Master of Planning (Professional)

Course summary for international students

Course sub-headings

• Course overview
• Professional recognition
• Fees and charges
• Career opportunities
• Course rules
• Specialisations
• Course structure
• Entry requirements - general
• Entry requirements - specific
• Closing dates
• Credit for prior learning - general
• How to apply
• Alternate exits

Course overview

The Master of Planning (Professional) has been designed to meet the challenges of an ever-changing urban, regional and rural environment and to produce professionally qualified graduates who are analytical, informed and committed to improving the quality of the urban environment. The course offers the opportunity of cross-faculty specialisation in six key areas (Urban Design, Urban Change Brokering, Healthy Cities, Cultural Heritage, Public Policy and Governance and Environmental Management), which are central to facilitating strategic change on complex planning issues locally, regionally and globally.

As a graduate, you will be able to grasp the complexity of projects and understand the broad range of disciplines and fields that need to work together to achieve innovative, sound and effective planning outcomes. You will have a developed understanding of planning across a range of disciplines and will be equipped to collaborate on projects and in processes that deliver integrated solutions for both the public and private sectors.

The Master of Planning (Professional) is relevant if you have a related undergraduate degree or significant professional experience in this field and are looking to up-skill, enhance or broaden your professional qualifications. It is also suitable if you are seeking a career change and have successfully completed an undergraduate degree from another discipline.

Units in the course may include assessment hurdle requirements.

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Professional recognition

The Master of Planning (Professional) has professional accreditation from the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA).

Fees and charges

Fee Paying Place - International (IFP)
A Fee Paying Place is one for which the University does not receive any government funding. As such, students enrolled in these places are required to contribute the full cost of their course.

Fees for international students apply to persons living in Australia with Temporary Resident status (provided that there is no limitation on study) and persons living abroad who are not Australian citizens and do not have Permanent Resident status in Australia.

Equivalent Full-Time Student Load (EFTSL)
EFTSL is the standard annual full time load. Eight credit points is the standard full-time-load for one year of study.

* The 'indicative annual course fee' cited has been provided as a guide only. It has been calculated on the basis of a typical enrolment of a student undertaking the course in 2014, and reflects the cost involved in undertaking a full-time quota of units within the specified discipline.

The actual fees charged by Deakin University will depend upon the discipline from which each individual unit is chosen, and may vary from the indicative course fee cited, particularly if units are chosen from a number of disciplines. The cost of each unit offered in 2014 can be viewed from the Unit Search.

Please note that the fees per unit/credit point may increase annually due to rises in the cost of course delivery and service.

Deakin assumes no responsibility for persons relying on 'indicative annual course fees' to calculate the total future cost of their course.

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Career opportunities

There is a critical shortage of skilled, qualified and experienced practitioners, especially in rural and regional areas, who are able to plan, design, and manage sustainable social and urban change. Due to the immense change in the planning and design industry, government and professional bodies are increasingly calling for graduate programs which address this complex array of changes in an integrated way.

The Master of Planning (Professional) can provide you with the skills that will enable you to work across diverse sectors of the planning industry, with the potential to find employment in all aspects of the built environment within the public and private sectors.

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Course rules

To qualify for the award of Master of Planning (Professional), you must successfully complete 16 credit points from the units listed below.

• 9 core units (10 credit points); and
• 6 credit points of elective units

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Specialisations

Students may choose to:

• customise their own suite of electives by individually selecting all of their elective options from the following list of units on offer, or
• streamline their course by focusing on one of the six specialisms below, each comprising four prescribed electives, and selecting the remaining electives from the other units on offer.

Specialisations are available in the following areas:

Urban Design (S)
Urban Change Brokering (X)
Healthy Cities (B)
Cultural Heritage (X)
Public Policy and Governance (X)
Environmental Management (X)

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Course structure

Trimester 1

Trimester 2

Trimester 3

Non-Discipline based Electives:

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Entry requirements - general

Deakin University offers admission to postgraduate courses through a number of admission categories.

In all categories of admission, selection is based primarily on academic merit as indicated by an applicant's previous academic record.

For more information on the Deakin Admissions Policy please visit The Guide.

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Entry requirements - specific

Applicants will normally have successfully completed an approved bachelors level degree (or equivalent) in a related or non-related area, comprising at least three years of study. Alternative admission criteria includes demonstrable professional experience, comprising at least five years of documented experience in a planning or an equivalent role.

Closing dates

Applications must be made directly to the university through the Applicant Portal referring to closing dates for applications as dates for particular courses may vary.

Your faculty may require further information from you when submitting your application. Please refer to the faculty information website for further details.

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Credit for prior learning - general

If you have completed previous studies which you believe may reduce the number of units you have to complete at Deakin, indicate that you wish to be considered for credit for prior learning in your application. You will need to provide a certified copy of your previous course details so your credit can be determined. If you are eligible, your offer letter will then contain information about your credit for prior learning.
Your credit for prior learning is formally approved prior to your enrolment at Deakin during the Enrolment and Orientation Program. You must bring original documents relating to your previous study so that this approval can occur.

You can also refer to the Credit for Prior Learning System which outlines the credit that may be granted towards a Deakin University degree.

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How to apply

• Applicant Portal: Use our online application system to submit and track your application now OR
• Apply through a Deakin International office: Fill out an application form and submit it to a Deakin International office OR
• Apply through a Deakin representative: Take your application form to your preferred agent for assistance.

Tracking your application
If you have already applied and wish to enquire about your application please refer to the relevant area through which you originally applied.

• If you applied through a Deakin representative please contact your representative.
• If you applied through a Deakin International office please contact deakin-int-admissions@deakin.edu.au

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Alternate exits