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Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning (Honours) (BURP) - BUrbRegPlan

QTAC code (Australian and New Zealand applicants): Toowoomba campus: 907241; External: 907245

CRICOS code (International applicants): 098374D

 On-campusExternal~
Start:Semester 1 (February)
Semester 2 (July)
Semester 1 (February)
Semester 2 (July)
Campus:Toowoomba -
Fees:Commonwealth supported place
Domestic full fee paying place
International full fee paying place
Commonwealth supported place
Domestic full fee paying place
International full fee paying place
Standard duration:4 years full-time, 8 years part-time 
Program articulation:

From: Associate Degree of Spatial Science

Footnotes
~Students enrolled in the external mode of study should note that there are mandatory on-campus residential schools held at UniSQ Toowoomba and UniSQ Springfield for some courses in this program.

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Contact us

Future Australian and New Zealand students  Future International students  Current students 

Freecall (within Australia): 1800 269 500
Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 5315
Email: study@usq.edu.au  

Phone: +61 7 4631 5543
Email: international@usq.edu.au 

Freecall (within Australia): 1800 007 252
Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 2285
Email usq.support@usq.edu.au 

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Professional accreditation

The Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning (Honours) is accredited by the Planning Institute of Australia and graduates may seek Planner registration with the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA).

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Program aims

The Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning (Honours) program provides students with the educational requirements to become a professional planner and the ability to undertake postgraduate studies. The program equips students with a core of theoretical, scientific, analytical, managerial, professional, research and communication skills that will permit them to undertake an in-depth study of the fundamental science and practice of Urban and Regional Planning. The program provides students with sufficient knowledge of urban and regional planning to be eligible to gain employment, certification and, where appropriate, registration as a professional planner.

In addition, students obtain knowledge of the natural, legal, commercial, industrial and social environments in which they will function as professionals. The program instils in students the need for continuing professional development and is designed to identify, and award honours to, students who have the capacity to undertake study at an advanced level and to make an original contribution to the fundamental science and practice of urban and regional planning. The class of honours will be determined by academic performance. Refer to the Honours section of this entry for further details.

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Program objectives

A student who successfully completes the Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning (Honours) should be able to:

  • review and apply theories, concepts, methods and technologies, with initiative and judgement, to a range of diverse contexts associated with urban and regional planning

  • critically analyse, consolidate, synthesise and evaluate information to generate innovative and sustainable solutions to solve complex Urban and Regional planning problems

  • apply advanced technical and cognitive skills to design, collect, store and manipulate research data

  • accept responsibility for own learning and autonomously apply well-informed judgements regarding professional practices, theories and processes

  • employ a range of advanced oral and written communication skills to clearly and coherently communicate concepts, information and ideas to relevant stakeholders

  • consistently apply academic norms and ethical standards to decision making processes when working collaboratively in a professional capacity.


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Australian Qualifications Framework

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a single national, comprehensive system of qualifications offered by higher education institutions (including universities), vocational education and training institutions and secondary schools. Each AQF qualification has a set of descriptors which define the type and complexity of knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills that a graduate who has been awarded that qualification has attained, and the typical volume of learning associated with that qualification type.

This program is at AQF Qualification Level 08. Graduates at this level will have advanced knowledge and skills for professional or highly skilled work and/or further learning.

The full set of levels criteria and qualification type descriptors can be found by visiting .

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Program Information Set

View UniSQ’s admission criteria, student profiles and a summary of all offers made under via the QTAC website.

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Admission requirements

To be eligible for admission, applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

  • Have achieved a minimum Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 65.6, or equivalent qualification.^
  • Subject Pre-requisite: English (Units 3 & 4, C).

  • English Language Proficiency requirements for Category 2.


Applicants are advised to also address the following:

  • expectations: General Mathematics


All students are required to satisfy the applicable .

If students do not meet the English language requirements they may apply to study a ¾«¶«´«Ã½app-approved . On successful completion of the English language program, students may be admitted to an award program.

^

These are determined by the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app for specific programs each Semester. The 2021 ATAR and tertiary entrance ranks are based on agreed QTAC schedules which assess formal study at Year 12 or , tertiary, preparatory, professional or vocational qualifications or work experience, as detailed in the QTAC Assessment of Qualifications Manual and QTAC Assessor Guidelines.

Adjustment factors may help you get into the program of your choice by increasing your entrance rank. The additional points don't apply to all applicants or all programs. Please read the information about UniSQ's carefully to find out what you may be eligible for.

