This course is accredited by both the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The curriculum for the first three years is the same as our BA (Hons) Urban and Regional Planning, during which you will consider the issues faced by professionals in dealing with the planning and management of all aspects of our built and natural environments. The fourth year of study is at master's level and provides professional training in planning. An overseas field trip offers a unique opportunity for you to experience planning challenges in an international context. You will also take part in a client-based project where you will work in a small group on a real-life project, interpreting the brief, carrying out the investigations and reporting directly to an external client. The MPLAN satisfies the spatial planning curricula for initial qualification with the RTPI and the RICS Planning and Development pathway. Manchester is a great place to study planning; it was the world's first industrial city and is now a vibrant 21st century metropolis. It is a place of major urban change with plenty of scope to explore urban development pressures and environmental impact. In contrast, Manchester is surrounded by a wide variety of rural environments, including three spectacular national parks and varied environmental initiatives. Effective planning and environmental management is crucial in an age when governments and societies all over the world are struggling to deliver sustainable development. Understanding and engaging with the problems facing the communities and places in which we live is at the heart of planning, environmental management and real estate at Manchester. Our teaching covers a wide range of contemporary topics, including: sustainable development; urban regeneration; sustainable cities; urban design; real estate; communities; planning; and environmental assessment and management. In addition, optional units can be taken from across the University, including languages, to broaden your studies further. As our planning and environmental management undergraduate degrees share many common course units in the first year, you are normally permitted to transfer onto a different degree in this portfolio at the end of your first year should you find one area of study particularly interesting. You can also choose to exit the MPLAN after three years with a BA (Hons) Urban and Regional Planning. Formal assessment is, of course, an integral part of all university degree programmes. Each method used is carefully selected to be appropriate to the knowledge and skills we are looking for each student to demonstrate. There is a strong emphasis on coursework and continuous assessment, and less than half of the total assessment consists of formal written examinations in traditional essay formats. Coursework takes a variety of forms, from essays and reports to posters, oral presentations, team promotions and project demonstrations (sometimes to practising professionals). All coursework submissions are assessed, and feedback is given to every student on formal feedback sheets.