Universiti Teknologi

Overview of Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

The profession of urban and regional planning is concerned with the planning, designing and managing of the built environment. It is interdisciplinary in nature and integrates both the art and science of creating a better quality of life in a sustainable environment. At the local level the profession deals with the planning and designing of neighbourhoods, towns and cities. In contrast, the profession focuses on strategic and structural planning at the regional and national level. The profession seeks to balance between society and environment by managing developments through policies, strategies and plans.

The Urban and Regional Planning programme emphasises technical, strategic and generic skills demanded of planners. Students are instilled with knowledge on principles of planning, creativity in designing and problem solving, analytical and strategic thinking, as well as competency in research and practice.

Programme Educational Objectives

Programme Learning Outcomes

Programme Implementation

Courses are designed on the principle of student-centred learning. Therefore, the concept of Student Learning Time (SLT) is adopted by the programme whereby each credit hour is equivalent to 40 hours of learning time by the students. This include formal learning such as lectures,tutorials and informal learning time by the students such as revision, preparing coursework, etc. Thus, a 3 credits course would accumulate an SLT of 120 hours.

The formal learning includes a variety of approaches depending on the nature of the courses. The approaches are:

1. Lecture and Tutorial

Lecture and, for some courses, tutorials are the primary means of teaching and learning. The lectures and tutorials are conducted both in classes and for allocated hours per week, depending on the course credit.

2. Studio

Studio is an essential component of the programme. Its importance is reflected in the ten hours per week allocated for each studio. Through studio works, students will learned hands-on on how to resolve real urban planning problems. Through team working under supervision of the studio supervisors, students learn to implement the planning, the strategy, the techniques, the design and the creativity required on solving real case studies.

3. Laboratory and Field Works

Certain courses require the students to undergo certain hours of laboratory works or go on a field work off campus.

4. Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

Problem-Based Learning is a very important component of teaching and learning process. PBL is implemented in a number of courses in this programme. This teaching and learning approach helps students to reinforce their understanding on the course contents.

5. Industrial training

The industrial training aims at developing the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to be a professional planner. The objective is to strengthen the understanding of the theoretical principles, technical and design skills through practical experience. All third year students are required to undergo a 24-weeks industrial training at an urban planning agency of their choice. At the end of the training, students are required to submit an Industrial Training Report to the department for assessment.

6. Final Year Project

The Final Year Project or The Undergraduate Project is an academic exercise to train students how to carry out research independently under the guidance of project supervisor. The students will carry out a project in which they learn the basics of research, vis-à-vis the formulation of research problem, literature search and review, formulation of research design and methodology, determination of samples, data collection, data processing, data analysis and interpretation, the norms and style of academic writing; and the presentation and defence of research.

Student Academic Assessment

A variety of assessment methods are used to match the learning outcomes of the programme and students learning styles.

1. Examinations, tests and quizzes are valuable methods for assessing breadth of knowledge.
2. Written assignments are used to assess not only factual and theoretical knowledge but also the ability to solve problems and articulate an argument – key transferable skills. In the final semesters of the programme, a greater emphasis is placed upon the analysis, synthesis and evaluation of material.
3. Case study analyses and presentations to assess reasoning skills and ability to apply learned material to real-life situations.
4. Design projects, reports and work samples to assess competence in practical skills and techniques.
5. Poster and oral presentations to assess communication and presentation skills.
6. Project work assesses ability to work independently and collaboratively, search and critically review relevant literature and to present findings in an academic manner in both written and verbal form.
7. Evidence-based industrial training reports which document the students’ performance in professional placement.

Online assessments, including self-tests, quizzes and surveys.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible to graduate from this programme, students must complete a total of 133 credit hours or more, accumulated from courses that are set according to the Classification of Courses section as shown below with a minimum CGPA of 2.0.

CAREER PROSPECTS

Graduates of the programme have fpund employment opportunities widely in the public and private sectors as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In the public sector, the graduates are eligible to be employed as a planner at government agencies such as Jabatan Perancangan Bandar dan Desa, Jabatan Kerajaan Tempatan, Jabatan Perumahan Negara, Jabatan Pengurusan Sisa Pepejal Negara, Jabatan Lanskap Negara and local authorities. In the private sector, the graduates are eligible to work in planning consultation firms, property developers, project management firms and construction companies. Other opportunities for the graduates are to be an academician or working with NGOs focusing on the society and the environment.