Bachelor of Regional and Town Planning (BRTP)

What will I study?

Regional and town planning assists communities, companies and governments to integrate the environmental, economic and social aspects of development from site, up to regional scales. It covers land-use planning, urban design, transport and infrastructure planning, use and extension of information technology, heritage and conservation, resource management, environmental monitoring, planning law and practice, commercial and industrial development, and policy making and implementation.

Planning deals with strategic work (long-range planning) as well as structural and statutory components. The latter include the current development of the built and natural environments and the legislative framework controlling land use. Accordingly, planning is closely allied with commerce, economics, government, sociology and the ecology disciplines.

• Economics & Property - gain and extend your knowledge in the area of real estate and development.
• Environmental Processes & Management - develop your knowledge of physical landscapes and their processes, and how to manage them.
• Design Studies - develop and extend your knowledge of the design of the built environment, the concepts underpinning good urban design and the connections between the planning and architectural professions.
• Geographic Information Science - develop the technical skills required in planning for assessing and presenting development proposals/plans.
• Urban & Social - develop and extend your knowledge of the social aspects of planning.

Program Structure

 Full-time students can complete the BRTP in 4 years by passing 4 courses each semester. Each UQ course has a “unit value” with most courses worth 2 units (#2). To earn a BRTP, you must complete a total of #64 from BRTP list including all compulsory courses. Honours is available as part of the standard program. To undertake a Research Thesis in 4th year, a student will need to achieve a GPA of 5.5 over all year 1-3 courses. 

Course List

• View the course list for the Bachelor of Regional and Town Planning (BRTP)

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Students are required to complete all the compulsory courses. Electives can be grouped into a particular specialisation or can be chosen from different areas. When selecting electives, students take a maximum of 4 units of first year courses (courses that start with 1000).

Year 4

Please see the Honours Tab for further information.

Electives

Honours

Honours is regarded as a pivotal year in higher education, and possibly also in shaping future career directions. An honours degree is a valuable qualification, opening career opportunities not otherwise available to pass graduates. With its emphasis upon an independent, research-based thesis, this year presents an opportunity to develop further the various skills acquired in university undergraduate programs, and to demonstrate a student’s capacity to utilise these skills in a sustained, purposeful way. An honours degree provides tangible evidence that a person has something to offer beyond the average graduate.

• a demonstrated reliability and capacity for independent work, and
• evidence of skills for writing substantial reports.

• To enable students with an adequate background in Regional and Town Planning to pursue further study in one specialist area in more depth than is possible with a pass degree.
• To enhance student’s capacity for independent research, and to acquire research skills appropriate to their area of specialisation.
• To train to a standard sufficient for enrolment in postgraduate research degrees, and for a specialist career.

Further information about honours can be found here.

Program Coordinator

Professor John Minnery

Focus areas: Urban public policy, planning theory, planning history, housing, planning practice.

Location: Building 35, Room 511
Phone: 336-53880
E-mail: j.minnery@uq.edu.au

Careers

• Land-use planning
• Transport and infrastructure planning
• Urban design
• Regional development
• Commercial and industrial development
• Use and extension of information technology
• Resource management
• Heritage and conservation
• Environmental monitoring
• Planning law and practice
• Policy making and implementation
• Statutory or strategic planning
• Tourism
• Engineering and architectural applications