Fast Facts
Location
Commencing
- Townsville: February, July
- Cairns: February, July
Fees
$9,030.00+
+estimated annual Commonwealth Supported Fee
Plus Student Services and Amenities fee
Fee deferral and scholarships available if eligible
Duration
4 years full-time
or part-time equivalent
Entry Requirements
OP 17
English (4,SA)
ATAR 57.25
English (Units 3/4,C)
Rank 65
QTAC Codes
- 316271
- 326271
Course detail
Be a part of sustainable solutions for our planet's future with a Bachelor of Planning from JCU. Learn how to create a balance between lifestyle and sustainability to foster and support communities.
Gain practical work experience with State Government, non-government organisations, and private consultancies. Network with industry players to graduate with a head start.
Opportunities also exist within the degree to experience and apply your knowledge in an international context.
This course is fully accredited by the Planning Institute of Australia.
Additional information
You want to make a difference in the world around you. You can envisage solutions to current problems, and you have a passion to be part of sustainable solutions for our planet's future. With a Bachelor of Planning degree from JCU (similar to a Bachelor of Urban Planning), you will learn how to make your visions become reality.
A Planning School That Makes a Difference
Learn about the interrelation between natural and built environment and be ready to lead the way in improving liveability and climate impact for our world's cities. As you pursue your urban development degree from JCU, benefit from the university's unique location and access World Heritage sites like the Great Barrier Reef, the Wet Tropics, and rainforests. With a city planning bachelor's degree, you can have an impact on how urban planning affects our global future.
Enrol in a Planning Degree Course and Bring Balance to the World
As you work through your town planning courses, learn strategies to resolve crucial tensions. Understand the balance between urban development and sustainability or how to advance the lifestyles of marginalized people while protecting delicate ecosystems.
Provide appropriate, sustainable and clinically relevant services to address the issues found in rural, remote, Indigenous and tropical communities. As part of your JCU city planning degree, you will work in meaningful ways with communities as well as local governments. Be the point where diverse needs and perspectives come together to provide and implement sustainable solutions.
Forge a Meaningful Future
A degree and a job are important; so is making a difference in the world. Through each urban planning course, learn how to mix experiences from the past with the technologies of the future. Learn how to plan and develop safe, thriving cities that coexist with the surrounding ecosystems.
Benefit from hands-on practice in overcoming the challenges that stand between us and a sustainable future. With your urban planning degree, be ready to take jobs in government, as a private consultant, or with NGOs and private industry. Using skills applicable to diverse international planning environments, you will be ready to work anywhere at home or abroad.
Study Planning and Lead the Way
Your degree should prepare you to lead the way, and your town planning degree through JCU will equip you for effective leadership. Develop an understanding of how to operate in the legal, regulatory, and ethical contexts of urban planning. Your leadership skills will be honed through your partnership with JCU as you get practical experience in decision making, collaboration, and dealing with emergent problems.
As an accomplished spatial thinker and creative problem solver, learn how to gather appropriate information and use the technical tools at your disposal to make data-driven decisions. Using well-developed communication skills, you will be well equipped to make proposals and promote a clear course of action that others can follow.
Study a Bachelor of Planning and Experience the Incredible
Get ready today for tomorrow with a degree from an acknowledged leader in urban design. You are the future of sustainable, functional growth - take the first steps towards a rewarding career in urban planning today.
Consult the handbook for a detailed overview of available subjects.
Honours
Honours is available only to students admitted to the Bachelor of Planning at JCU. High-achieving students may be invited by the College Dean to undertake the Bachelor of Planning (Honours). Refer to the Bachelor of Planning (Honours) Handbook for eligibility information.
JCU Planning graduates are qualified for high-demand positions throughout Australia.
Graduates pursue diverse careers which include developing cities, regions, and urban environments to enhance social, environmental, and economic well-being.
Upon graduation, you will be you will be nationally recognised as a planner and for graduate with the Planning Institute of Australia. Membership enables you to access the relevant skills, emerging knowledge and valuable networks as your career develops.
