MSc Transport Planning with Placement Year

The MSc Transport Planning with Placement Year will provide you with both the theoretical grounding and practical skills that you’ll need to satisfy the requirements of employers both now and in the future.

Driven by the demand for the delivery of zero carbon interventions, poor air quality and wider social exclusion problems, there is an increasing demand for highly skilled and multi-disciplined professionals within transport planning.

The climate change imperative has shaken central and local government. It has caused authorities to declare climate emergencies and seek practical solutions to these new and important challenges.

Many have introduced transport policies and invested significant funding for transport programmes. They’re also rethinking how transport is delivered to include projects focussed specifically on achieving zero carbon and intelligent transport networks.

So, whether you have an interest in transport planning, or if you’re a professional who wants to gain a transport planning qualification, it’s an exciting time to explore transport planning and discover the impact you can have on communities for years to come.

You’ll also have the opportunity to explore a range of specialised modules, pathways and learning outcomes.

The course offers three pathways:

MSc Transport Planning – a series of block-based (two or three day) modules, covering a variety of topics aimed at building the skills required for transport planning careers. This includes a piece of individual transport planning research (dissertation) undertaken by the student. Start dates are September and January.

MSc Transport Planning with Placement – in addition to the transport planning modules, this course offers the opportunity to undertake a 30 week work placement in a transport-related environment. It is aimed at those who wish to gain experience towards building a professional career. This is a September start only.

MSc Transport Planning with Advanced Research – in addition to the transport planning modules, this course offers the opportunity to undertake an internship with the Smart Mobility Unit and to produce an extended piece of transport planning research. It is aimed at those able to demonstrate experience of research who might be considering a PhD or a research-based career. Start dates are September and January.

All of the course options will equip you with the knowledge to address the current challenges within the field, whilst developing your expertise in transport planning within a low-carbon environment.

Why choose this course?

You’ll develop a broad knowledge base and understanding of transport provision in relation to planning and place making, environmental climate change and its mitigation, and designing transport systems to support sustainable economic development.

You’ll be equipped with the knowledge to address the current challenges within the field. You’ll future-proof your knowledge. The course is delivered within an overarching framework which focuses on key issues within the transport sector ensuring you are able to future-proof your knowledge and career. Current topics studied include decarbonisation, place-making, operational transport planning, transport and behavioural change, travel planning, transport data modelling and analysis.

You’ll have access to the expertise of staff based within the University’s Smart Mobility Unit (SMU). You’ll actively engage with the research activities and meetings of the SMU including engaging with the wider activities of the SMU’s industry collaborators and partners. The areas of interest of the SMU include:

• travel planning
• change Management
• transport-related behaviour change
• intelligent transport systems
• operational transport planning
• smart ticketing
• automatic number place recognition (ANPR)
• big data analysis
• spatial mapping.

Throughout the course, you’ll also have access to specialist online software, including NVivo and SPSS, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). You will also have the opportunity to go on field trips locally and further afield. The programme includes a residential field trip as part of our Comparative Transport Planning Practice module within a different transport planning system. There are also several field trips within various modules, including Operational Transport Planning and Community Engagement in the Planning Process. Any travel and accommodation costs of field trips are included in course fees.

We're proud to have 91% overall satisfaction for geography, earth and environmental studies in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES, 2024). You can be confident in knowing you're receiving an exceptional learning experience when you study this course.