Master a discipline that makes a real difference to landscapes and lives. Compose the places people live in.
Urban and regional planners can design cities that support ecosystem function and biodiversity. They can prepare human settlements against climate change. They can protect heritage sites against decline. One day, when we’re on the moon, they could even plan the use of lunar land.
It’s also a planner’s responsibility to know the policies and regulations that guide residential and commercial development. Our Master of Urban and Regional Planning is designed to provide both the technical and professional understanding you need to shape our physical spaces and help to create places.
Urban and regional planning is a complex, interdisciplinary body of many moving parts. Our master’s degree is designed to offer a broad, deep understanding for planning’s past and present, and to get you speculating about its future.
You’ll study a range of topics as they concern the profession – including history, policy, finance, ethics, climate and society.
You’ll develop your personal conduct in professional contexts. You’ll learn how to make a captivating proposal, how to judge a development project’s feasibility and how to help residents and developers reach a great outcome that balances competing interests.
In your fieldwork, you’ll inspect regenerated urban spaces and assess locations for potential development. Through rigorous research training and an original research project, you’ll make your own contributions to the theories you’re learning from.
At Adelaide University, you’ll find the professionalism, the pragmatism and the creativity to succeed in an exciting profession. You’ll become someone who can make real, lasting change to urban environments.
Discover the impact that good planning can have on a broad range of concerns – social, financial and environmental. Contribute to the industry’s body of knowledge with your own original research project. Benefit from Adelaide University’s global network, with thousands of industry and professional relationships. Learn from leading educators in a program with a decades-long history. Refine your research capabilities and build a foundation for further work in research. Establish a high-level expertise in a field for which even the sky might not be the limit. Our Master of Urban and Regional Planning equips you with the technical and professional expertise to carve out your career. You’ll increase your understanding to an advanced level.
These are your first-year courses:
There are far-reaching consequences to designing and developing the environments we humans occupy. It’s a practice that has deep roots in the past. You’ll investigate planning’s millennia-long history to appreciate the impact of the past on the future. You’ll explore government policies and regulations to see how the law works to guide the impacts of today’s planners on tomorrow’s world.
You'll choose from available elective topics which could include urban regeneration or a study tour.
In your second year, you’ll build your understanding ever further in the following high-level courses:
Tighten your grasp on the legal principles that inform the planning industry. Survey complex legislature, including zoning and property rights. Then look deeper into community concerns, assessing the implications that planning can have for equity and social cohesion. You’ll look into the intended and unintended consequences of land use and the policies that govern it.
You’ll refine your own research skills. This not only helps you complete your qualification, it also provides a good foundation for further work in research. Even while working as a professional, there’s no reason you can’t continue contributing to an international body of knowledge.
In your second year, you’ll carry out a research project. You’ll form a research question, perform a literature review, collect or analyse existing data and make conclusions. You will also be provided with work experience at either a private sector planning consultancy, state government regulatory agency or a local council, where you will put your skills into practice and develop your professional network.
With mentored work experience, you’ll gain the freedom, the knowledge and the confidence to find your place in the field. You’ll graduate from your Master of Urban and Regional Planning program with the ability to exercise a critical perspective on the industry’s history, practice, politics and research.
