BSc Planning and Geography, University of Reading

Explore the limits of built and natural worlds – and design sustainable, impactful, and creative future environments – with our BSc Planning and Geography.

At the University of Reading, you’ll gain key practical skills and interdisciplinary knowledge to leave a positive, lasting impact on the world around you. You could design cities and communities, tackle social inequalities, or find solutions to issues such as climate change, land use, and resource management.

Taught by experts from Real Estate in Henley Business School and the Department of Geography and Environmental Science, you’ll:

understand and address a broad range of contemporary global challenges – from urban regeneration to resilience planning
critically engage with development processes across built and natural environments
contribute to sustainable development and climate resilience across diverse geographic contexts
examine trends in their local, national, and global contexts
integrate perspectives from planning, environmental science, human and physical geography, and policy studies.

Throughout your studies, you’ll explore key aspects of spatial change, including the interrelationship between space and society, how the nature of environments changes over time, and the critical role of planning in shaping outcomes.

If you’re interested in taking your studies to the next level, we also offer a four-year MPlan Planning and Geography.

A rich learning environment

Triple-accredited Henley Business School has a worldwide reputation for excellence:

1st in the UK for Land and Property Management (and we have consistently been in the top three since 2008) in the Complete University Guide 2026.
2nd in the UK for graduate prospects in Land and Property Management in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026.
1st for research quality for Land and Property Management in the Complete University Guide 2026.

The University of Reading has a solid reputation for geography, environmental science, and sustainability:

One of the UK’s leading universities for environmental and ethical performance (the University of Reading is ranked 4th in the People and Planet University League, 2024/25).
Top 150 in the world for Environmental Sciences (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025, Joint 108th out of 551 overall).
3rd in the UK for research power in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences (Times Higher Education, Institutions Ranked by Subject, based on its analysis of the latest REF 2021).
First-ever winner of the Times Higher Education (THE) award for Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership (2023).
99% of our students said teaching staff are good at explaining things (National Student Survey 2025, 99% of responders from the Department of Geography and Environmental Science).
Sustainable University of the Year in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025.

Facilities

You'll have access to a wide range of facilities, both within Henley Business School and across the University.

Henley Business School Library

The Henley Business School Library is for the exclusive use of Henley students and faculty. It offers space for study, a loan collection of books, and online specialist resources. Knowledgeable staff are always available to provide assistance and advice.

Entrepreneurship Hub
If you’re a budding entrepreneur, you can apply to access Henley’s designated Entrepreneurship Hub where you can work on your business ideas alongside like-minded students. The hub includes shared IT facilities and office space, providing opportunities for students to share ideas, offer each other assistance and even build partnerships.

Henley Business School Building and Cafe

The foyer of the Henley Business School Building is home to the Henley Business School Cafe, where you can grab a bite to eat in between lectures. The foyer also has plenty of seating where you can study or socialise with fellow students.

Geography facilities

The Department of Geography and Environmental Science is based in a custom-designed building with specialised research facilities. These include laboratories and dedicated instrumentation.

Our green campus

Our award-winning green campus is at the heart of our university community, providing an extensive range of facilities alongside a sustainably conscious backdrop of nature. In 2025, our Whiteknights campus received its 15th Green Flag Award in a row, and we are considered one of Britain’s top green spaces.

We treat our campus as a “living laboratory”; both staff and students make the most of their immediate surroundings for field work and research, including our Whiteknights lake.

Specialised labs

You will have access to our dedicated soil and water chemistry, and microscopy and sedimentology, laboratories, including our full computing suite which supports ArcGIS Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Rockworks, Erdas Imagine landscape analysis and visualisation and remote sensing.

Field Classes

Take your learning beyond the classroom with our popular fieldwork classes, which help you develop practical research skills and apply your learning in real-life contexts.

As part of your Real Estate and Planning studies, you’ll participate in a field trip as part of our Ethics and Sustainability module, exploring the human and non-human considerations of sustainable development goals and implications for responsible business practices in real estate and planning. In 2024/25, our students explored key features of the Chichester Community Land Trust and visited the Chichester Community Development Trust in Graylingwell, learning about the community's exemplary management of communal buildings and real estate assets, guided by social and environmental values. In your third and final year, you’ll have the opportunity to travel to another English town or city in support of your specialist project module.

Field teaching is at the centre of your Geography studies. You’ll develop a range of skills spanning field techniques, observation, data analysis and presentation, and teamwork. This ranges from GIS mapping on the University campus, to investigating the causes and consequences of flooding on local river catchments as well as having the opportunity to explore further afield.

Placement module

Expand your network and gain experience during a summer placement.

