Course Enquiries - UK
Tel: 0207 815 7500
Mode: Part-time
Did you know that LSBU town planning graduates work all over the UK and internationally in both the public and private sectors? We have been educating British town planners on accredited Royal Town Planning Institute courses for over 50 years, and boast three contemporary Presidents of the RTPI among our alumni.
Our three courses will equip you with the technical and managerial know-how to be an effective town planner and prepare you to be a life-long learner, so that you may develop a successful career and rise through the ranks of your profession.
Town planning is a challenging and rewarding career. It is aimed at improving the places in which we live, work and play. It is about visioning the future and using the tools that your professional and vocational training gives you to realise and sustain that vision. It is dynamic, reacting to changes in society, the environment and political and legal frameworks in which people live their lives and development takes place.
It is not about telling people what their future environment will be like, but is about working with a wide range of stakeholders to bring diverse ideas, wants and needs together. Your people skills will be as important as your technical knowledge; town planning is a test of your all round abilities and gives you a deeply satisfying career.
The courses are fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute. This means that after graduation you can become a licentiate member of the RTPI. With two years relevant work experience (in some cases one year), you can apply to take the RTPI Assessment of Professional Competence exam and become a full member of the RTPI.
You can enter the Degree Apprenticeship Chartered Town Planner at either Level 4 or Level 7. There are two courses at Level 7 including one specialising in urban design. See Modules for more information.
The Level 4 entry course lasts for 60 months taking you from first year undergraduate to Postgraduate level. The End Point Assessment must be completed within a year of completing the taught elements.
The Level 7 entry course lasts for 24 months and includes a formal dissertation or writing up of a major student-led project. The End Point Assessment must be completed within a year of completing the taught elements.
By the time you have successfully completed the taught elements and the End Point Assessment you will either be awarded the PG Diploma Chartered Town Planner (Level 4 Entry), the MA Chartered Town Planner or MA Chartered Town Planner (Urban Design) and you will be eligible for membership of the RTPI.
Advanced entry requirements are possible, but not normal. Those who seek this should first approach the course director of their preferred course.
The full apprenticeship standard and assessment plan can be found on the Institute for Apprenticeships.
Apprenticeship Employment Guidelines
Apprenticeship Evidence Pack Guidance
The following apprenticeships at London South Bank University are fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI):
Mode | Duration | Start date | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Mode PgDip Chartered Town Planner (Apprenticeship) (Part-time) |
Duration 5 years |
Start Date September |
Location
Southwark Campus
|
Mode MA Chartered Town Planner (Apprenticeship) (Part-time) |
Duration 2 years |
Start Date September |
Location
Southwark Campus
|
Mode MA Chartered Town Planner (Urban Design) (Apprenticeship) (Part-time) |
Duration 2 years |
Start Date September |
Location
Southwark Campus
|
There are two types of modules on this apprenticeship:
1. Taught, classroom-based modules, taught in semesters. Students will study these on a day release basis. These modules are shared with the BA (Hons) Urban and Environmental Planning, MA Town and Country Planning and/or MA Urban Design and Planning.
2. Planning Practice Modules, which involves guided, work-based learning, where students get three touch points during the year:
Staff will act as tutors to students on the Planning Practice Modules, being available by email and phone and face-to-face meetings as requested.
However, students will also have a work-based mentor whose job it will be to support and guide the student as they identify, gather and analyse information. This is a key structural difference to the non-apprenticeship degree programmes and firmly sets the Degree Apprenticeships Chartered Town Planner apart from these.
In the Planning Practice Modules, the emphasis is on learning at and from the work place. It is here where many of the skills and behaviours, that the Town Planner must develop, are best observed, analysed and developed. These modules will be supported via LSBU's Virtual Learning Environment, Moodle, and clear guidance will be given to the work-based mentor. The student will be required to log their work on the University’s e-portfolio, One File.
A town planner’s role is to help stakeholders create a vision for what a place (city, town, village or countryside) may look like in the future, and then to manage and facilitate the design, development and conservation processes that enable this be put into practice.
Typically, a town planner will be involved in four key aspects of such place shaping. These all require stakeholder engagement including local communities, developers, infrastructure providers (e.g. highways authorities, electricity, gas, water), county, district and unitary authorities, government agencies (e.g. Natural England, English Heritage). The four main areas are:
As a town planner, you will be engaging with a broad range of stakeholders and seeking often multiple outcomes for development schemes. You will use a range of skills and abilities you to play your role in shaping the places in which we work, live and take our leisure. These include negotiation, seeking compromise, making recommendations, enabling others to achieve their aims, communicating complex ideas and concepts to non-specialists, working within the law, and making ethical decisions.
We are University of the Year for Graduate Employment for the second year in a row - The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018, 2019.
At LSBU, we want to set you up for a successful career. During your studies – and for two years after you graduate – you’ll have access to our Employability Service, which includes:
Our Student Enterprise team can also help you start your own business and develop valuable entrepreneurial skills.
The on-the-job element of your apprenticeship will give the opportunity to work and network with other professionals in the industry and begin to develop your network that can support you throughout your career. All of our apprentices become student members of the RTPI giving you access to seminars, publications and other professional opportunities.
Applicants to this course are advised that the University is awaiting accreditation from the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). Once this is received, this page will be updated.
