University of Technology Sydney

C06144v1 Graduate Diploma in Urban Design

Award(s): Graduate Diploma in Urban Design (GradDipUrbDes)
Commonwealth supported place?: No
Load credit points: 48
Course EFTSL: 1
Location: Online campus

Notes

This is an exit-only course. There is no direct admission to it. Current UTS students may be able to submit an Internal Course Transfer (Graduating) application to exit with this course. See the Course transfer page for further details.

This is an exit-only course. There is no direct admission to it. Current UTS students may be able to submit an Internal Course Transfer (Graduating) application to exit with this course. Check with your faculty's student centre.

This course is not offered to international students.


Overview
Course aims
Career options
Course intended learning outcomes
Inherent requirements
Course duration and attendance
Course structure
Course completion requirements
Course program
Articulation with UTS courses
Other information

Overview

The UTS Online Graduate Diploma in Urban Design is designed for professionals who want to develop their practical design capabilities to shape the lived experience within sustainable urban environments. Students explore the concept of environmental, economic, and social sustainability in urban design and development, and apply their understanding to deliver creative design solutions for design in consideration of local design scales.

The course provides a practical approach to urban design across an array of areas, whilst exploring real-world case studies, learning from industry professionals, and applying their understanding in authentic assessments.

Delivered fully online, this course enables students to work full-time while gaining practical design skills. Students can immediately apply what they learn to make a greater impact in their current role and design resilient urban environments.

Course aims

The degree aims for students to explore the relationship between planning and design to gain a holistic understanding of the environmental, legislative, economic, and social sustainability perspectives for urban design and planning development.

Students learn to evaluate urban design approaches and develop creative solutions that shape the planning and design of resilient urban environments. Students undertake various studio-based subjects that focus on different design scales – from the local to metropolitan.

  • Urban design principles
    Apply urban design principles to develop creative solutions for urban problems. Apply an integrated understanding of environmental, social, and economic factors to inform an advanced level of urban design solutions.
  • Problem-solving skills
    Determine simulating future courses of action. Conduct analyses to identify and evaluate alternative strategies to resolve a design problem.
  • Critical and ethical thinking capabilities
    Develop an informed critical perspective on ethical issues raised by new sources?to be able to demonstrate?the?ethical responsibilities of a professional urban designer.
  • Effective communication and stakeholder management skills
    Communicate effectively with key stakeholders from a variety of cultural, social, economic and political perspectives. Develop coherent and logically structured arguments that are backed by evidence.

Career options

The Graduate Diploma in Urban Design is for those with diverse backgrounds who are wanting to develop their practical design capabilities to shape the lived experience within sustainable urban environments.

With a Graduate Diploma in Urban Design, students build and practice skills employers demand to add value to their professional career immediately. Upon successful completion of this course, graduates have a broad scope of jobs available both in government and private companies, including roles as:

  • Urban Designer
  • Open Space Planner
  • Place-maker
  • Urban Design Consultant

Course intended learning outcomes

A.1 Enable reflective practice on one's personal views and values and interpret how they might affect one's professional judgement
A.2 Demonstrate ethical responsibilities of professional planners and urban designers and develop critical ethical thinking capability
A.3 Evaluate the history of disadvantage and inequality in societies (in an Australian context this would apply in particular to Indigenous Peoples. In addition to people disadvantaged by gender, disability, social class or ethnicity for example) and formulate a reasoned argument for how planners and urban designers should address significant social inequalities
C.1 Work effectively in teams of people with diverse professional and personal backgrounds
C.2 Communicate with people with a wide variety of cultural, social, economic, and political perspectives and interests using verbal, written, and visual media
I.1 Develop creative solutions to complex problems based on research and evaluation
I.2 Apply urban design principles to develop creative solutions for urban problems
P.1 Investigate strategically the future of cities and regions and identify the drivers of change
P.2 Articulate how and why the roles of planning and urban design have evolved in response to new social, cultural, economic, and political forces
P.3 Apply a wide array of analytic tools (which may include spreadsheets, geographic information software, three-dimensional simulations, or negotiation tools) to determine constraints and opportunities
P.4 Prepare and critique plans and design solutions based on a broad understanding of urban and regional and environmental dynamics, and analyse (and develop) alternatives
P.5 Develop and apply the principles of urban design to analyse places
P.6 Determine the legal and policy context within which planning and environmental protection occurs, the nature of land rights and claims of Indigenous Peoples in Australian cities, and the role of various levels and agencies of government
P.7 Explore the principles of environmental, economic and social sustainability and apply them to analysing and developing plans and design solutions
P.8 Analyse dynamics driving land and property markets and articulate this to planning proposals
P.9 Apply an integrated understanding of environmental, social, and economic factors to inform an advanced level of urban design solutions
R.1 Determine risk assessment principles and apply them to simulating future courses of action
R.3 Interpret spatial relationships and evaluate the spatial and physical impacts of proposals
R.4 Determine the sources, limitations and relationships of different data used to analyse problems and evaluate solutions
R.5 Develop coherent and logically structured arguments that use evidence appropriately

Inherent requirements

Inherent requirements are academic and non-academic requirements that are essential to the successful completion of a course. For more information about inherent requirements and where prospective and current students can get assistance and advice regarding these, see the UTS Inherent requirements page.

Prospective and current students should carefully read the Inherent Requirements Statement below and consider whether they might experience challenges in successfully completing this course.

UTS will make reasonable adjustments to teaching and learning, assessment, professional experiences, course related work experience and other course activities to facilitate maximum participation by students with disabilities, carer responsibilities, and religious or cultural obligations in their courses.

For course specific information see the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building Inherent (Essential) Requirements Statement.

Course duration and attendance

The course can be completed in a minimum of 16 months online study, 1 x 6 credit point subject (or equivalent) per session over 8 x 7-week sessions. A 6 credit point subject requires an average of 15-20 hours of study per week.

Course structure

Students must complete 48 credit points of core subjects.

Course completion requirements

STM91626 Core subjects (Urban Design) 48cp
Total 48cp

Course program

A typical course program is provided below, showing the recommended study sequence to ensure completion of the course within the expected duration. Refer to the Timetable Planner for confirmation of availability.

Articulation with UTS courses

This course is part of the articulated program made up of the Graduate Certificate in Urban Planning and Design (C11343).

Other information

Further information is available from the UTS Student Centre on:

telephone 1300 ask UTS (1300 275 887)
or +61 2 9514 1222
Ask UTS
UTS: Design, Architecture and Building