Bachelor of Urban Planning (Honours)
Overview
Gain the knowledge and skills needed to help communities, companies and governments integrate the environmental, economic and social aspects of development, from site design to regional scale analysis.
This program is for high-achieving students who have completed the Bachelor of Urban Planning, and want to advance their study and undertake a research project.
You'll acquire the necessary skills to plan cities and regional towns, and study key areas of successful development. Topics include land use, transport, infrastructure and urban design. You'll also delve into real estate markets, investment, sustainability, community consultation and strategic long-term town planning.
You'll undertake projects that emphasise planning theory and design skills. Work with industry, government and community partners, and become involved in long-range planning and legislative frameworks for real-life developments.
UQ is known for producing high-quality, experienced honours graduates valued by employers for their breadth of knowledge, skills and ability to make environmentally, socially and economically sustainable decisions.
Program highlights
- Study a program fully accredited by the Planning Institute of Australia, and achieve a qualification that comes with professional recognition.
- Work on planning projects with industry partners throughout your program to gain hands-on experience putting theory into practice.
- Learn to balance the competing priorities for development with preservation of the natural environment in modern-day urban planning.
- Be highly regarded by employers for being future-focused and able to think outside the box.
How you'll learn
Your learning experiences are designed to best suit the learning outcomes of the courses you choose.
- Lectures
- Tutorials
- Work placements
- Overseas study
- Research experience
- Laboratory work
- Fieldwork
- Seminars
- Studios
- Workshops
What you'll study
At UQ, degrees are called 'programs' and subjects are called 'courses'. Here's a sample of the courses you could study in this program:
- Introduction to Planning
- Climate Change and Environmental Management
- Community Planning & Participation
- Advanced Planning Practice
Career possibilities
Our programs prepare you for your first job and beyond. Here are some of the careers you could be on your way to:
- Town planning and environment director
- City design coordinator
- Strategic planner
- Urban designer
- Consulting arborist
Graduate salary
Architecture & building (undergraduate)
compared.edu.au
Program accreditation
The Bachelor of Urban Planning (Honours) is accredited by:
- Planning Institute Of Australia
My lecturers in planning and design really forged my passion for planning at a macro level. The staff are genuinely interested in nurturing you to be the best planner you can be, and provide you with all the tools necessary to start you off.
There’s nothing better than driving around Brisbane and being able to point at the projects that you gained approval for, or seeing projects being built where you drafted the planning document that has facilitated that growth.
One of these best experiences during my time at UQ was taking part in a summer semester course in Vietnam. It was an exciting and enriching learning experience to be able to study at a Vietnamese university and experience the culture while working toward my degree.
My lecturers in planning and design really forged my passion for planning at a macro level. The staff are genuinely interested in nurturing you to be the best planner you can be, and provide you with all the tools necessary to start you off.
There’s nothing better than driving around Brisbane and being able to point at the projects that you gained approval for, or seeing projects being built where you drafted the planning document that has facilitated that growth.
One of these best experiences during my time at UQ was taking part in a summer semester course in Vietnam. It was an exciting and enriching learning experience to be able to study at a Vietnamese university and experience the culture while working toward my degree.
Events
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24 July
Engineering, Design and Computing Careers Evening
11 November
Postgraduate Geographic Information Science Info Webinar
Stories
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Study tips
5 must-study environment and sustainability courses
8-minute read
UQ people
Meet the expert: exploring regional and town planning with Stephanie Wyeth
5-minute read
Stories
See all storiesStudy tips
5 must-study environment and sustainability courses
8-minute read
UQ people
Meet the expert: exploring regional and town planning with Stephanie Wyeth
5-minute read
Study tips
Why choose UQ for environmental studies?
6-minute read
Entry requirements
Prerequisites
- have a GPA of 5.5 in courses that can be credited towards the BUPlan(Hons) program; or
- satisfied the head of school that the person is qualified to undertake honours.
Prerequisites
- have a GPA of 5.5 in courses that can be credited towards the BUPlan(Hons) program; or
- satisfied the head of school that the person is qualified to undertake honours.
English language requirements
IELTS overall 6.5; reading 6; writing 6; speaking 6; listening 6. For other English Language Proficiency Tests and Scores approved for UQ
TOEFL iBT (including Paper Edition) - Overall 87, listening 19, reading 19, writing 21 and speaking 19.
PTE Academic - Overall Score of 64 and 60 in all sub bands.
BE - A minimum overall grade of 4 plus a minimum grade of C in all macro skills.
CES - Overall 176 and 169 in all sub bands.
OET is not accepted.
There are other ways to meet the English language requirements. For some programs, additional conditions apply.
Student visas
The University has applied for CRICOS registration for this program.
International students will be eligible to apply for an Australian Student visa (subclass 500) if the application is approved.
Need help meeting the entry requirements?
Fees and Scholarships
Indicative annual fee
Approximate yearly cost of tuition (16 units). Your fees will vary according to your selected courses and study load. Fees are reviewed each year and may increase.
$10,980
2026
$10,980
2026
Approximate yearly cost of tuition (16 units). Your fees will vary according to your study load. Fees are reviewed each year and may increase.
Fee information for this program is not yet available.
Fee information for this program is not yet available.
Government assistance
Financial aid
As an international student, you might be eligible for financial aid – either from your home country, or from the Australian Government.
HECS-HELP
Domestic places in the Bachelor of Urban Planning (Honours) are Commonwealth supported. This means the cost of your education is shared between you and the Australian Government.
Instead of tuition fees, Commonwealth supported students pay what are called student contribution amounts.
HECS-HELP is an Australian Government loan scheme to assist eligible students with the cost of their student contribution amounts.
Centrelink support
The Australian Government offers a number of income-support payments to eligible Australian university students.
Scholarships
You may be eligible for more than 100 scholarships, including:
How to apply
Applying online
If your senior schooling is from outside Australia, you can submit your application to UQ. Or, if you prefer, you can use an approved UQ agent in your country.
The program code for the Bachelor of Urban Planning (Honours) is 2553.
Find out more about applying for undergraduate study
The University has applied for CRICOS registration for this program.
International students will be eligible to apply if the application is approved.
Revisit this page daily to check if applications are open.
If your senior schooling is from Australia
Submit your application to the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre if you're an international student who is currently studying:
- Australian Year 12 (in Australia or another country), or
- the International Baccalaureate in Australia.
The QTAC code for the Bachelor of Urban Planning (Honours) is .
Find out more about applying for undergraduate study
Applying online
You can transfer into this honours program at the end of your third year in the Bachelor of Urban Planning. Submit a program change request in mySI-net.
Important dates
If you’re studying Year 12 in Australia, go to the QTAC website to check the closing date for this program.
If you’re applying to UQ, the closing date for this program is:
- To commence study in semester 2 - May 31 of the year of commencement.
- To commence study in semester 1 - November 30 of the previous year.
Visa processing times vary. Apply and accept your offer as early as you can.
To learn more about UQ dates, including semester start dates, view the Academic Calendar.
Admissions schemes
Applying to university can be both exciting and daunting, which is why we’ve tried to make the process as simple as we can.
We have several schemes in place to improve your chances of getting a place at UQ.
Pathway options
A rank or score doesn’t determine your potential.
If you're not offered a place in your first-choice program – or if you don't meet the entry requirements – you still have a number of options.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants
For support with applying – or if you have any questions about university life – get in touch with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit.
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