Planning & Sustainable Development

Course Outline

The Postgraduate Diploma in Planning and Sustainable Development is an introductory graduate-level course in spatial planning and development for cities, regions, towns, rural areas, and neighbourhoods. It has an international flavour and exposes students to the kind of real-world sustainability and environmental challenges that are found in public, private and community settings throughout the world.



Our graduate students come from many different disciplines, so our course offers a rich learning environment for people to fine-tune their areas of interest into a practical, ethical and effective field of action with relevance in the contemporary world. For students who perform well on this course and wish to progress to a professionally recognised masters-level qualification there is an option to transfer to the second year of the UCC M.Plan course which is a comprehensive, two-year course compatible with European standards and with international professional training models for planning.



The course will be of particular interest to students from developing countries who want to gain a foundation training in Planning and Sustainable Development as well as other international students who have a particular interest in studying in Ireland and have a wider interest in the theory and practice of planning. Students who do not feel able or ready to commit to two years study for the accredited qualification will find that the Course is an excellent way to gain a foundation qualification and fully assess their motivation to progress to the second year of the accredited MPlan Course.



The course develops a wide range of skills and abilities leading to a strong capacity for making real-world, imaginative and balanced contributions about the future of places in many different sectors.



Transfer to the MPlan

Students who pass all modules with an aggregate score of 50% (i.e. 600 out of 1200 marks) may opt not to be conferred with the Postgraduate Diploma and may transfer their registration to the Second Year of the Masters in Planning and Sustainable Development (MPlan2) in the following academic year (full-time). For details of this programme, see http://www.ucc.ie/en/cke69/. Such students must inform Student Records and Examinations Office (exams@ucc.ie) that they will not be conferred with the Postgraduate Diploma and opt instead to progress to Second Year of the Masters in Planning and Sustainable Development (M.Plan2) in the following academic year (full-time).

Modules will cover topics including:

• place-making and design

• community engagement

• spatial planning at various different scales

• environmental awareness

• development in urban areas

• legal and political know-how

• International and global planning issues and processes

• technical competence and an understanding of the realities of sustainable development.

Applicants must have a Second Class Honours in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) or higher, in an appropriate subject in Science, Arts, Humanities, Social Science, Law, Commerce, Health, Engineering or Architecture. Selection will be based on academic achievement, written expression of interest, an interview and relevant work experience (if any).



Applicants who do not hold a degree at Second Class Honours in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) may also be accepted under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) subject to the requirement that they demonstrate, at interview, a very high level of engagement and interest in the subject, a proven track record of significant experience in a relevant field, and a clear capacity for carrying out studies at postgraduate level.



For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland

Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.



International/Non-EU Applicants

For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.

• In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

• Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.



English Language Requirements

Applicants who are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements.

Closing Date

Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.



Non-EU Closing Date

Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

1 year full-time.

Start Date 8 September 2025

Skills and Careers Information

This Diploma is an ideal postgraduate platform for those of you who wish to build on your primary degree into an applied and relevant subject area. This means that an initial foundation in geography, arts, social science, politics, law, design, humanities, science or other fields can be built on in ways that enable a real contribution to how cities, towns, regions and places can be designed and managed into the future in the interests of society and the common good.



With a built-in option to convert to a full masters in this subject area our graduates will have opportunities to work in the public, private, education and community sectors and their skills and competencies are recognised by a range of employers in a wide variety of contexts both in Ireland and internationally.