Planning is a dynamic activity that impinges on many aspects of everyday life in metropolitan and rural areas. Planning as a general term can mean an activity that seeks to provide an alternative to uncoordinated and ad hoc decision-making. For cities, suburbs and regions, planning targets the development, improvement, conservation and general management of the environment. There are in fact many specialist areas of planning: land use, social, transport, regional, and so on.

The GradDipPlan degree addresses many of these aspects. Core courses cover skill and knowledge areas essential for practising planners. The program has been structured to offer the option of taking a general degree or a concentration in one of four fields (Environmental Sustainability; Urban Management and Governance; Urban Design; and Urban Modelling) by choice of electives and topic of the Planning Project. The Planning Project provides an opportunity for students to undertake more detailed applied or theoretical research into an area of planning of personal interest by producing a dissertation of publishable quality.

The programs are available to suitably qualified local and international students and provide opportunities for full-time or part-time study.

Career Opportunities
Planners are employed under many different labels in many different organisations with some stake in the built environment. The major employment sectors are state and federal government departments (dealing with land use, development, transport, heritage, infrastructure, urban services etc), local councils, consultant planners, property companies, and environmental organisations. There is an increasing demand for planners and other built environment professionals with appropriate knowledge and skills that the Program offers.

The new Program aims to produce high quality graduates who have acquired UNSW Graduate attributes. Graduates will be capable, through their skills, knowledge and experience, of undertaking a wide range of tasks in the planning field and may also choose to proceed to the MPlan degree.

The GradDipPlan Program is taken over two academic sessions (full-time equivalent), and requires the successful completion of 8 courses totalling 48 units of credit. The 48uoc in the Program comprise seven core courses (42uoc) and one elective (6uoc).

The GradDipPlan Program is part of an articulated coursework Planning degree. That is, students may elect to enrol in the Graduate Certificate in Planning (24uoc), consisting of at least three core courses (18uoc), and progress to the Graduate Diploma in Planning (48uoc), consisting of the remaining core courses and one elective if required, or the MPlan (72uoc) by completing the remaining elective requirements of this degree.

Core courses in the MPlan cover skill and knowledge areas deemed crucial for practising planners. The Program has been structured to offer the option of either taking a general degree or specialising in one of four fields of study. Depending on the choice of electives and 12uoc Planning Project, a general MPlan degree may be taken, or one with a concentration in the following fields of study: Environmental Sustainability; Urban Management and Governance; Urban Design; and Urban Modelling.

Admission Requirements
A Bachelor degree or equivalent. Where an applicants qualifications are not considered adequate, admission may be permitted on the basis of professional experience.

Advanced Standing
At least 50 per cent of program requirements must be completed at UNSW for the award of a UNSW postgraduate degree or diploma in the Faculty of the Built Environment. Advanced standing may be granted for completed or partially completed postgraduate awards from UNSW or from another institution. When considering the granting of advanced standing on the basis of previous postgraduate study at another institution, the program authority will take into account the quality of the institution and the quality, level and content of courses previously undertaken.

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html