MA Urban Design
- Entry year:
- 2026/27
- Start date:
- September
- Study mode:
- Full-time
- Course duration:
- 1 year
- Campus:
- Mount Pleasant
About this course
LJMU's Urban Design MA enables you to explore your creative potential to change the landscape of cities and urban spaces and our experience within them.
- Join a strong research-focussed academic community
- Develop your work in state-of-the-art workspaces and facilities within the RIBA award-winning John Lennon Art and Design Building
- 2025 Liverpool School of Art and Creative Industries (LSACI) MA online degree show
- Visit the School of Art and Creative Industries MA Microsite
In a world of rapidly rising and migrating urban populations, there is a palpable need for smarter, more inclusive approaches to city planning, adaptation and spatial design.
Study Urban Design in a resurgent, UNESCO recognised city of cultural significance and advance your skills to create spaces that solve modern problems in cross-cultural contexts. This programme has strong links with the RIBA North and the Liverpool Biennial which, every two years, delivers an international programme of exhibitions and projects that lead to a rediscovery of the city.
The programme is nourished by LSACI's burgeoning research in Urbanism and close association with the University's European Institute for Urban Affairs.
The curriculum has creative place-making at its core and we welcome applicants from a variety of educational and professional backgrounds such as architecture, planning, landscape architecture, art and spatial design.
Course modules
Discover the building blocks of your programme
Further guidance on modules
Modules are designated core or optional in accordance with professional body requirements, as applicable, and LJMU’s Academic Framework Regulations. Whilst you are required to study core modules, optional modules provide you with an element of choice. Their availability may vary and will be subject to meeting minimum student numbers.
Where changes to modules are necessary these will be communicated as appropriate.
Core modules
Final Major Project - Urban Design
60 credits
60 credits
This module guides students in creating a self-directed and substantial project aligned with their interests, improving their project management, critical engagement, and communication skills. The final body of work varies from a design proposal accompanied by a report presenting the project's developmental and analytical stages or a dissertation.
Sustainable Urban Design: the evaluation and reflective development of sustainable communities
30 credits
30 credits
This module provides students with an understanding of sustainable design principles and objectives, and why they matter. You will explore a range of contemporary best-practice case studies of sustainable urban design in an international context.
Theory and Research 1: theoretical studies and research methods
30 credits
30 credits
Urban Design 1: creative urbanism and regeneration within an analytical and theoretical context
30 credits
30 credits
Practice and Legislation: understanding the designer's role in the contemporary built environment
30 credits
30 credits
You will explore three main themes:
Ethical & Professional Practice: acquiring professional and communication skills to ensure projects are delivered with integrity and accountability within global, national, and professional climate targets
Health & Life Safety: demonstrating authoritative knowledge of statutory frameworks to safeguard the community and end user
Business Skills: developing capability in business skills relevant to working in practice and practice management
Your Learning Experience
An insight into teaching on your course
Study hours
The majority of contact time takes place on Tuesdays, with sessions on Fridays and the cross-school Collaborative Practice module sessions at the beginning of semester one. This module culminates in an exhibition of student work in April.
Teaching methods
Teaching is individually tailored to each student. Each week is divided between lectures, seminars, tutorials, studio supervisions and workshops.
Applied learning
LJMU academics bring real world experience to the programme, working with nationally recognised urban design practitioners, local authority planning and urban design departments and international academic partners on urban projects, public exhibitions and related publications. These interactions help to ensure that our curriculum is kept up-to-date and that you secure the knowledge and skills required to succeed professionally on graduation.
How learning is monitored on your programme
To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.
Assessment methods on this programme include: a major project proposal report, practical project work, a major project thesis and a personal development plan. You will also be assessed for the quality of your drawings and model making.
Where you will study
The programme is based in the Liverpool School of Art and Creative Industries' John Lennon Art and Design building, part of the Mount Pleasant Campus. This purpose-built facility in Liverpool city centre encourages interaction between different disciplines and the sharing of ideas and expertise.
Course tutors
Ian has taught architecture in Austria, Slovenia, Malaysia and Turkey and with collaborative partners from Sweden, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Portugal, Belgium and Greece. A registered and chartered architect, Ian worked for over 20 years in a range of multi-disciplinary practices before forming his own design company in 2001. Ian's research focuses on the analysis of cognition in the creative process. He is interested in: cognitive bias, judgement heuristics and the validity of commonly used design quality indicators. In recent years he has focused on the effective measurement and enhancement of processes and practices in the briefing, conceptual design and post occupancy evaluation stages of the building design process.
