research informs the teaching programme.
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.
Quality and ranking
All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body
From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK
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)
As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.
Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.
EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support. You will be eligible for a scholarship worth 15% off the international fee.
If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here.
Scholarships
We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our searchable postgraduate funding page for more information.
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:
If you are an international student or a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland and you need a visa to study in the UK, you may have to pay a deposit.
You can check this in the How to apply section.
If you're applying for funding, always check the funding application deadline. This deadline may be earlier than the application deadline for your course.
For some funding schemes, you need to have received an offer of a place on a course before you can apply for the funding.
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
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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.
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