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Geography and Urban & Regional Planning

Entry requirements


A level

A,B,B

Specified subjects excluded for entry: General Studies and Critical Thinking

Accepted in place of A levels with the following grade equivalencies: D2 = A*; D3 = A; M2 = B. Combinations of A levels and Principle subjects are accepted. NB required subjects must be offered (see A level Section)

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

6, 5, 5 in Higher level subjects plus 32 points overall. Higher level subjects need to include the required subjects as defined for the A-level qualification, where applicable.

BTEC Extended Diploma will not be considered without suitable Geography content or additional A level - contact us for further guidance.

Accepted in place of a non-required A level with the equivalent grade.

UCAS Tariff

128

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Planning

Human geography

The Geography and Urban and Regional Planning BSc explores some of the big issues facing today’s and tomorrow’s societies, including key issues such as urban regeneration, climate change, sustainable development, property development, community involvement and transport infrastructure.

Urban and regional planning lies at the heart of the major challenges that face existing and future generations. Decisions that are taken today can have a major impact on what happens to our towns and cities in the future, so it is important that we get those decisions right. Only by having an in-depth understanding of the way our towns and cities work can we hope to make informed decisions about the future of the built environment.

This unique Geography and Urban and Regional Planning BSc builds this understanding by drawing on the research and international reputation of the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (CURS) here at Birmingham. Based in the great planning laboratory that is Birmingham, you will be able to exploit fully the huge wealth of case study material available on your doorstep whilst interpreting these experiences in an international context. This will bring to life the issues you are studying and set them in a real world context.

You will have access to a wide range of modules in one of the largest and most vibrant geography departments in the country, on top of the flexibility and choice offered in planning.

There is a lot of practitioner input into the programme and there are opportunities for European field trips – this year it was to Berlin – and professional placements.

**Why study this course?**

If you are interested in urban issues - particularly why cities develop and change - a degree in Planning will be right up your street. And where better to study important issues such as housing, transport, urban planning, property development, sustainability, conservation and business than in a city with a rich industrial heritage that has undergone rapid and dramatic transformation over the past two decades - and remains a work-in-progress?

This degree programme will equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills to make a difference to how we live today and in the future.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Birmingham

Department:

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

72%
Planning
72%
Human geography

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Planning (urban, rural and regional)

Teaching and learning

83%
Staff make the subject interesting
86%
Staff are good at explaining things
81%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
92%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

83%
Library resources
75%
IT resources
72%
Course specific equipment and facilities
72%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

74%
UK students
26%
International students
45%
Male students
55%
Female students
76%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
A
A

Human geography

Teaching and learning

83%
Staff make the subject interesting
86%
Staff are good at explaining things
81%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
92%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

83%
Library resources
75%
IT resources
72%
Course specific equipment and facilities
72%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

75%
UK students
25%
International students
45%
Male students
55%
Female students
76%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
A
A

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Planning (urban, rural and regional)

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

97%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

30%
Architects, town planners and surveyors
16%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
10%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

This subject includes degrees in urban studies and housing as well as planning qualifications. Be a little careful when looking at the stats, as most jobs in planning, especially in town planning, go to Masters students in the subject — planning is a very popular Master's degree (and even then we don't actually have enough graduates to meet employer demand). So if you want a job in planning, expect to stay on at university after you have finished your first degree. First degree graduates in planning are more likely to start working in surveying than planning roles - although that is partly down to our serious shortage of surveyors. This all adds up to a subject that is in demand - but do keep a look out for work experience opportunities to make your good prospects even better.

Human geography

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£22,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education
78%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

20%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
13%
Public services and other associate professionals
10%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Planning (urban, rural and regional)

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£32k

£32k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Human geography

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£22k

£22k

£28k

£28k

£32k

£32k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Lower entry requirements
Cardiff University | Cardiff
Human Geography and Planning
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 120-128
Nearby University
University of Leicester | Leicester
Geography
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 128-152
Higher entry requirements
University of Liverpool | Liverpool
Geography and Planning
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 128-152

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here