Bachelor of Planning
Handbook year | 2020 |
Course code | 50910 |
Course type | Bachelor Degree (AQF Level 7) |
Professional Accreditation Status | This course is accredited by the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA). Graduates are eligible for immediate membership of the Urban and Regional Chapter of the Planning Institute of Australia and, after two years’ professional planning experience, are eligible to become corporate members (MPIA). |
Division | Tropical Environments and Societies |
Award Requirements
Admission Requirements
Course pre-requisites | English |
Minimum English language proficiency requirements | Applicants of non-English speaking backgrounds must meet the English language proficiency requirements of Band 1 – Schedule II of the JCU Admissions Policy. |
Post admission | Students will be required to attend intensive mode classes at a campus other than that at which they are enrolled, as well as fieldwork, at their own expense. |
Academic Requirements for Course Completion
Credit points | 96 credit points as per course structure |
Additional course rules | A maximum of 30 credit points may be taken at level 1 |
Course learning outcomes | The graduates of James Cook University are prepared and equipped to create a brighter future for life in the tropics world-wide. JCU graduates are committed to lifelong learning, intellectual development, and to the display of exemplary personal, professional and ethical standards. They have a sense of their place in the tropics and are charged with professional, community, and environmental responsibility. JCU graduates appreciate the need to embrace and be acquainted with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples of Australia. They are committed to reconciliation, diversity and sustainability. They exhibit a willingness to lead and to contribute to the intellectual, environmental, cultural, economic and social challenges of regional, national, and international communities of the tropics. Graduates of the Bachelor of Planning at James Cook University will be able to:
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Course Structure
CORE SUBJECTS
Level 1
EV1005:03 Environmental Processes and Global Change
EV1008:03 Human Geography
EV1009:03 Introduction to Planning
EV1010:03 The Environmental Professional
EV1011:03 Introduction to Sustainability
Level 2
BX2077:03 Project Management
EV2301:03 Urban Geography and Design
EV2360:03 Population Geography and Demography
EV2401:03 Australian Landscape Processes and Evolution
EV2502:03 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
SC2202:03 Quantitative Methods in Science or SY2005:03 Qualitative Research
EV2011:03 The Case for Sustainability
EV2130:03 Introduction to Urban Ecosystems
Level 3
EV3001:03 Environmental and Regional Planning
EV3110:03 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment
IA3030:03 Navigating the Cultural Interface
BX3023:03 Economic Growth and Sustainable Development
EV3606:03 Disasters, Communities and Planning
EV3404:03 Field Studies in Tropical Geography
Level 4
EV5010:03 Planning for Sustainable Communities in a Changing Environment
EV5602:03 Urban Design Studio
SC5008:03 Professional Placement
EV5603:03 Planning Legislation and Professional Practice
EV5910:03 Professional Planning Project (Pt 1 of 2)
EV5920:03 Professional Planning Project (Pt 2 of 2)
OPTIONS
PLUS
Select 6 credit points of specified subjects from List 1
List 1
EV5605:03 Professional Planning Work Experience
EV5607:03 Disaster Management Principles
PLUS
Select 15 credit points of any Level 1, 2 or 3 subjects or 3 credit points of any Level 1, 2 or 3 subjects plus an Inter-Disciplinary Minor
Campus
COURSE AVAILABLE AT | NOTES |
Cairns | Students will be required to attend intensive mode classes at a campus other than that at which they are enrolled, as well as fieldwork, at their own expense. |
Townsville | Students will be required to attend intensive mode classes at a campus other than that at which they are enrolled, as well as fieldwork, at their own expense. |
Candidature
Expected time to complete | 4 years full-time or equivalent part-time |
Maximum time to complete | 11 years |
Maximum leave of absence | 3 years |
Progression
Course progression requisites | Must successfully complete 9 credit points of science subjects at level 1 before attempting any level 2 science subjects. Must successfully complete 18 credit points of science subjects at level 1 and level 2 before attempting any level 3 science subjects. Must successfully complete 60 credit points before attempting any level 4 subjects. Must successfully complete 12 credit points of science subjects at level 3 before attempting any level 5 science subjects. |
