Planners can no longer rely on policy-focused approaches to re-frame contemporary and future cities. In this project-based urban planning and design course, recognised by the Planning Institute of Australia, you’ll work on projects based in real settings, addressing the challenges facing planners in the 21st century. The Master of Urban Planning and Design course offers an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach, engaging with the urban planning interests in the Department of Architecture as well as other research interests in Monash University, such as the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities, the Monash Sustainability Institute and the Monash Infrastructure Institute. The focus of the project studios is on understanding the impacts relating to the growth and transformation of cities – themes include the Compact City, the Ecological City, the Sprawling City and the Inclusive City. The cumulative project work is undertaken in groups and individually in the studio setting, and includes field visits, workshops, seminars and case study research. You’ll work with students from a range of disciplines and backgrounds, along with Australian and internationally experienced academics and practitioners committed to multidisciplinary research. The course is open to applicants from backgrounds as diverse as architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, economics and geography. On graduating you’ll be equipped to seek employment in government departments and agencies, and in planning practices in Australia and around the world.