Each of the Chartered Town Planner apprenticeship degrees gives you a strong mix of work-based and classroom-based learning. This allows you to develop not only your knowledge, but also your skills and behaviours to see you through your professional career.
Teaching is by day release and reflective work-based learning. Apprenticeships start in September 2019 with a three day field based induction and includes a Level 4 field trip, site visits and analysis in London and summer schools in preparation for your major projects and end point assessments.
Assessment of the degree apprenticeships is by coursework only. You will be expected to write essays and reports, research and analyse sites, interpret plans, compile plans and policies, complete portfolios, take part in mock inquiries and analyse the viability of proposals. All these are the task of the planner.
Before undertaking the End Point Assessment, you will provide evidence of satisfactory completion of all aspects of the apprenticeship programme. To do this you must have passed all modules, completed your e-portfolio, personal development plan and continuing professional development plan. We will run a short summer school to help you prepare for the end point assessment.
The End Point Assessment is the final stage of your apprenticeship programme. During the EPA you will demonstrate the mastery of the skills, knowledge and behaviours developed throughout your apprenticeship. This will be done as a part of a professional discussion and submission of an evidence portfolio.
Mode | Duration | Start date | Application code | Application method |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mode PgDip Chartered Town Planner (Apprenticeship) (Part-time) |
Duration 5 years |
Start date September |
Application code 5555 |
Application method |
Mode MA Chartered Town Planner (Apprenticeship) (Part-time) |
Duration 2 years |
Start date September |
Application code 5556 |
Application method |
Mode MA Chartered Town Planner (Urban Design) (Apprenticeship) (Part-time) |
Duration 2 years |
Start date September |
Application code 5557 |
Application method |
An Apprenticeship Standard is comprised of a programme of study, an End Point Assessment and on-the-job learning. This means that in addition to meeting academic requirements, you’ll need to be employed in a role related to your apprenticeship. The process of applying depends on whether you have an employer to sponsor (and support) you.
If you are employed and your employer has confirmed they will support your apprenticeship:
You are welcome to submit an application via our application system. You’ll need to provide details of your employment/employer as part of the application. You’ll also need to ensure you and your employer meet the requirements – find out who can be an apprentice to see if you meet the entry requirements and employer commitments to find out more about your employer’s role.
If you are not employed:
If you’re a prospective apprentice, you can find out more about who can be an apprentice on our student pages.
If you’re an employer, you can find information about the employer commitments and further related information on the related pages for business.
See our admissions policy 1.0 MB and complaints policy 516.0 KB.
Home/EU postgraduate students and research students should apply through our dedicated application system.
Full details of how to do this are supplied on our How to apply section for postgraduate students and our How to apply section for research students.
International applicants should use our international application system. Full details can be found on our How to apply section for international students.
See our admissions policy (PDF File 1,043 KB) and complaints policy (PDF File 516 KB).
Your application will be circulated to a number of potential supervisors who will look at your academic qualifications, experience and the research proposal to decide whether your research interest is something that could be supervised at LSBU.
There will also be an interview either by telephone or at the University. If you are successful you will be offered a place on a course and informed of the next enrolment date. The whole process normally takes between six to eight weeks, from receipt of your application to a decision being made about your application at the School.
There are steps the apprentices, the employer and the University need to complete before you start your course. Take a look at the steps to be completed in the Enrolment section. Employers may also like to look at our steps to offering an apprenticeship.
We help our students prepare for university even before the semester starts. To find out when you should apply for your LSBU accommodation or student finance read the How to apply tab for this course.
Before you start your course we’ll send you information on what you’ll need to do before you arrive and during your first few days on campus. You can read about the process on our Enrolment pages.
The individual fee for this course is shown above. For more information, including how and when to pay, see our fees and funding section for postgraduate students.
See our Tuition Fees Regulations (PDF File 201 KB) and Refund Policy (PDF File 775 KB).
We have a range of PhD Scholarships available in partnership with businesses and organisations; read notices of PhD studentships.
The cost of the apprenticeship is paid fully by the employer (sometimes part funded by the government) through apprenticeship levy. The apprenticeship levy is a pot of money some companies pay into, which all businesses have access to spend on the training costs of apprenticeships. Companies fall into two categories: levy-payers (who pay into the pot) and non-levy payers (who do not). You can find out more in our Levy and Funding section, specifically for employers
The apprentice does not contribute toward the cost of study.
Apprenticeship standards are all assigned a funding band by the Government – these funding bands are the maximum amount the Government will fund via the levy towards a given apprenticeship standard. There are currently 30 funding bands ranging from £1,000 to £27,000.
Employers with less than 50 staff sending an apprentice aged 16-18 will have 100% of the training costs paid by the government. All employers who employ an apprentice aged 16-18 on the first day of teaching will receive a £1,000 incentive from the government. You can find out more in our Levy and Funding section, specifically for employers.
You can find out the funding band for an Apprenticeship Standard on the Government website. To find out how much we are charging, please get in touch with us at apprenticeships@lsbu.ac.uk
The Level 4 residential field trip is included with the course fees (except subsistence). Local site visits in London may require you to pay local travel costs.
Course Enquiries - UK
Tel: 0207 815 7500
Order a prospectus