My motivation for Postgraduate study was to equip myself for a career that was more tailored toward my interests. Although my undergraduate course instilled a passion for learning in me and gave me many transferrable skills, I felt that my true interests lay more in planning. Postgraduate study provides me with a thorough introduction to the Planning profession whilst also enabling me to study specific topics that are of enormous interest to me.

The best thing about my course is that it is very much related to contemporary planning issues with the fact that the course is accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute. Not only does it benefit from having professional accreditation but this also means that students can also hear from practitioners from different planning backgrounds, whether this be in the private or public sector. Moreover, the lecturers provide lots of relevant planning documents and studies that are likely to come up later in your career. Also, the fact that the students come from a variety of undergraduate backgrounds, and that some are working in the field, means that there is a variety of opinions and approaches that students are coming from.

For anyone considering postgraduate study in my field, I would recommend having time before embarking on the course to read books about urbanism and the planning profession. This can just be about setting time aside to start to delve into the literature surrounding urban planning theories, just to introduce to yourself the ideas that are likely to be spoken about in the course. Also, this confirms to you that you are doing the right course. Finally, it is important not to feel intimidated if you have not studied geography or a planning-related degree for your undergraduate study. Topics are taught assuming that you have little prior knowledge of the ideas and encourages original, critical thinking. An eagerness to learn and a willingness to come up with ideas are really encouraged.