The universities of Leeds Beckett, Sheffield Hallam and Sheffield and the Royal Town Planning Institute’s Yorkshire branch will co-fund three bursaries to encourage more students to study planning at Masters level.
These bursaries are part of the Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) Future Planners Bursary Scheme, which are co-funded by the RTPI and the participating university, and sponsored by a number of leading employers of planning graduates. There are currently over 30 bursaries funded at over 20 universities.
Each bursary is worth £1000 and is designed to encourage more students, particularly from related subjects such as law and geography, to study planning at Masters level.
Students starting on RTPI fully accredited Masters in 2015 may be eligible for a bursary if they have a first or upper second degree at undergraduate level in any discipline and demonstrate an interest in planning and a career in planning.
A recent survey by the Higher Education Statistics Agency revealed that 71.3% of architecture, planning and building graduates find work within six months of graduating, making it the fourth most successful degree subject for finding work after completion.
Jennifer Winyard, Chair of RTPI Yorkshire said:
“With rising demand for chartered planners, there has never been a better time to study planning. I’m pleased RTPI Yorkshire and these universities have agreed to fund these bursaries which will encourage high quality graduates to study planning at Leeds Beckett, Sheffield Hallam and University of Sheffield.”
UK Housing and Planning Minister Brandon Lewis said:
“Planning is a hugely important area, spanning from protecting our heritage buildings and wonderful countryside, to providing for current and future housing and business needs, supporting growth and promoting great design. Right across the country planners work at the cutting edge of shaping how the country will look in future. This is why we need to keep encouraging talent into the planning profession, which can only ever be as good as the people who work in it. I warmly welcome the RTPI’s introduction of their bursary scheme, which will draw some of the best and brightest graduates to continuing their studies into planning at master’s degree level.”
