The Master of Planning with Professional Placement is a five-year enhanced undergraduate degree, which gives you real-world experience and key employability skills, and is fully accredited by both the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The curriculum of Years 1, 2and 4 are the same as our BSc (Hons) Planning and Real Estate, in which you will consider the issues faced by professionals in dealing with the planning, development and management of all aspects of our built and natural environments. In your third year, you will normally embark on a paid work placement with an organisation in the UK working in the field of planning or real estate. Excitingly, you could be enhancing your employability by working for a private consultancy delivering large-scale developments or in local government helping to create more liveable communities. You have the option to switch between the courses with and without the one-year professional placement before the end of your first year of your study. The fifth year of study is at taught master's level and provides professional training in planning, serving as a fast-track to your future career. You always have the option to switch between the degree programmes with the final integrated master's year so you can transfer on or off the five-year programme at any point during your studies. Effective planning, development and management of our cities, towns and natural environment is crucial in an age when governments and societies all over the world are struggling to deliver sustainable development. Understanding and engaging with the opportunities and challenges facing the communities and places in which we live, work and play is at the heart of what we do in the Department of Planning, Property and Environmental Management at The University of Manchester. The integrated Master of Planning with Professional Placement satisfies the spatial planning curricula for the RTPI and is therefore the fastest route to Licentiate Membership, which is highly valued by employers. The degree is also dual accredited, as it is recognised by the RICS Planning and Development and Commercial Real Estate and Valuation pathways. Manchester is a great place to study planning. It is a major UK city undergoing rapid urban change, which provides an ideal base for exploring urban development pressures and how these shape economic, social and environmental futures. Developing an appreciation of the interaction of people, the economy, and the politics of development are central to this process and your studies in Manchester. The city is also ideally placed for you to learn about a wide variety of rural environments which have significant implications for planning and development, including three spectacular National Parks, areas of intensive farming and impressive coastlines.