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Program fees

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth supported place is where the Australian Government makes a contribution towards the cost of a students' higher education and students pay a , which varies depending on the courses undertaken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

Commonwealth Supported students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called .

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the

Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called provided they meet the residency and citizenship requirements.

Australian citizens, Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who will be resident outside Australia for the duration of their program pay full tuition fees and are not eligible for .

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

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Program structure

The Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning (Honours) is a 32-unit program comprising academic courses plus Practice courses.

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Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 10 years to complete this program.

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Electives/Approved courses

Approved courses are part of the Academic program and students must select approved courses from a specified list.

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Practice courses

The majority of the practical and professional experience requirements for the program are contained within the major recommended enrolment pattern in the following table. These are zero unit courses, which are a compulsory part of the program, however they do not attract a student contribution charge for Australian Residents or a tuition fee for international students.

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Practical experience

Practical experience is desirable and encouraged but is not required for the completion of the Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning (Honours) program. Students are encouraged to obtain practical experience during vacation periods.

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IT requirements

Access to an up-to-date computer is necessary. On-campus students can access appropriately equipped laboratories, but should consider acquisition of their own computer. External students should be able to access a computer with the following as advised by the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app. All students should have access to email and the Internet via a computer running the latest versions of Internet web browsers such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. The ¾«¶«´«Ã½app has a wireless network for on-campus students' computers. In order to take advantage of this facility and further enhance their on-campus learning environment, students should consider purchasing a notebook/laptop computer with wireless connectivity. Specialist software is required for some courses.

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Residential schools

The attendance requirement of residential schools within this degree is indicated by the following letters: R = Recommended; HR = Highly Recommended; M = Mandatory. To find out more about , visit the to view specific dates for your degree, or visit the .

Students are required to undertake practical and professional activities relevant to their program through enrolment in a series of Practice courses in the program. Practice courses are zero unit courses that may be undertaken in either on-campus or external mode and the final grades available are Pass (P)/Fail (F) only. They are a compulsory part of the program and do not attract a student contribution charge for Australian residents or a tuition fee for international students. The recommended enrolment schedule for Practice courses is shown in the Recommended Enrolment Pattern for the program in this Handbook.

External students must attend a number of during their program to obtain experience in practical and professional activities appropriate to the program. The residential schools are included in Practice courses which are conducted in Semester 3 or during the recess periods. The dates for each residential school Practice course are shown in the in this Handbook and external students should ensure they are able to attend the residential school prior to enrolling in a Practice course. Personal protective equipment is compulsory in many engineering, construction and spatial science laboratories, students should confirm the requirements before attending residential schools for Practice courses.

Students who enrol in on-campus mode for Practice courses normally undertake a series of weekly activities and/or attend a compulsory residential school.


~The for PSG3900 and PSG4900 will be held at the Springfield Campus.

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Exit points

Students who, for whatever reason, are unable to complete the Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning (Honours) and who satisfy all of the requirements of the Associate Degree of Spatial Science may be permitted to exit with that award.

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Credit

Exemptions/credit will be assessed based on the .

Work Experience

Work and industrial experience that has not been formally assessed, does not normally qualify for course credit in the Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning (Honours) program.

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Honours

The level of honours awarded will be determined based on the UniSQ procedure. Please refer to the , using Schedule B for overall GPA and EITHER: the average grade across both PSG4111 Research Project A and PSG4112 Research Project B; OR the grade in PSG4112 Research Project B alone (whichever is the higher) to satisfy the ‘Performance in honours project component’.

Recommended enrolment pattern

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Recommended enrolment pattern

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

To satisfy the requirements of the program students must complete all of the Academic and Practice courses in the following table that shows the recommended enrolment patterns for on-campus and external students for our Toowoomba campus. Students following a non-standard enrolment pattern should consult the to ascertain if a course is offered in another term.


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedResidential schoolEnrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem

Year 1, Semester 1

Academic Courses

     ANT1001 Cultural Diversity: an Introduction to Anthropology111,3
     GIS1402 Geographic Information Systems111
     URP1001 Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning111
     ENG1003 Problem Solving in Engineering and the Built Environment111,2

Year 1, Semester 2

     GIS1401 Geographic Data Presentation122
     ENG1002 Introduction to Engineering and Built Environment Applications121,2
     LAW1500 Introduction to Business and Company Law122Pre-requisite: Students enrolled in one of the following Programs: LLBP or BLAW or BABL or BALW or BBBL or BBLA or BCLA or BCLW are not eligible for enrolment Enrolment is not permitted in LAW1500 if LAW1101 has been previously completed
     URP2002 Local Government Planning Practice and Technology@122