Complete 96 units comprising:
Complete 78 units for ALL of the following:
| Course name | Course code | Units | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Course name
Theory and Practice in Urban and Regional Planning
|
Course code
ARCH5007
|
Units
6
|
|
|
Course name
Planning Governance, Stakeholders, Politics and Policy
|
Course code
ARCH5008
|
Units
6
|
|
|
Course name
Integrated Transport and Infrastructure Planning
|
Course code
ARCH5009
|
Units
6
|
|
|
Course name
Urban Design for Health and Sustainability
|
Course code
ARCH5010
|
Units
6
|
|
|
Course name
Development Economics
|
Course code
ARCH5011
|
Units
6
|
|
|
Course name
Environmental Planning, Climate Change and Sustainability
|
Course code
ENVI5005
|
Units
6
|
|
|
Course name
Planning Law
|
Course code
ARCH6301
|
Units
6
|
|
|
Course name
Development Assessment
|
Course code
ARCH6302
|
Units
6
|
|
|
Course name
Social Planning and Community Issues
|
Course code
ARCH6303
|
Units
6
|
|
|
Course name
Research Methods in Planning
|
Course code
ARCH6304
|
Units
6
|
|
|
Course name
Urban Design and Master Planning Studio
|
Course code
ARCH6305
|
Units
6
|
|
|
Course name
Research Project in Planning
|
Course code
ARCH6306
|
Units
12
|
Complete 6 units for ALL of the following:
| Course name | Course code | Units | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Course name
Urban Planning Professional Experience
|
Course code
ARCH6902
|
Units
6
|
Complete 12 units comprising:
| Course name | Course code | Units | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Course name
Urban Regeneration
|
Course code
ARCH5301
|
Units
6
|
|
|
Course name
Study Tour
|
Course code
ARCH5700
|
Units
6
|
After achieving a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, you could work to reshape environments locally, nationally or overseas. Beyond that, your new research skills could reshape the theories that influence practicing planners.
Here are some projects you might pursue:
When you’re not planning these projects yourself, you could be advising other planners or be assessing development applications prepared by residents and developers. You might appear before public audiences to explain important proposals. Perhaps you’ll meet with social scientists, developers, existing residents, planning lawyers and government authorities to determine the direction of large areas of land.
You’ll never look at a place the same way again. Now you’ll see where improvements could be made and you’ll know how to make them.
The world is on the brink of major social and technological change. Electric cars, autonomous cars, even flying cars promise to revolutionise transport. Decentralisation puts more emphasis on regional areas. Population growth, however, ensures that urban areas remain front of mind (APA, 2024).
Employment opportunities for urban and regional planners are already increasing (Job Skills Australia, 2024). We’ll need planners to help develop adaption, or mitigation, strategies to reduce the effects of climate change. New opportunities could even follow the renewed interest in space activities. We’ll need planners on the moon, whether for human settlement or industrial ventures.
Adelaide University gives you the reach you need to seize these opportunities.
Adelaide University is working through relevant approvals for program accreditation ahead of students commencing in 2026.
Explore answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.
Adelaide University sets you up for success in your studies – and your social life. You’ll have access to work placement and internship opportunities, overseas study tours and exchanges, networking events with guest speakers and more. Our campuses are equipped with purpose-built facilities including lecture theatres, libraries, workshops, laboratories, and spaces that simulate real work environments. These are all supported by the latest technologies and a 24/7 online learning platform with personalised study information and resources.
You’ll have everything you need to live well and thrive during your studies, with health services on campus, gymnasiums, technology zones and modern student lounges. Get involved in campus sport or join our student clubs that will connect you to your passions – and the people who share them.
Adelaide also has a variety of accommodation options to suit your individual requirements and budget, with options ranging from dedicated student accommodation to private rentals. One of the world’s most liveable cities, Adelaide has lots of leafy parks, gardens and social hubs – and some of the highest living standards globally. No matter where you are in Adelaide, you’re only a short distance from beaches, vineyards, museums, art galleries, restaurants, bars and parklands. Visit the accommodation web page to find out more.
Student services
We’re here to support you on your student journey. Adelaide University offers a range of support services and facilities, including:
You’ll also have unlimited access to our dedicated student support hub. Visit in-person or online, or contact our friendly team by phone. We can assist you with anything study-related including enrolment, identification cards, timetables, fees and more.
You'll be studying at one of our renowned campuses, accessing cutting-edge facilities and contemporary study spaces.
Your courses will require a combination of different learning formats, including lectures, tutorials, workshops, seminars and practicals. Aside from your classes, you’ll also need to allocate additional time for independent study. This may include assignments, readings, projects and contributing to online discussion forums. As a rough guide, full-time studies may require 12-26 hours of class time and 14-18 hours of independent study per week.
During your studies at Adelaide University, you’ll complete a mixture of practical, professional and research-based learning. Your assessment types will vary depending on the degree you’re studying, but may include:
