Postgraduate Taught Programme: Rural Planning and Environmental Management

Aims

As land comes under increasing pressure and sustainable development part of every day language, rural land use planning and environmental management is developing as a specialism. This degree programme synthesises both topics to provide graduates with a flexible training in both specialist and generic issues which will enable them to work in a wide range of spatial planning contexts. Students will have a dedicated teaching room with an emphasis on continuous assessment and student led learning. Teaching is exclusively with other postgraduate students.

Part-Time Study Option

Students may wish to opt for our part-time study option - weekly classes on a Monday during term time. One subject is studied each Monday on a monthly cycle. For more details please see below or contact the Graduate School Admissions Unit.

Requirements

The minimum requirement is a first degree (equivalent to a British second class Honors degree). The Programme Director will consider applicants with non-standard qualifications, particularly those with substantial work experience.

It is important when submitting an application that you ensure you have completed all the necessary sections and enclosed all the relevant documentation to ensure that your application can be processed as quickly as possible.

Even if you have been educated in the medium of English you must meet our English Language requirements. These are located at www.abdn.ac.uk/sras/international/english.shtml. This programme requires that you meet the 'Postgraduate Standard' level of English proficiency. If you are in doubt about your proficiency in English, contact the British Council office or its equivalent in your country. If your first language is not English, it is important that your proficiency in English is good in order for you to study successfully at the University of Aberdeen . Without this ability you will find great difficulty in understanding lectures, producing written work and sitting examinations.

We have one intake each year in September. Late applications may be asked to wait until the next intake should the programme coordinator feel there is insufficient time to consider the application. Prospective students who require a visa to study in the UK are advised to apply as early in the year as possible to secure a place. Applications received after 30th June from students who need to apply for a visa to study in the UK will not be processed for entry in September of that year but may be considered for entry the following year as appropriate.

It is important to note that the programmes of postgraduate study at the University of Aberdeen are very competitive and the entry requirements stated are a guide to the minimum requirements, but do not guarantee entry.

Syllabus

Fulltime Route

Studied over 12 months, the full-time course is intensive and is intended to prepare students for a career in planning or environmental management.

First Semester

• Planning Theory and Practice
  Overview of development of spatial planning as a practice and discipline and review of historical theoretical paradigm evolution encompassing current focus on sustainable development. In addition to outlining the Scottish planning system an international comparative perspective is adopted with stress on the cultural embedding of planning practice and the exercise of situated professional ethics
   
• Rural Governance and Policy
  Rural policy and socio-economic issues associated with the countryside at local, national and European scales. Evaluation of past and existing rural policies, governance and institutional structures in relation to how they affect different users and consumers of the countryside.
   
• Planning, Land and Environmental Law
  This module focuses on the governance and legal context for spatial planning intervention in a Scottish, British context and beyond.
   
• Rural Land Use and Valuation
  Quantitative approaches to rural valuation and investment. Principles underlying basic valuation and investment formulae.Principle methods of valuation. Critical examination of conventional and alternative approaches to valuation.
   
• Land and Environmental Economics
  Structure and operation of agricultural land and property markets, principles of environmental economics, valuing nature.
   

Second Semester

• Design, Development and Regeneration
  This module will concentrate on an appreciation of the role of design in the creation of place identity and quality places. This will include a broader understanding of the impact of economic change on localities and the need to understand development processes to better deliver environments which are sustainable and inclusive yet competitive.
   
• Planning Methods and Plan Making
  This course aims to provide students with an understanding of the methods and techniques used to formulate, appraise and monitor land use development plans.
   
• Research Methods
  Introduction to urban/rural planning, property and environmental research. Traditions of thought in social science. Choosing a research topic, research methods and methodology, project/time management, relationship between students and their supervisor. Reviewing literature, use of bibliographic tools and online resources, use of primary and secondary data, interviews and surveys, interpreting quantitative and qualitative data/information. Research ethics. Writing up research.
   

