Postgraduate courses

MPhil in Planning, Growth & Regeneration

An intensive one year taught programme that provides relevant skills to professionals involved in managing local economic growth and regeneration, regulating land use, undertaking strategic planning and who seek an international perspective.

Introduction

In the United Kingdom, moves to devolved government and decision taking at the regional and local levels are generating an increased requirement for well trained professionals who are capable of providing the knowledge and analytical skills required. Across Europe increased economic and monetary union is emphasising the need for Member States to consider how those involved in urban and regional government can tackle the spatial disparities in economic growth and development that have been such an entrenched feature of the last twenty years. In the Far East and North America a similar level of interest is being shown in how governments can best ensure more geographical balance in development.

The design and implementation of spatial policies to manage the process of growth requires professionals with a multidisciplinary skill base and an international perspective on best practice.

The MPhil in Planning, Growth and Regeneration involves an intensive period of full time study. The programme includes lectures, seminars and workshop based teaching. The programme may also serve as an entry point into PhD training for those interested in pursuing research in planning, growth and regeneration in greater depth.

Course objectives

The MPhil is designed to equip students with the analytical skills required to:

• Understand the factors that lead to variations in regional growth and development and to understand the consequences of regional imbalances in growth for resource management, land use and the environment;
• Enable candidates to assess the scope for policy intervention to manage regional growth and identify the opportunities and constraints imposed by economic, social and institutional factors;
• Design efficient and effective policies to manage growth at the regional level including enhancing the growth prospects of those regions that are currently experiencing relative decline and attenuating the adverse consequences of adverse growth on those regional systems that are expanding rapidly;
• Understand how best to implement growth and regeneration policies, including planning and land use policies;
• Evaluate policy achievement and monitor and assess the effectiveness of policy initiatives.

The course emphasises the importance of adopting a multidisciplinary approach both to understanding the nature of growth and regeneration problems as well as creating successful policy solutions.

Course structure

The MPhil in Planning, Growth and Regeneration is modular. To complete the course students are required to complete four modules in each of the first two terms and to submit a compulsory dissertation of between 10,000 to 12,000 words in the third term.  In all cases students on this course must take a quantitative or mixed research methods module as well as other compulsory modules. Assessment of each module is by way of written examination paper, project or essay work, or a combination of these methods. More information on modules offered.

In addition, all students are expected to attend the Department’s Research Management Programme that supports the development of projects for the dissertation as well as covering issues of data collection and ethics.

Progress to the PhD

MPhil candidates wishing to pursue a PhD with the Department may apply to continue as a Graduate Student via the Board of Graduate Studies.  Each application is considered carefully by the Department and by the Degree Committee. Approval of an application will depend on three criteria:

• availability of a supervisor;
• the approval by the Degree Committee of a research proposal; and
• the achievement of a minimum of 67% in the MPhil examination.

Full details of the application procedure for continuing students are given on the Board of Graduate Studies website. Students wishing to continue are advised to apply early in the academic year and to be aware that funding deadlines are also often early in the applications cycle.  In all cases, approval to continue is subject to the final examinations results and approval from the Degree Committee.

Professional accreditation

The MPhil in Planning, Growth and Regeneration is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The RICS is an international organisation with over 100,000 members and membership of the RICS conveys a number of benefits. Graduates of the Planning, Growth and Regeneration course are eligible to enter the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), successful completion of which entitles full membership of the RICS. The RICS also offers free membership to students whilst they are taking accredited courses.

Information about the RICS, the APC and the benefits of membership can be found at: www.rics.org

The MPhil in Planning, Growth and Regeneration was provisionally accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) in 2009/10, and was subsequently awarded status as a 'combined' qualification from 2011/12. Students who undertake this course and who wish to obtain RTPI Chartered Membership are currently able to enter the RTPI's Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), provided that they: a) pass the MPhil course, b) pass the core modules for this course and c) submit and pass a dissertation in a planning related subject. Students may take their three optional modules from any of the specialist areas offered by the Department. See 'Papers Offered' for a full list of the modules currently available to students on this course. Free student membership is currently available to students enrolled on this MPhil. Further information on the RTPI is available on their website: www.rtpi.org.uk.

Academic and language requirements

The academic requirements for entry to the MPhil in Planning, Growth and Regeneration are at least the minimum expected by the University. Details of these requirements are given in the University of Cambridge Graduate Studies Prospectus.

The English language requirement for both MPhil and PhD courses is as follows:
IELTS: Overall 7.5 with a minimum of 7.0 in each element
TOEFL ibT: Overall 110, with a minimum of 25 in each element
TOEFL paper based: 637 overall, 5.5 in TWE

Acting Course Director

The Acting Course Director for the MPhil in Planning, Growth and Regeneration is Dr Elisabete Silva (es424@cam.ac.uk). Dr Elisabete Silva is available to discuss with students specific issues about the content of the MPhil in Planning, Growth and Regeneration.

Further information

More information on funding
More information on how to apply