BSc (Hons) Planning and Real Estate Bachelor's degree at the University of Manchester
BSc (Hons) Planning and Real Estate at University of Manchester. Planning and Real Estate at the University of Manchester brings together the shaping of cities and the workings of property markets, with a distinct social dimension running through the teaching.
About this course
Study BSc Planning and Real Estate at a top-ranked UK university. Explore urban development and property markets with a social focus. From the provider’s course page.
BSc (Hons) Planning and Real Estate is a Bachelor's degree (BSc (Hons)) at the University of Manchester, based in Main Campus. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Planning (urban, rural and regional) graduates from this provider, 100% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 90% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £28,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Building & Construction, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Limited evidence Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 100% (2021-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 95% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 8 modules
- Designing Sustainable Futures20 credits
- Introduction to Planning and Development20 credits
- GIS & Digital Tools for Decision Making20 credits
- Introduction to Real Estate20 credits
- Introduction to Urban and Environmental Economics20 credits
- Rural PlanningOptional10 credits
- Principles of Real Estate LawOptional10 credits
- Place-makingOptional10 credits
Year 2 10 modules
- Sustainable Development Project20 credits
- Applied Research for Planning and Real Estate20 credits
- Plan Making & the Development Process20 credits
- Policy for Cities and Regions10 credits
- Valuation & Appraisal20 credits
- Data Analytics for Planning & Real Estate10 credits
- Professional PlacementOptional20 credits
- Professional Placement (10 credits)Optional10 credits
- Environmental Planning and AssessmentOptional20 credits
- Strategic Real Estate ManagementOptional20 credits
Year 3 8 modules
- Dissertation (UG)40 credits
- Planning & Property Law20 credits
- Urban Theory, Planning Theory and Professional Values20 credits
- Housing, Planning & Development20 credits
- Real Estate Investment & FinanceOptional20 credits
- Future CitiesOptional20 credits
- Rewilding: Principles and PracticeOptional20 credits
- Planning for Nature RecoveryOptional20 credits
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
The three-year, full-time programme is structured to build understanding gradually, moving from foundational ideas through to independent enquiry. You'll cover areas such as core theory, research and methods, applied practice, specialist options, an independent project, and professional skills. Core theory introduces the principles underpinning planning systems and real estate markets, while research and methods teaches you how to gather and interpret evidence about places, markets and policy. Applied practice puts this learning into context through realistic scenarios and casework, and specialist options let you shape the degree towards the areas of planning or real estate that interest you most. The independent project, usually undertaken later in the course, gives you the chance to investigate a question of your own choosing in depth, while professional skills modules run throughout to prepare you for the expectations of chartered practice. Teaching takes place on Manchester's main campus, entirely in English, and the accreditation from RTPI and RICS means the curriculum is designed with professional competency requirements in mind from the outset.
Who it's for
This course suits someone who is curious about how towns and cities actually get built and changed, who notices new developments, wonders who decided what goes where, and wants to understand the reasoning behind planning decisions as well as the financial logic that drives property markets. You might be someone who enjoys both analytical and people-focused thinking: comfortable with data, policy documents and market figures, but equally interested in the social consequences of development decisions. A good fit here is someone who likes working on real, sometimes messy problems rather than abstract theory alone, and who is happy debating trade-offs between commercial viability and community need. Studying this degree will feel like moving between disciplines regularly, from legal and regulatory frameworks to investment appraisal, from case studies of real places to your own independent research. It suits students who want to keep their career options open across both planning and real estate professions, rather than committing to one narrow path from day one, and who are motivated by the idea of working towards chartered professional status.
Careers & job market
Graduates from Building & Construction courses nationally report strong progression into work or further study: 90% are in work or further study 15 months after graduating, and 85% of those in work are in highly skilled roles. Nationally, graduates in this field report starting salaries (measured 15 months after graduation) of between £27,500 and £35,000, rising to a range of £25,925–£36,600 after three years and £32,300–£45,600 after five years, figures drawn from national Graduate Outcomes and LEO data rather than specific to this course or university, and not a guarantee of individual outcomes. The dual accreditation from RTPI and RICS is particularly relevant here, as it supports progression towards chartered status in either the planning or real estate professions, potentially widening the range of roles graduates can pursue across both the public and private sectors of the built environment.
University & format
The University of Manchester is a Russell Group university, founded in 1824, and is. It received a Silver rating in the Office for Students' TEF 2023 for teaching quality. This BSc (Hons) is a three-year, full-time course delivered in English on the university's main campus. Most accepted students previously held A-levels or equivalent (85% of entrants in recent years), with the most common UCAS tariff band among accepted students being 144–159 points; this reflects typical entrant profiles rather than a fixed entry requirement. Around 85% of students continue past their first year, either still enrolled or having completed their studies.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
The provider publishes contextual-offer information. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Names detected beside accreditation or recognition copy on the provider course page; verify the route and intake.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 85% |
| a foundation course | 15% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students typically held strong UCAS tariffs. Check how your predicted grades compare and whether a contextual offer applies.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course. One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at University of Manchester →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Building & Construction graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £28,000 | £25,000 – £31,000 | 10 |
| 3 years after | £27,000 | £22,000 – £32,500 | 50 |
| 5 years after | £38,000 | £29,000 – £47,000 | 50 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in building & construction · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Building & Construction nationally
National figures for Building & Construction graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2021-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2021-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Building & Construction courses at the same study level.
Compared with 261 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Architects, Chartered Architectural Technologists, Planning Officers, Surveyors and Construction ProfessionalsSOC 2020 245 · 65% of published destinations · ASHE median £45,972
- Business and public service associate professionalsSOC 2020 35 · 25% of published destinations · ASHE median £38,760
- Managers, directors and senior officialsSOC 2020 1 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £51,733
- Finance ProfessionalsSOC 2020 242 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £47,173
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 35; response rate: 65%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Building & Construction graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Building & Construction graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Construction firms
- Surveying practices
- Property developers
- Local authorities
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Building & Construction graduates.
Building SurveyorAltura SearchBuilding EstimatorBuilding Careers UK LtdBuilding Regulations Principal DesignerWe Recruit Group LtdBuilding SurveyorBennett and Game Recruitment LTDBuilding Regulations Principal DesignerCarrieraBuilding Services EngineerBowdon Associates LtdIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
100% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £28,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 9.3 out of 10: NSS 84.1% · in work or study 100% · continued 95%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Manchester
Architecture, building and planning across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Main Campus
3 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Building & Construction right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to University of Manchester from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £30,500 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check University of Manchester’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with University of Manchester and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at University of Manchester
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
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