Master of Urban Planning/Master of Urban Design (MC-UPUD) // Entry and participation requirements

Entry requirements

1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:
• an undergraduate degree in Architecture or Landscape Architecture or Urban Design, with a weighted average mark of at least H3 (65%), or equivalent; and
• a portfolio of recent design work, submitted in accordance with the requirements of the Selection Committee; and
• a personal statement outlining relevant prior study and work experience, and motivation to undertake the course.
Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.
2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:
• prior academic performance; and
• the design portfolio and
• the personal statement;
3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.
4. Applicants are required to satisfy the university’s English language requirements for postgraduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 6.5 is required.

Graduate Degree Packages for School Leavers
The University of Melbourne offers Graduate Degree Packages to high achieving school leavers, allowing them to secure places (Commonwealth Supported places for domestic students or International fee places) in the Master of Urban Planning/Master of Urban Design provided that they meet certain requirements.
For a Commonwealth Supported Place or an International Fee Place, the applicant must:
• complete an Australian Year 12 or the International Baccalaureate (IB) in 2018 or later either:
— in Australia; or
— outside Australia and be an Australian citizen;
• achieve an ATAR (or notional ATAR) of at least 98.00;
• apply for a University of Melbourne Articulated Degree Pathway for commencement in the year following completion of Year 12 or IB via VTAC;
• enrol immediately or be granted deferral in the year following Year 12;
• successfully complete a Bachelor of Design (majoring in Architecture or Landscape Architecture) at the University of Melbourne including all the specified prerequisite subjects;
• achieve a minimum weighted average mark of H3 (65%) in their undergraduate degree; and
• commence the Master of Urban Planning/Master of Urban Design within 18 months of completing the undergraduate degree.
Applicants eligible for entry via the Graduate Degree packages will not be required to complete a portfolio or personal statement as part of their application.

Applicants should refer to the University handbook for the additional entry requirements for the Bachelor of Design.

Guaranteed Transfer into Commonwealth Supported Place
Students with a fee place in this course who complete 100 points of the course with a weighted average mark of at least H2A (75%) and who are eligible for a Commonwealth Supported Place will be guaranteed a transfer to a Commonwealth Supported Place for the remainder of the course.

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

The Melbourne School of Design is the graduate school of the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning. It offers professional entry programs in Architecture, Construction Management, Landscape Architecture, Property and Urban Planning. It offers specialist development programs in Property Valuation, Planning and Design and in Urban Design.

The Melbourne School of Design welcomes applications from students with disabilities. It is the University and Faculty (Architecture, Building and Planning) policy to take reasonable steps to make reasonable adjustments so as to enable students’ participation in degrees offered by the Melbourne School of Design (MSD).

A candidate for degrees offered in the MSD must have abilities and skills which include the following: observation; communication; motor; conceptual, integrative, and quantitative; and behavioural and social. Adjustments can be provided to minimise the impact of a disability, however, particularly at Masters level, students need to be able to participate in programs in an independent manner and with regard to their safety and the safety of others.

(i) Observation: Candidates must be able to read text, diagrams, maps, drawings and numerical data. Candidates should be able to observe details at a number of scales and to record useful observations of environmental contexts.

(ii) Communication: Candidates should be able to communicate with fellow students, professional and academic staff, members of relevant professions and the public. Candidates must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively. Communication includes not only speech but also reading and writing, presenting one's own work in front of a large group, receiving and responding to feedback about one's own work in a public setting. Assessment in studio subjects will involve 'crits' where students present their own work in front of a large group, where they will receive and respond to feedback about their work in a public setting. Crits are an integral part of working in the industry and are an inherent requirement of the course. The requirement to undertake public crits cannot be waived.

(iii) Motor: Candidates should have sufficient motor function to elicit information from environmental contexts. Off campus investigations may include visits to construction sites, urban, rural and/or remote environments. Candidates should have sufficient motor ability to prepare documentation of analytic texts, drawings and models of findings and for the reparation of proposals for environmental interventions via digital or other means. Candidates should have the ability to actively participate in appropriate site and/or design studio-based activities.

(iv) Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, synthesis and, importantly, the ability to interpret results of such work. Problem resolution, the critical skill demanded of graduates, requires all of these intellectual abilities. In addition, given the disciplines pursued in the SD, candidates should be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships in environmental structures of a wide range of scales – from smaller than the individual through individual buildings and urban spaces to large geographic areas. Further, graduate study entails learning to master one’s own abilities and skills and to deploy them strategically. This requires further developing skills in both reflective and reflexive thinking and being able to practice these skills.

(v) Behavioural and Social Attributes: A candidate must possess behavioural and social attributes that enable them to participate in a complex learning environment. Students are required to take responsibility for their own participation and learning. They also contribute to the learning of other students in collaborative learning environments, demonstrating interpersonal skills and an understanding of the needs of other students. Assessment may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students. Assessment in studio subjects will involve 'crits' where students present their own work in front of a large group, where they will receive and respond to feedback about their work in a public setting. Crits are an integral part of working in the industry.
Students undertaking public crits are an inherent requirement of the course, and cannot be waived.

Students who feel a disability will prevent them from meeting the above academic requirements are encouraged to contact the Disability Liaison Unit.

Last updated: 8 November 2024