Town and Country Planning

Town and country planning might not have been a sexy subject in the past, but it is now. The planning system is being reformed and the government wants to recruit a new breed of planners to stamp out suburban sprawl and oversee the construction of new "sustainable communities": More than ever, we need highly intelligent, well-trained and intellectually well-rounded planners to help shape all our futures.

The subject covers a wide range of activities - advising on the design of new transport systems, tourist sites, conservation areas and, of course, of developments, great and small, in our towns and cities. At its best, planning is a complex and utterly involving profession that tends to attract a high proportion of students with a social conscience, as issues such as regeneration and environmentally friendly development will play an increasing role in a subject which is essentially about the man-made environment around you.

Town and country planning degrees increasingly reflect the specialisms developing in the planning industry, with courses concentrating specifically on urban design, environmental impact and transport issues. Most courses, though, offer at least one year of training in the general skills of town and country planning, from ensuring better quality living in inner cities, to maintaining services in rural areas. From then on, courses come in various guises - urban planning, town and regional planning, city and regional planning, civic design etc - but they mostly cover a similar curriculum, just with different emphases. Some lean towards urban design (a not-so-distant cousin of architecture), while others are more of an applied urban geography or urban studies course. Others again are more closely allied with property management and real estate. There's also the option of a joint honours, in planning and geography, for example.

The workload is likely to involve plenty of projects, some theoretical, but occasionally live projects linked to research and consultancy. The ratio of projects to the more traditional lectures depends on the institution you end up in.

With a recruitment crisis in many planning authorities the employment prospects of graduates is very good, even for those coming from non-accredited courses (see below). As well as the town hall you could also land up in consultancy, environmental management, and rural community councils. After two years in practice, many will sit further exams for professional qualifications, such as membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute, the Institute of Housing or the Chartered Institute of Transport.

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