I enjoy all forms of studio-based teaching. My passion is project-based learning that brings a wide variety of knowledge and abilities into play to explore germane lines of intellectual and practical inquiry.
Postgraduate research opportunities
At LJMU, you can take the next step in your academic journey with a PhD or MPhil, available on a full-time or part-time basis. International students also have the option to study remotely.
- PhD duration: Up to 4 years full-time, or up to 7 years part-time
- Funding options: Choose between funded projects (with supervisors already in place) or self-funded study
Our Doctoral Academy is here to support you every step of the way—from your first enquiry through to successful completion—working closely with Schools, Faculties, and Professional Services.
For more details on postgraduate research and full details on how to apply, visit the Doctoral Academy website.
Career paths
Further your career prospects
LJMU has an excellent employability record with 97% of our postgraduates in work or further study fifteen months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2025). Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.
As a graduate of this programme, a number of career paths will be open to you. Most aligned with your formal education is the practice of urban design work in specialist agencies or public sector bodies. These roles consider how structures and systems function within existing landscapes and how they can be manipulated to offer the best living and working solutions.
Many graduates have successfully secured employment at world-class practices throughout the UK and further afield, while others have remained in
Liverpool contributing to its evolution by taking key roles in leading practices that have reshaped the city over the last decade.
For those interested in taking their learning to the next level, this programme also offers the opportunity to progress to PhD study and embark on a career teaching Urban Design.
Tuition fees and funding
- Fee:
- £9,340
Fees
The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as library membership and student IT support with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources including programme-appropriate software and on campus wifi.
Financial Support
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages. The University offers a range of financial support for students. You'll find all the information you need on our specialist financial support pages including details of the Student Support Fund and other activities to support with the cost of living.
Additional Costs
In addition to fees, students should also keep in mind the cost of:
- Accommodation
- Travel costs and field trips unless paid for by LJMU
- Stationery, IT equipment, professional body membership and graduation gown hire
- Full-time per year:
- £17,750
International Scholarships and payment plans
Liverpool John Moores University is committed to supporting international students by providing a range of scholarships and flexible payment plans to help students manage their tuition fees.
Scholarships
LJMU provides a variety of postgraduate scholarships to support international students. Scholarships are available to self-funded students who have accepted their offer and met all the conditions outlined in their offer letter. Students must also demonstrate that they can cover living costs, travel, and other expenses associated to studying at the university. Postgraduate scholarships include tuition fee reductions and are often offered in partnership with external funding organisations such as the British Council and Chevening.
All self-funded international students are eligible for an automatic scholarship worth up to £4,000. For more details and to view our full list of scholarships, visit the international scholarship webpages.
Deposit
All students must pay a £5,000 deposit before they can receive their CAS letter.
For more information view our deposit page.
Tuition Fee Payment Plan
After paying their £5,000 deposit, students have the option to pay their fees in full or in three equal instalments minus any internal scholarships and discounts. There are two payment options available for international students. You can either pay your tuition fees in full before enrolment or opt for a payment plan. With the payment plan, you can pay your fees in three instalments after making your £5,000 deposit. The first instalment is due before enrolment.
All payments should be made through Flywire. Full details can be found in the How to Pay Guide.
Entry requirements
You will need:
Qualification requirements
Undergraduate degree
- a 2:1 degree in a related discipline
Additional requirements
-
Interview required
- a portfolio of work to be presented at interview
Further information
-
Extra Requirements
- a sample digital portfolio submitted at the point of application
- a reference
- In exceptional circumstances applications by mature graphic designers, illustrators and artists or other relevant backgrounds without sufficient qualifications will be considered.
-
RPL
- RPL is accepted on this programme
International requirements
IELTS
- IELTS English language requirement: 6.0 with a minimum 5.5 in each component
Further information
-
Extra Requirements
- a sample digital portfolio submitted at the point of application
- a reference
- In exceptional circumstances applications by mature graphic designers, illustrators and artists or other relevant backgrounds without sufficient qualifications will be considered.
-
RPL
- RPL is accepted on this programme
Please Note: All international qualifications are subject to a qualification equivalency check.
How to apply
Securing your place at LJMU
To apply for this programme, you are required to complete an LJMU online application form. You will need to provide details of previous qualifications and a personal statement outlining why you wish to study this programme.
Your application should demonstrate that you have a sufficient level of knowledge to embark upon the programme (including the required linguistic competence) and complete it within the time limits.
You will need to provide evidence of your learning capability at interview stage. You will also need to demonstrate your commitment to a postgraduate programme of study.
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