Home / Students / Course finder / Undergraduate / Spatial Planning and Business Management Joint Honours BSc

Spatial Planning and Business Management Joint Honours BSc

Overview
Course details
Learning and teaching
Employability

Urban trees Urban and regional planning has a critical impact on the nature of the built environment. It helps to shape the nature, form and function of our towns and cities. Planners are involved in the making and shaping of place. Moreover, the planning system is in place to ensure that development takes place in the public interest and that there is a right balance between economic, environmental and social interests. It plays an essential role in ensuring that the places where we live and work are attractive, vibrant and well designed. This combination of urban planning and business management 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. This programme provides the opportunity for students to combine an interest in business management with a focus on planning and the built environment.

2012 National Student Survey "98% of students said that overall they were satisfied with the quality of our Planning course"

Course fact file

UCAS code: KN42

Duration: 3 years

Places Available: 32 (all Planning Joint Honours courses)

Applications in 2011: 144

Typical Offer: ABB (More detailed entry requirements and the international qualifications accepted can be found in the course details)

Start date: September

Related courses

Contact

Admissions Tutor: Dr Mike Beazley
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 3278
Email: Planning Admissions

General admissions enquiries:
Student Recruitment Team
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 8327
Email: uggeographyadmissions@contacts.bham.ac.uk

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Course details

Details

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 degree course attempts to build this understanding by drawing on the academic strengths of one of the largest Business Schools in the UK, and the research and international reputation of the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (CURS) that is located in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Science at the University of 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 hopefully bring to life the issues you are studying and set them in a real world context.

The programme has been specifically designed to enable you to develop a sound understanding of the challenges facing our towns and cities and how we deal with these.

Why study this course

The Spatial Planning/Business Management programme at the University of Birmingham is the first of its type in the country. It is part of a suite of joint honours planning programmes that we offer that are well established and enjoy an excellent reputation. All our planning degrees build on the University’s international and research reputation in this area. The department’s research and professional development links with a wide range of public, private and community-led organisations are a particular strength of the programme and ensure that our teaching is relevant and is at the cutting edge of the latest developments in the planning world.

Modules

The degree programme has been designed to combine study in both business management and planning to ensure that you develop a strong foundation and an appreciation of how to use this knowledge to make decisions about the built environment. There are extremely close synergies between the two subjects. Businesses are a fundamental part of our urban world and the understanding of how business works is critical to the operation of the planning system and how cities function. The programme offers a combination of both core and optional modules that will enable you to concentrate on issues and themes that are of particular interest to you.

Year 1

On the Business Management side you will study modules on business economics, the understanding of organisations, marketing and analytical techniques and IT. On the planning side you will study the history and evolution of planning, explore how planning operates in the contemporary context, examine the socio-economic nature of cities and how they have changed and undertake some basic GIS mapping. There is an emphasis in the modules on developing applied skills through fieldwork, tutorials and project work.

In the first year students take 120 credits over 10 compulsory modules:

The Planning of the Built Environment (20 credits)

Society, Space and Policy (10 credits)

Economy, Space and Policy (10 credits)

Planning Tutorial (10 credits)

Mapping the Midlands (10 credits)

Principles of Marketing (10 credits)

Organisations and Management (10 credits)

Developing Entrepreneurial Opportunities (10 credits)

Introduction to Business Economics (10 credits)

Analytical Techniques for Business and IT (20 credits)

Year 2

The second year builds upon the knowledge acquired in the first year with a combination of both core and optional modules. The programme is designed to enable you to choose from a range of optional modules in order to tailor the degree to your own interests.

There is a focus in the second year of preparing students for their extended essay/dissertation in the third year – so there is work on research methods and techniques.

Core Modules	Optional (to include modules such as): Students to choose 20 credits from each theme
The Urban and Regional Economy: Problems and Policies A and B (20 credits)	Marketing Theme: Consumer Behaviour (LI) (10 credits) Service and Relationship Marketing (10 credits) International Marketing (10 credits) Public Relations (10 credits)
Understanding Neighbourhood Poverty (20 Credits)	Management Theme: Event Management (10 credits) Human Resource Management (10 credits) Operations Management (10 credits) Project Management (10 credits)
Research Methods (20 credits)	Business Environment Theme: Business Law A and B (20 credits) Intermediate Business Economics (20 credits)

Year 3

In the third year you select specialised modules related to your areas of interest, and also undertake dissertation supervised by a member of staff, in which you are free to design, implement and analyse a research project of your own choosing.

The final year of study is designed to be fully flexible and allow for the development of individual interests.

Core Modules	Optional (to include modules such as): Students to choose 60 credits across the themes
Dissertation (40 credits) or Extended Essay (20 credits)	Marketing Theme: Brand Marketing Issues (10 credits) Marketing Communications (10 credits) Business to Business Marketing (10 credits) Issues in Marketing F- Retailing (10 credits) Marketing Ethics (10 credits)
Contemporary Urban Development and Planning (20 credits)	Management Theme: Small Business and Entrepreneurship (20 credits) International Business Management (10 credits) International Human Resource Management (10 credits)
Regenerating Urban Communities (20 credits)	Business Environment Theme: Advanced Business Economics (Pre-requisite Intermediate Business Economics)

Fees and funding

Standard fees apply
Learn more about fees and funding

Scholarships
Learn more about our scholarships and awards

Entry requirements

Number of A levels required: 3

Typical offer: ABB

Required subjects and grades: Grade B in GCSE Maths and grade C in GCSE English.

General Studies: We do not accept General Studies, Critical Thinking, Citizenship Studies, or World Development.

Additional information:

Other qualifications are considered – learn more about entry requirements

International students:

International Baccalaureate Diploma: 34 points with 6, 5, 5 at HL. Minimum of 5 in SL English and Maths if not offered at GCSE or equivalent.

Standard English language requirements apply

Learn more about international entry requirements

Depending on your chosen course of study, you may also be interested in the Birmingham Foundation Academy, a specially structured programme for international students whose qualifications are not accepted for direct entry to UK universities. Further details can be found on the foundation academy web pages.

How to apply

Apply through UCAS at www.ucas.com
Learn more about applying

Key Information Set (KIS)

Key Information Sets (KIS) are comparable sets of information about full or part time undergraduate courses and are designed to meet the information needs of prospective students.

From September 2012 all KIS information will be published on the Unistats website and can also be accessed via the small advert, or ‘widget’, below. On the Unistats website you will be able to compare all the KIS data for each course with data for other courses.

The development of Key Information Sets (KIS) forms part of HEFCE’s work to enhance the information that is available about higher education. It will give you access to robust, reliable and comparable information in order to help you make informed decisions about what and where to study.

The KIS contains information which prospective students have identified as useful, such as student satisfaction, graduate outcomes, learning and teaching activities, assessment methods, tuition fees and student finance, accommodation and professional accreditation.

Contact

Admissions Tutor: Dr Mike Beazley
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 3278
Email: Planning Admissions

General admissions enquiries:
Student Recruitment Team
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 8327
Email: uggeographyadmissions@contacts.bham.ac.uk

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Learning and teaching

As a Birmingham student you are part of an academic community and will learn from both academics and place-based specialist practitioners. From the outset you will be encouraged to become an independent and self-motivated learner, and we want you to be challenged and to think for yourself.

As a student you will be exposed to a variety of learning and teaching methods including lectures, small group teaching sessions, seminars, student-led workshops and tutorials. There will also be a variety of assessments that you will have to complete including essays, project-based work, posters and formal examinations.

In each of the three years there is an emphasis on applied, real world study, ensuring you gain those essential skills valued by all employers, including group and project work, IT skills, presentations and report writing skills.

You will have access to a comprehensive support system throughout your time at Birmingham that will assist and encourage you, including personal tutors and welfare tutors who can help with both academic and welfare issues. In the induction week you will be allocated a Personal Tutor who will oversee your academic and personal progress during the degree. During the first year you will have a formal transition review to check on your progress and offer you help for any particular areas where you need support. You will have regular meetings with your tutor to help you develop your skills and to plan your personal development.

Assessment methods

We use a number of different teaching and assessment methods including lectures, essays, group and individual work and formal examinations, culminating in an extended essay in Year three. Throughout the degree you will receive personalised support from a dedicated team of academic and support staff.

Studying at degree-level is likely to be very different from your previous experience of learning and teaching. You will be expected to think, discuss and engage critically with the subject and find things out for yourself. We will enable you to make this transition to a new style of learning, and the way that you are assessed during your studies will help you develop the essential skills you need to make a success of your time at Birmingham.

You’ll be assessed in a variety of ways, and these may be different with each module that you take. You will be assessed through a combination of essays, group and individual work, and formal examinations, culminating in an extended essay in year three.

At the beginning of each module, you’ll be given information on how and when you’ll be assessed for that particular programme of study. You’ll receive feedback on each assessment within four weeks, so that you can learn from and build on what you have done.

Contact

Admissions Tutor: Dr Mike Beazley
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 3278
Email: Planning Admissions

General admissions enquiries:
Student Recruitment Team
Tel: +44 (0)121 414 8327
Email: uggeographyadmissions@contacts.bham.ac.uk

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Course details

Employability

Crowd of people in an urban area In studying urban and regional planning at Birmingham you can be confident that you will graduate with a well recognised degree, in which many of the modules which have been designed with the needs of employers in mind. You will be well placed to develop a career within planning field, either in the public or private sector. In both areas, the demand for qualified graduates is always there. The good news is that as our towns and cities are constantly evolving there will always be a need for planning as an activity.

Past experience has shown that this degree opens doors to a wide variety of lucrative careers in the built environment. Potential career opportunities in Britain and overseas include town and country planning, inner-city regeneration, sustainable development, housing and conservation, property development or estates management, planning in developing and transitional countries, management traineeships in the public or private sectors, and teaching. Other students continue in education with further postgraduate study.

You will leave with a range of skills relevant to careers beyond planning and its related fields. Our graduates are welcomed by a range of employers including central and local government; government agencies; property consultancies; planning and urban design consultancies; broader built environment consultancies; private companies and utilities; and developers. Actual recent career destinations for our students have included the Environment Agency, Homes and Community Agency, Birmingham City Council; Wyre Forest District Council; Redditch Borough Council; National Grid; King Sturge; Turley Associates; Lambert Smith Hampton; CBRE; Pegasus Planning Group to name a few.

The majority of employers will expect candidates to have an undergraduate degree in planning as a minimum. To become a chartered town planner (which is recommended for increased career prospects and to enter a job at a higher point in the pay scale) you will need to have completed a Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) accredited degree. You can do this at the University of Birmingham by undertaking our RTPI accredited Masters Course in Urban and Regional Planning.

Our unique careers guidance service is tailored to your academic subject area, offering a specialised team in the College who can give you expert advice. Our team source exclusive work experience opportunities to help you stand out amongst the competition, with mentoring, global internships and placements available to you. Once you have a career in your sights, one-to-one support with CV’s and job applications will help give you the edge. If you make the most of the wide range of services you will be able to develop your career from the moment you arrive at Birmingham.