Third Semester

• Comparative International Planning (includes Field Course)
  This course aims to provide you with an understanding of the approaches to land use planning adopted in a range of jurisdictions such as the USA, Canada, Western Europe and Australia. It includes an extended field trip.
   
• Dissertation (MSc Students Only)
  Formulation, design and implementation of an academic dissertation on an approved topic dealing with an aspect of rural planning research.
   

Preparation of the dissertation requires completion of courses.

In addition students are required to complete a File of Engagement with Professional Practice through attending, observing and reflecting upon a number of outside meetings (such as local council planning committee meetings, pre-application consultation meetings and public inquiries). The file is submitted in May. It is not assessed but is marked and commented upon. It is intended to help students connect what they learn in the class room with the world of professional practice, and therefore equip them with knowledge and experience valued and increasingly expected by prospective employers.

Part-Time Route

Studied over 24 months:

Year 1

• First Semester
• Planning Theory and Practice
• Planning, Land and Environmental Law
• Second Semester
• Design, Development and Regeneration
• Planning Methods and Plan Making
• Third Semester
• No Classes

 Year 2

• First Semester
• Rural Land Use and Valuation
• Land and Environmental Economics
• Rural Governance and Policy
• Second Semester
• Research Method
• Comparative International Planning (includes Field Course)
• Third Semester
• Dissertation

Preparation of the dissertation requires completion of prior courses.

Part-time students are also expected to complete a File of Engagement with Professional Practice.

Assessment

The programme includes lectures, tutorials, seminars and project work although the balance of teaching methods varies throughout the programme. Courses are assessed through coursework and formal written examinations.

There are two diets of examinations: January and May. As you progress greater emphasis is placed on the application of knowledge and skills , project work increases and examinations are fewer. The course can be taken over an intensive 12 month period or for those in employment but wishing to gain an accredited degree, a 24 month part time mode is available requiring students to attend campus 1 day a week.

Teaching

All courses involve lectures, tutorials, seminars and project work, although the relevant balance varies as you progress through the programme. The first semester focuses on the theoretical concepts relating to sustainable development with a mixture of exams and continuous assessment. In the second half of the programme the focus is more on applying knowledge and skills in applied projects and course-work. Project work includes individual and group exercises. As part of the couse students are required to attend Europena fieldtrip. The location of this has yet to be finalised but presvious post graduate field trips have gone to Irelland, Portugal, Solvenia.

The programme will provide a diversity of teaching and learning situations and types of assessment that meet the needs of employers and prescribed academic standards. Each course will have reading lists which you are encouraged to pursue in your own time to further your understanding of taught material. In addition to these courses you are also encouraged to participate in various seminars and guest lectures where appropriate. As with all programmes it is up to you what you get out of them and we are here to facilitate your maximum potential and enjoyment.

Funding

Prospective students should visit the University's Postgraduate Funding Database, the University Funding Pages.and the College's Funding Pages.

University of Aberdeen Alumni Discount Scheme
The University of Aberdeen is very pleased to offer a 20% discount on postgraduate tuition fees for all alumni who have graduated with a degree from the University of Aberdeen. The Alumni Discount Scheme applies to both home and overseas students, and applies to the self-funding element of the postgraduate tuition fee. This is the element of tuition fee which you are paying yourself and does not cover the element of tuition fee which is covered by a scholarship, funding body, your employer, a company, or any another source of funding. The Alumni Discount applies only to the tuition fee element and does not apply to any other costs such as additional programme costs or research costs. More Information can be here.

Other Sources
The University of Aberdeen also has a list of International Scholarships & Bursaries.

Careers

This programme prepares students for careers in surveying and planning - focussing on rural environment, planning and development and valuation.

Fees

Information on tuition fees, including the current fee level, can be found on the University Registry website.

PLEASE NOTE: In accepting an offer for this programme you should be aware that the University makes an additional training charge, over and above the standard tuition fee. In 2011/12 this charge will be £1,000. Part-time students will be charged pro rata. Students will also be expected to cover the costs of travel to residential field work destinations.

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