Year 2, Semester 1

Academic Courses

     ENV2201 Land Studies211
     ECO1000 Economics21,21,2,3
     PRL2002 Community Consultation and Development211
     URP2001 Planning Structures and Statutory Planning@211

Year 2, Semester 2

     STA2100 Evaluating Information@222Enrolment is not permitted in STA2100 if STA3100 has been previously completed.
     SVY1110 Introduction to Global Positioning System222
     URP3201 Sustainable Urban Design and Development222
     Approved course (Select from the approved course list)222

Practice Courses Year 2

     GPL2901 GIS and Planning Practice 123MPre-requisite: (GIS1401 and GIS1402) or (URP2001) or (Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCNS or GDNS or MENS)
     GPL3902 GIS and Planning Practice 223MPre-requisite: (GIS1402 or URP2001) Pre-requisite or Co-requisite: GPL2901

Year 3, Semester 1

Academic Courses

     SVY3202 Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing311
     CMG1001 Introduction to Construction Management and the Built Environment##311
     CLI3301 Climate and Environment Risk Assessment31
     Approved course (Select from the approved course list)311

Year 3, Semester 2

     REN3302 Sustainable Resource Use322
     URP4001 Movement Network Planning@322Pre-requisite: URP1001 or SVY4203 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BENH or MEPR
     URP3200 Regional planning@3232Pre-requisite: URP1001
     ENG4110 Engineering Research Methodology322

Practice courses Year 3

     PSG3900 Professional Week 1~2MPre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BSPS or BSPH or BURP

Year 4, Semester 1

Academic Courses

     SVY4309 Practice Management for Spatial Scientists@411
     URP4002 Urban and Regional Planning Theory@411Pre-requisite: URP1001 or URP3201 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GDST or MSPT or GCNS or GDNS or MENS or GCBU or MPPM
     Approved course (Select from the approved course list)411
     PSG4111 Research Project A^+1Pre-requisite: (PSG3900 or ENG3902) and ENG4110 and Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BSPS or BSPH or BURP. Students must complete PSG4111 and PSG4112 in the same year.

Year 4, Semester 2

     Approved Course (Select from the Approved Course list)422
     SVY3302 Property Valuation and Development†422
     GIS4407 Web Based Geographic Information System422Pre-requisite: GIS1402 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: GCST or GDST or MSST or MSPT or GCNS or GDNS or MENS
     PSG4112 Research Project B^++2Pre-requisite: PSG4111 and Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BSPS or BSPH or BURP. Students must complete PSG4111 and PSG4112 in the same year.

Practice Courses Year 4

     PSG4900 Professional Week 2~2MPre-requisite: (PSG3900 or ENG3902) and Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BSPS or BSPH or BURP. Students cannot enrol in PSG3900 and PSG4900 in the same semester.

Approved Courses (Select 4 courses from the following)

     ACC1101 Accounting for Decision-Making1,21,2,3
     ANT3006 Indigenous Peoples in the Nation*22
     AGR3304 Soil Science11
     ECO3030 Sustainable Economies11
     ECO2000 The Macro-economy and Business2
     LAW2107 Environmental Law##11Co-requisite: LAW1101 or LAW1500 or ENG2002 or REN1201 or (Students enrolled in BEDU (Legal Studies) or BLAW or LLBP or BALW or BBLA or BCLA or BCLW & Co-requisite LAW1201 or LAW1111) or (Students enrolled in DJUR & Co-requisite LAW5501 or LAW5111)
     CLI3302 Adaptation to Climate Change2
     GIS3405 Spatial Analysis and Modelling22
     GIS3406 Remote Sensing and Image Processing22
     MGT1000 Organisational Behaviour11,2,3
     PRL3004 Organisational Communication and Culture2
     SVY1102 Surveying A11
     SVY4304 Land and Cadastral Law@22

Footnotes
@Unavailable in on-campus mode in 2022
##Only available in on-campus mode at Springfield.
~The for PSG3900 and PSG4900 will be held at the Springfield Campus.
^It is recommended that these courses are undertaken in the same academic year.
+It is recommended that students should have completed PSG3900 prior to undertaking this course.
†Unavailable in on-campus mode at Toowoomba in S2 2022
++It is recommended that students should also be enrolled PSG4900 while undertaking this course.
*This course is offered in odd years only.

Notes

For students transferring from one program to another a complete list of enrolment requirements are available in the .
Students may undertake only one appropriate level five or level eight course from this program or another program in the area of Engineering and Built Environment as an approved course with the approval of the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences.