Urban planning graduates play a key role in managing and developing the places we live in to make them safer, more sustainable and healthier

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Historic buildings inspector/conservation officer
• Housing manager/officer
• Local government officer
• Town planner
• Transport planner
• Urban designer

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Civil Service administrator
• Community development worker
• Environmental manager
• Estates manager
• Fire risk assessor
• Landscape architect
• Planning and development surveyor
• Sustainability consultant

Work experience

You'll need to keep up to date with current planning, built environment and wider environmental issues if you want to pursue a career in planning. You also need to be able to express a passion for making better places.

Try to get work experience through relevant part-time or temporary jobs, voluntary positions or internships. Some local authorities and private sector employers offer work placements in planning departments and they may also have opportunities for work shadowing or workplace visits.

Typical employers

Urban planning graduates go on to careers in planning, design and development, as well as in areas such as transport, economic development, housing, urban regeneration, tourism, environmental protection and environmental consultancy.

Jobs exist across the public sector with:

• local authority departments (such as regeneration services or planning and development)
• central/devolved government
• major public bodies.

Private planning and environmental consultancies also employ urban planning graduates to advise organisations and individuals on specific planning schemes.

Opportunities also exist with:

• business consultancies
• construction and surveying companies
• environmental agencies, such as Natural England and the Environment Agency
• housing associations and social enterprises
• large retail business
• neighbourhood planning organisations
• transport organisations (e.g. airports)
• private developers
• sustainable energy centres
• utilities companies.

Skills for your CV

Studying urban planning allows you to develop specialist knowledge in town and regional planning, providing you with a range of professional skills such as:

• design and place making
• knowledge of planning processes, law and housing policy
• finance and policy development
• strategic thinking
• analytical research
• making a reasoned argument
• professional report writing and presentation
• partnership working and collaboration.

You also develop skills that are useful in many different career areas. These include:

• verbal and written communication
• IT
• negotiation and mediation
• problem-solving
• impartiality and diplomacy
• teamwork
• research
• creativity
• decision-making
• general, time and people management
• pragmatism.