If you secure an opportunity for summer employment, with the support of our careers team and active industry network, you can enrol onto an optional work-based learning module in Semester 1 of your final year. During this you will reflect on your experience and develop your career management skills.

Study Abroad

As part of your degree, you can apply to study for a year abroad at one of our partner universities in Australia, Canada, the USA, or across Europe. For example, recent destinations have included Melbourne, Australia and Ottawa, Canada.

All classes are conducted in English and bursaries are available to help with travel and accommodation costs.

Visit our Study Abroad website for more information.

Reading Real Estate Foundation

The Reading Real Estate Foundation (RREF) is a unique and forward-thinking educational charity, established to support Real Estate and Planning education at Henley Business School, University of Reading. RREF will support you to achieve your full potential and become the best in the industry.

Support includes:

a mentoring programme that will offer you a one-to-one connection with an industry professional
an evening lecture series where guest speakers from the Real Estate industry share their views, providing you with valuable commercial awareness
the Real Estate and Planning Careers Fair
sponsored prizes for academic excellence
a range of financial support for students in need.

Overview

Explore the limits of built and natural worlds – and design sustainable, impactful, and creative future environments – with our BSc Planning and Geography.

understand and address a broad range of contemporary global challenges – from urban regeneration to resilience planning
critically engage with development processes across built and natural environments
contribute to sustainable development and climate resilience across diverse geographic contexts
examine trends in their local, national, and global contexts
integrate perspectives from planning, environmental science, human and physical geography, and policy studies.

Learning

A rich learning environment

Triple-accredited Henley Business School has a worldwide reputation for excellence:

1st in the UK for Land and Property Management (and we have consistently been in the top three since 2008) in the Complete University Guide 2026.
2nd in the UK for graduate prospects in Land and Property Management in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026.
1st for research quality for Land and Property Management in the Complete University Guide 2026.

The University of Reading has a solid reputation for geography, environmental science, and sustainability:

One of the UK’s leading universities for environmental and ethical performance (the University of Reading is ranked 4th in the People and Planet University League, 2024/25).
Top 150 in the world for Environmental Sciences (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025, Joint 108th out of 551 overall).
3rd in the UK for research power in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences (Times Higher Education, Institutions Ranked by Subject, based on its analysis of the latest REF 2021).
First-ever winner of the Times Higher Education (THE) award for Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership (2023).
99% of our students said teaching staff are good at explaining things (National Student Survey 2025, 99% of responders from the Department of Geography and Environmental Science).
Sustainable University of the Year in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025.

Facilities

You'll have access to a wide range of facilities, both within Henley Business School and across the University.

Field Classes

Placement module

Study Abroad

Reading Real Estate Foundation

a mentoring programme that will offer you a one-to-one connection with an industry professional
an evening lecture series where guest speakers from the Real Estate industry share their views, providing you with valuable commercial awareness
the Real Estate and Planning Careers Fair
sponsored prizes for academic excellence
a range of financial support for students in need.

Entry requirements A Level AAB

Select Reading as your firm choice on UCAS and we'll guarantee you a place even if you don't quite meet your offer. For details, see our firm choice scheme.

Our typical offers are expressed in terms of A level, BTEC and International Baccalaureate requirements. However, we also accept many other qualifications.

Typical offer

AAB

Extended Project Qualifications (EPQ)

If you are taking an EPQ, you will receive two offers: our standard offer and an alternative offer of ABB in your A-level subjects on the condition that you achieve a B in your EPQ.

International Baccalaureate

34 points overall, including 4 in English and Maths, both at standard level.

GCSE

Maths and English at grade B (5).

BTEC Extended Diploma

DDD

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5, with no component below 5.5

For information on other English language qualifications, please visit our international student pages.

Other information

Deferred entry available.

Alternative entry requirements for International and EU students

For country specific entry requirements look at entry requirements by country.

International Foundation Programme

If you are an international or EU student and do not meet the requirements for direct entry to your chosen degree you can join the University of Reading’s International Foundation Programme. Successful completion of this 1 year programme guarantees you a place on your chosen undergraduate degree. English language requirements start as low as IELTS 4.5 depending on progression degree and start date.

Learn more about our International Foundation programme

Pre-sessional English language programme

If you need to improve your English language score you can take a pre-sessional English course prior to entry onto your degree.

Find out the English language requirements for our courses and our pre-sessional English programme

Compulsory modules

Global Challenges: A Planet in Crisis

Explore interrelated global issues confronting the planet and humanity today. Delve into human geography, physical geography, and environmental science perspectives surrounding key challenges. Develop the ability to critically analyse and discuss these challenges using academic literature.

