Geography and Planning

Geography and planning is a combination that brings together two disciplines concerned with how space, place and environment are understood and shaped. Geography provides the analytical frameworks for understanding physical environments, urban systems, social geographies and global patterns of development, while planning addresses the regulatory, design and policy processes through which land use, housing, transport and public space are organised and governed. Together they equip students to understand both the forces that shape places and the professional tools for intervening in that shaping.

At Newcastle, which has strong research and teaching in both geography and planning and is located in a city undergoing significant urban regeneration, this three-year programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad and work placement opportunities. You will study urban and regional geography, environmental geography, planning law and policy, housing, transport, sustainable development, GIS, spatial data analysis, community engagement and the history of planning thought. The placement experience gives you direct engagement with planning practice in a local authority, planning consultancy, housing association or development organisation, while the year abroad broadens your comparative understanding of planning and urban development in other national contexts.

The typical entry tariff is 120 UCAS points.

Graduates work in planning consultancies, local planning authorities, infrastructure organisations, housing developers, environmental consultancies, transport agencies and the public sector. Accredited programmes lead to eligibility for membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute, which is the professional body for planners in the UK. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in planning, urban design, environmental management or geography, progressing to specialist or senior roles in the profession.