Master of Urban Planning

This course is no longer offered. A new Master of Urban Planning has been introduced for 2008 so new students should refer to the Master of Urban Planning stream code A06-DA. Students who commenced the Master of Urban Planning prior to 2008 should consult with a Course Adviser for enrolment advice.

Urban Planning is of increasing importance in Australia and internationally, as cities and regions grapple with the challenges associated with environmental sustainability, social equity and economic development. These challenges are leading to the need to re-think established approaches to planning. That need reflects the expectations of community groups, environmentalists and economic policy makers who want new ways to deal with the complex agendas they face. These agendas have two strong elements. One is the inter-related aspects of most planning problems, which calls for an interdisciplinary skill set. The second is the tension created by the intersection of global, national and local interests at particular locations, which requires an ability to analyse and interpret problems at a number of different levels. An understanding of these elements has guided the course design of the Master of Urban Planning which offers an opportunity to refine and enhance a personal skill set that can be used to span this complex agenda.

The Master of Urban Planning at the University of Melbourne addresses this exciting but challenging new context with subjects that draw upon global as well as local examples. It guides students through a carefully structured set of core subjects that cover the major dimensions of the current debate on the theory and practice of urban planning. It then utilises the extensive scope of the social, economic and environmental teaching available within the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning and across the University to provide a wide array of electives. Working with a course advisor the student can choose to deepen their study by selecting inter-related electives from fields such as planning policy, urban design, transport planning, social and health planning, economic planning, public policy and strategic planning, or can spread their electives across these areas so as to enrich their understanding of the multiple dimensions of urban planning.

The Master of Urban Planning is intended both for practitioners seeking to update and broaden their knowledge and skill base and for people with other backgrounds seeking to work in the planning field. It offers a special learning experience as it brings together students and staff from a wide array of disciplines. It also offers a subject on-site in an Asia-Pacific city, as well as providing debate on local planning issues. This provides students with personal exposure to urban planning issues at a range of scales.

To make study convenient for busy professionals some courses are run in the evenings, or as intensives in the mid-semester break or over a series of weekends.

Master of Urban Planning (100 points)

Students should select 50 points of core subjects plus 50 points of electives to make up the balance of 100 points.

Master of Urban Planning (150 points)

Students should select 75-100 points of core subjects plus 50-75 points of electives to make up the balance of 150 points.

Master of Urban Planning (200 points)

Students should select 75-100 points of core subjects plus 100-125 points of electives to make up the balance of 200 points.

Core Subjects

Elective Subjects.

The electives offered by the Urban Planning program have a subject code starting with either 705- or 702-. Students are advised to check the timetable of the other electives listed below. The elective list is not exhaustive; other electives could be identified by the student and their relevance to the course confirmed with the Postgraduate Coordinator.

Electives in Transport Planning

Electives in Urban Design

Electives in Social Planning

Electives in Environmental Planning

Electives in Economic Planning and Strategy

The Selection Committee will evaluate the applicant's ability to pursue the course successfully using the following criteria:

Master of Urban Planning (100 points)

• a four year undergraduate degree in urban planning with a weighted average of at least H2B (70%), or equivalent; or
• a Postgraduate Diploma in Urban Planning with a weighted average of at least H2B (70%), or equivalent; or
• a four year undergraduate degree in a cognate discipline, such as geography, public policy, environmental studies or town and country planning with a weighted average of at least H2B (70%) in the major, or equivalent, plus two years of documented relevant experience in the planning field

2. Applicants may be required to provide references (as appropriate) so that the Selection Committee can elucidate any of the matters referred to above.

Master of Urban Planning (150 points)

• a four year undergraduate degree in a cognate discipline, such as geography, public policy, environmental studies or town and country planning, with an average of at least H2B (70%) in the major, or equivalent; or
• an undergraduate degree in a cognate discipline, such as geography, public policy, environmental studies or town and country planning, with at least an average grade of H2B (70%) in the major, or equivalent, plus at least one year of relevant work experience in the planning field.

2. Applicants may be required to provide references (as appropriate) so that the Selection Committee can elucidate any of the matters referred to above.

Master of Urban Planning (200 points)

1. The Selection Committee will evaluate the applicant's ability to pursue the course successfully using the following criteria:

• a four year undergraduate degree in any discipline, or equivalent; or
• a three year undergraduate degree in any discipline plus one year of documented relevant work experience in the planning field.

2. Applicants may be required to provide references (as appropriate) so that the Selection Committee can elucidate any of the matters referred to above.

The Melbourne School of Design is the graduate school of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning. It offers professional entry programs in Architecture, Construction Management, Landscape Architecture, Property and Urban Planning. It offers specialist development programs in Property Valuation, Planning and Design and in Urban Design.

The Melbourne School of Design welcomes applications from students with disabilities. It is the University and Faculty (Architecture, Building and Planning) policy to take reasonable steps to make reasonable adjustments so as to enable students’ participation in degrees offered by the Melbourne School of Design (MSD).

A candidate for degrees offered in the MSD must have abilities and skills which include the following: observation; communication; motor; conceptual, integrative, and quantitative; and
behavioural and social. Adjustments can be provided to minimise the impact of a disability, however, particularly at Masters level, students need to be able to participate in programs in an independent manner and with regard to their safety and the safety of others.

(i) Observation: Candidates must be able to read text, diagrams, maps, drawings and numerical data. Candidates should be able to observe details at a number of scales and to record useful observations of environmental contexts.

(ii) Communication: Candidates should be able to communicate with fellow students, professional and academic staff, members of relevant professions and the public. Candidates
must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively. Communication includes not only speech but also reading and writing.

(iii) Motor: Candidates should have sufficient motor function to elicit information from environmental contexts. Off campus investigations may include visits to construction sites,
urban, rural and/or remote environments. Candidates should have sufficient motor ability to prepare documentation of analytic texts, drawings and models of findings and for the
preparation of proposals for environmental interventions via digital or other means. Candidates should have the ability to actively participate in appropriate site and/or design
studio-based activities.

(iv) Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, synthesis and, importantly, the ability to
interpret results of such work. Problem resolution, the critical skill demanded of graduates, requires all of these intellectual abilities. In addition, given the disciplines pursued in the
MSD, candidates should be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships in environmental structures of a wide range of scales –
from smaller than the individual through individual buildings and urban spaces to large geographic areas. Further, graduate study entails learning to master one’s own abilities and
skills and to deploy them strategically. This requires further developing skills in both reflective and reflexive thinking and being able to practice these skills.

(v) Behavioural and Social Attributes: A candidate must possess behavioural and social attributes that enable them to participate in a complex learning environment. Students are
required to take responsibility for their own participation and learning. They also contribute to the learning of other students in collaborative learning environments, demonstrating
interpersonal skills and an understanding of the needs of other students. Assessment may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students.

Students who feel a disability will prevent them from meeting the above academic requirements are encouraged to contact the Disability Liaison Unit.