Introductory Economics for Business and Finance

Understand how businesses are affected by developments in specific markets, as well as by changes at the level of the entire economy. You'll analyse forces of supply and demand in the determination of prices and the economics of consumer behaviour, the characteristics and variability in economic output and profit under different forms of competition, the methods for calculating national income for closed and open economies, and determinants of business cycles and economic effects, interactions and policies connected to inflation, unemployment, interest rates and foreign exchange rates.

Property, Law, Rights and Institutions

Examine the legal and conceptual basis of property and the legal, institutional, and stakeholder aspects of land, property and property rights. Consider what is involved and understood by the label 'property rights', how the planning system and related institutions operate, the repercussions for different stakeholders, and the fundamental principles of land law governing the ownership, use and enjoyment of property as relevant to real estate professionals.

Geographical Imaginaries

Understand how geographical knowledge and methods have changed over time and how these changes are crucial to understanding how and why we do geography today. Recognise how geographical knowledge will evolve in response to changing social, environmental and technological needs and opportunities.

Contemporary Issues in Real Estate and Planning

Develop an understanding of the local, national and global challenges and potential solutions directly and indirectly affected by the real estate industry and planning system, as well as the diversity of stakeholders involved. You'll critically reflect on aspects such as climate change, housing quality, affordability, future ways of working and building, and growing inequality.

Ethics and Sustainable Development

Explore the human and non-human considerations of sustainable development goals and implications for responsible business practices in real estate and planning, including urban and architectural design, development, construction, operation, refurbishment, retrofitting, and regeneration.

These are the modules that we currently offer for 2026/27 entry. They may be subject to change as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Compulsory modules

Real Estate and Urban Economics

Use basic economic principles and models to analyse urban dynamics and property markets. You'll develop a foundational understanding of economic forces shaping urban growth and land use allocation within cities, equilibrium adjustment processes in demand and supply of real estate, and broader perspectives for the analysis of real estate markets.

Skills Training and Project Design

Develop professional skills, including research approaches, project management, career awareness and employability. Work closely with an academic mentor to carry out carefully planned and highly professional research, act as consultants, designing, executing and reporting on a research project.

Geography and Planning Field Class

This module will train you in data collection, analysis and interpretation and will enhance your knowledge and understanding of field investigation methods used in the geography and planning disciplines. There is a strong emphasis on authentic, ‘real world’ issues that affect society and the design and function of the environment, including the implications of planning decisions across rural and built environments.

Planning Theory and Practice

Discover the theory and practice of spatial planning, and its interrelationship with the development of real estate. You'll study a range of contemporary issues and tools for planning implementation, including addressing climate change and sustainability, the role of plan-making, and how planning shapes different built and natural environments.

Encountering Political Geographies

Find the geopolitical in unexpected spaces, place the spotlight on the bedroom as much as the battlefield; the body as much as the border; the school as much as the state. Think critically about the geopolitical world, challenge and resist dominant ideas, develop multiple ways of seeing, engaging, and being.

Optional modules

Geographical Information Systems

Discover the principles, techniques, and applications of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Work with the storage and management of spatial data, setting coordinate systems and projections, spatial analysis, and geoprocessing, creating and editing data, and cartography and symbology.

Analysing Social Data: Techniques and Applications

Analyse social data using quantitative and qualitative methods to foster persuasive communication and comprehensive illustrations of your understanding. Become a well-informed, confident, and discerning users of social data.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Compulsory modules

Dissertation

Conduct a substantial research study on a topic of relevance to planning, supported by your dissertation supervisor.

Real Estate Development Process

Gain an understanding of models of the real estate development process, the nature of real estate development projects, patterns in real estate development, the operation of development land markets, the structure of the real estate development sector, the delivery of real estate development projects, the risks involved in real estate development and the role of different institutions and agents in the development process.

Optional modules

Urban Design in the Development Process

Examine the core principles of urban design and its role in the development process. You'll consider academic debates and policy challenges surrounding the practice of urban design, its contemporary relevance or value to real estate development and place-making, and the practice of urban design where it concerns both the creation and maintenance of places as part of sustainability transitions and/or regeneration processes toward more resilient futures.

Work-Based Learning

Undertake a four-week work placement (as a minimum) to reflect on professional practice in the workplace, develop your skills and competencies, explore your future career options, and extend the knowledge gained throughout your studies.

Cities in the 21st Century: A Global Perspective

It is predicted that by 2050, cities will be home to around 70% of the world’s population. Knowing the impacts ongoing changes have and will continue to have on urban inhabitants globally remains a significant focus for both academics and policymakers. Explore the challenges and opportunities of living, working and travelling within cities in the 21st Century, and gain real-world insight into the contemporary issues shaping and reshaping city spaces worldwide.

