Overview 2020
Location
View archived years for this course
For years prior to 2015, please view the Course and Unit Handbook Archive
View the current year's course page
If you're looking to progress to the next stage in your career, or you want contribute to tackling local, regional and global challenges, this accredited course will take you there.
Our home state of Tasmania provides a unique learning environment. Urban areas, agricultural landscapes, extensive tracts of natural lands, and internationally significant cultural heritage are in close proximity and all easily accessible, providing opportunities for globally relevant case studies.
High student/teacher ratios maximise your opportunities for academic interaction and support, and you will benefit from the expertise of our staff and our close ties with the planning profession.
The Master of Planning is professionally accredited by the Planning Institute of Australia, who have also produced a great video to help answer the question: "what is planning?"
Course objectives
In this professionally accredited course, you will learn theoretical, technical and communication skills required by planning professionals. You will learn a range of essential planning competencies from the legal or statutory side of planning to the bigger picture or strategic side. These two sides of planning, legal and big picture, combine in a powerful way to enable planners to vision and action more sustainable futures.
There are multiple opportunities for authentic learning and contact with the wider planning community - in class, on professional placement, and in your individual research tasks.
Supported by your teachers and the Planning Institute of Australia’s Young Planners, your course will bridge from a learning environment into workplaces. This helps grow your professional network and actively shape your career path.
Practical experience
This course is specifically designed to prepare you for your career as a planner. As part of everyday teaching, you will receive direct engagement with planning and allied professionals to prepare you for the daily interactions experienced by career planners.
You will undertake a semester long industry placement that provides opportunities to incorporate the knowledge gained in the course into planning practice. You will also collaborate in-class and via distance to gain a breadth of knowledge. Self-directed activities enable you to develop your personal interests.
Classroom work is often done in collaboration with professional planning partners, such as local government and the operations side of the University. This helps expand your professional network and gives you exposure to the complexities and multi-discipline nature of real-world challenges.
"The social interaction for this course is fantastic. There is plenty of time for one-on-one with students and lecturers."
Whether it is making design recommendations for your local urban area, addressing a regional problem through case analysis, or preparing a strategic plan for a community of your choice, you will develop practical skills under the guidance of experts.
Work placement
The course includes KGA513 Professional Practice. In this unit students negotiate placement in a government or private sector organisation which is approved by the University. There they work on one or more practical tasks under the supervision of a suitably qualified professional. Understanding of environmental planning and/or management including organisational structure and functions, the role and responsibilities of planners and/or managers, and basic administrative processes are developed.
Students are encouraged to make contacts within the profession and among stakeholders. Generic issues concerning workplace values, ethics and professional practice are discussed. Assessment draws on students' engagement with the scholarly literature, their documented preparations, outputs and critical reflection throughout the placement. This unit is also part of the current planning courses S6L and S7U.
Career outcomes
Something I really appreciate about this course is just how well connected these subjects are with planning professionals. You get great access to the industry, and the depth of knowledge and the complexity of issues that these people are dealing with takes the course beyond the textbook.
As a professional planner, you will be in demand by local and state governments, planning consultancies and community organisations in Australia and around the world.Planners are professionals who work closely with engineers, architects and environmental consultants, providing multi-disciplinary expertise to ensure projects are appropriately investigated and strategically developed.
This course is professionally accredited by the Planning Institute of Australia and offers outstanding career opportunities.
Graduates work as professional planners, managers and policy makers in areas such as:
- strategic and statutory planning
- environmental and social planning
- state government planning and policy agencies
- infrastructure providers
- environmental and natural resource agencies
- Commonwealth environmental and infrastructure agencies
- international and local consulting firms
- local government
- conservation, environmental and community sectors
- business and industry
Course structure
Entry requirements
Fees & scholarships
Domestic students
Domestic students enrolled in certain postgraduate coursework programs may not be eligible for student payments through Youth Allowance and Austudy. Visit the Department of Social Services website to find out more about eligibility for Centrelink support and the list of eligible courses
International students
International students should refer to the International Students course fees page to get an indicative course cost.
Scholarships
Domestic Students
Each year, the University offers more than 900 awards to students from all background, including those who have achieved high academic results, those from low socio-economic backgrounds, students with sporting ability, students undertaking overseas study, and students with a disability.
For information on all scholarships available at the University of Tasmania, please visit the scholarships website.
Applications for most awards commencing in Semester 1 open at the beginning of August and close strictly on 31 October in the year prior to study.
International students
There are a huge range of scholarships, bursaries and fee discounts available for international students studying at the University of Tasmania. For more information on these, visit the Tasmanian International Scholarships (TIS) website.
How can we help?
Do you have any questions about choosing a course or applying? Get in touch.
- Domestic
- 13 8827 (13 UTAS)
- International
- +61 3 6226 6200
- Course.Info@utas.edu.au
- Online
- Online enquiries