Course includes mandatory professional placement(s) | Yes |
Special assessment requirements | Nil |
Accreditation requirements | Nil |
Maximum allowed Pass Conceded (PC) grade | Nil |
Supplementary exam for final subject | Not applicable |
Credit
Eligibility | Students may apply for a credit transfer for previous tertiary study or informal and non-formal learning in accordance with the Credit Transfer Procedure. |
Maximum allowed | 63 credit points |
Currency | Credit will be granted only for studies completed in the 10 years prior to the commencement of this course. |
Expiry | Credit gained for any subject shall be cancelled 20 years after the date of the examination upon which the credit is based if, by then, the student has not completed the course of study prescribed for the degree. |
Other restrictions | A maximum of 18 credit points of credit may be granted at level 3 or 4. |
Award Details
Award title | BACHELOR OF PLANNING |
Approved abbreviation | BPlan |
Inclusion of majors on testamur | Not applicable - this course does not have majors |
Exit with lesser award | Students who exit the course prior to completion and have successfully completed 12 credit points of appropriate subjects, may be eligible for the award of Certificate of Higher Education. Students who have completed 24 credit points of their course award requirements, and withdraw from or fail to meet the requirements for progression in the later years, may be eligible for the award of Diploma of Tertiary Studies. |
Course articulation | Not applicable |
Honours
Honours availability | Available within the Bachelor of Planning (Honours) course [Embedded]. Students accepted into the Bachelor of Planning (Honours) will be required to transfer into that course. |
Eligibility | The Honours degree is available only to students admitted to the Bachelor of Planning at this University. A student may be invited by the College Dean to undertake the Honours degree if the student has satisfied the College requirements relating to the standard of academic achievement necessary to undertake the honours degree. Under approved circumstances students may enrol in Honours part time. |
Estimated annual Commonwealth Supported fee: $AUD9,030.00
A Student Services and Amenities fee is payable per subject up to a maximum amount per year.
A variety of Scholarships are available to suit different student types.
An OP or ATAR is the score required for entry into most undergraduate courses. If you are not a Year 12 school leaver or do not have an OP or ATAR, you can be assigned an equivalent rank score. Ranks are calculated from previous study that you might have completed, either secondary, tertiary or vocational, or previous paid employment experience.
JCU offers pathway courses to help you move into a degree. Pathway courses provide you with an individualised study plan and specialised support as you transition to university.
Contact us to find about more.
Note the course QTAC code for the location you've chosen. You'll need to enter it as part of your QTAC application.
OP Score/Rank is indicative only. Entry scores will be finalised in the major offer round.
Real stories
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Student
Sarah Gibson
Bachelor of Planning
Planning is a bit of everything from people, place to the environment. Studying planning at JCU with a tropical focus puts students in an area of rapid change, incredible social and economic challenge, and innovation. Singapore has been the highlight, spending two weeks in a city that really is a planning hub.
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Alumni
Tyler Leese
Townsville City Council
Studying the Bachelor of Planning (Honours) at JCU has provided me with the foundational knowledge to pursue a career in Town Planning. The wide array of subjects on offer within the degree program, guides students through a plethora of learning experiences, developing each student into a job ready graduate!
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Lecturer
Associate Professor Lisa Law
Bachelor of Planning
The JCU Master of Planning and Urban Design creates future leaders in city, urban, and regional development and offers students opportunities to plan for better social inclusion, for energy efficiency, and for innovation.
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Employer
Paul Johnston
Townsville City Council Manager Planning Services
The JCU student town planning placement program with council has been a long term initiative running for over 20 years. We have seen many high achieving JCU students go on to either work at council, state government agencies or private consultants as leaders in their field.