Anthropology of Heritage and Cultural Property

Explore how heritage is an important global industry for tourism and heritage site conservation. You’ll discover the historical development of concepts, politics, and legal claims on heritage and cultural property in the contemporary world.

Consumption, Politics and Space

Appreciate the broad theoretical and empirical links between geography, consumption, media and the politics of sustainability and sustainable behaviour change. Develop a critical understanding of the cultural and geographical politics of contemporary society through the mediatised framings of environmental and social problems and solutions.

Geography and Environmental Science Field Class

Exploring the theme of ‘society and the environment’, this UK-based field class will provide a fully integrated understanding of human and physical processes – with an emphasis on authentic, real world issues. You'll examine the geographical and environmental issues that affect our society, while gaining experience in the collection, analysis and interpretation of field data.

Reimagining Development in Africa

Explore how Africa’s history and current realities shape its future, from colonial legacies to innovative technological changes, through real-world case studies and interactive learning. Dive into pressing issues like urbanisation, food security and environmental sustainability while examining the roles of gender, youth and diaspora communities in driving development.

Deathscapes and Dark Tourism

Explore and understand the geographies associated with death, loss and remembrance. Understand the impact of death and remembrance practices on the landscape and environment, including how these change over time, may be contested and require management and planning in the light of multicultural and sustainability agenda.

Climate Change and the Geographies of Responsibility

Analyse and discuss the role of businesses in mitigating climate change. Build practical skills relating to corporate carbon accounting and disclosure. Critically engage with corporate climate activities, including carbon reduction claims, science-based climate targets and carbon offsets.

Spaces of Care and Wellbeing

Develop your knowledge and understanding of key theoretical approaches to geographies of care and wellbeing and how these may be applied using participatory methods to diverse spaces in the local community and globally. Engage with practitioners working with refugees, people experiencing loneliness and other marginalised groups in Reading.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Fees

New UK/Republic of Ireland students: The University of Reading will charge undergraduate home tuition fees at the upper limit as set by the UK government for the relevant academic year. The fee cap for 2026/27 hasn't been confirmed yet. Please check the fees and funding webpage for the latest information. The annual fee for 2025/26 is £9,535.

New international students: £30,650 for 2026/27. The International tuition fee is subject to annual increases changes in subsequent years of study as set out in your student contract. For more details, please visit our Fees for International Students page.

Tuition fees

To find out more about how the University of Reading sets its tuition fees, see our fees and funding pages.

Additional costs

Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

Financial support for your studies

You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.

Global Sustainability Leaders Scholarship

Our Global Sustainability Leaders Scholarship scheme is focused on creating a community of global sustainability leaders of the future.

We will be offering up to 400 scholarships per year, for high-achieving students from the UK and overseas. Each scholar will receive £6,000 a year for up to four years of full-time study on their course (subject to terms and conditions) for maintenance and living costs.

Careers

With an emphasis on collaboration and creative problem-solving, you’ll graduate ready to pursue a successful career in planning and geography-related fields.

Overall, 95% of Real Estate and Planning graduates and 93% of Geography and Environmental Science graduates are in work and/or further study 15 months after the end of their course (based on our analysis of HESA data © HESA 2025, Graduate Outcomes Survey 2022/23; includes UK domiciled, full-time, first-degree Real Estate and Planning respondents and first degree Geography and Environmental Science responders).

Your skills will be suitable in a wide range of public, private, and third sector organisations, including business consultancies, environment agencies, construction and surveying companies, sustainable energy services, commerce, education, and local and national governments.

Future career paths and roles could include:

planning consultant
environmental advisor
urban/rural surveyor
conservation officer.

Examples of graduate employers include Savills, Knight Frank, Deloitte Real Estate, and Network Rail (Estate Management) for Planning, and Environmental Agency, Syngenta, Storm Geomatics Ltd, and Carbonxgen for Geography.

Comprehensive career support

We’re passionate about equipping you with skills to succeed in your future career – including agility, resilience, motivation, communication, negotiation, teamworking, AI and digital, and ethical and environmental leadership.

The School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science has a dedicated Careers Consultant and in Planning you’ll receive support from the Henley Careers team. They can help you plan your career, develop your interview and application skills, build your confidence, and give you advice on different career journeys.

You’ll be able to take advantage of:

one-to-one career support
employer panels
skills development masterclasses
online development guides.

100% of Real Estate and Planning students said the skills they have developed during their time in higher education will be useful for their future career (National Student Survey 2025, Department of Real Estate and Planning).

BSc Planning and Geography

A rich learning environment

Facilities

Field Classes

Placement module

Study Abroad

Reading Real Estate Foundation

Tuition fees

Additional costs

Financial support for your studies

Global Sustainability Leaders Scholarship

Comprehensive career support

Ready for more?