Diploma in Town Planning
Geography and Planning
The Diploma will suit people who have undertaken little or no previous tertiary study* but who are working in the planning system in a clerical/administrative capacity or as unqualified planning assistants. The Diploma is an introductory course for local government employees who might wish to develop their skills and career prospects. It does not in itself lead to membership of the Planning Institute of Australia -- although for anyone who might wish to go on to further study, units passed toward the Diploma can be credited towards a full professional qualification. The course can be taken from anywhere in the country. It is offered only in distance education mode. Tuition is mostly based on printed material supplemented by online interaction. There is no compulsory on-campus attendance, although some of the units in the program have optional residential schools which provide an opportunity for face to face contact. The Diploma will normally take people two years to complete, at a rate of two units per semester. But it is possible to proceed more slowly than that.
The program consists of eight units. It includes four compulsory first-year units, followed by four elective units.
Compulsory units:
GEPL 121 The World of Planning: An Introduction
GEPL 111 Earth in Crisis? (An introduction to environmental issues, global and national)
GEPL 122 Professional Planning Skills (including graphics, fieldwork, site analysis.)
GEPL 112 Australia: Sustainable Development? (Ecological, economic, political & economic forces shaping Australia)
Elective units (any four of the following):
GEPL 301 Property Development (Economics of the land and property market.)
GEPL 320 Principles of Development Control (Theory and practice of development assessment.)
GEPL 359 Introduction to Architectural Design (Domestic scale building construction and design.)
GEPL 316 Urban Living (Life in the contemporary large Australian city. Patterns of change.)
GEPL 324 Rural Planning and Resource Management (Environmental, social and economic aspects of agriculture, forestry, mining and water resource management.)
ENVE 237 Environmental Engineering (Air, noise & water pollution, water supply, drainage, flood mitigation, waste disposal)
Is the course based on New South Wales planning legislation? Not specifically. Because we have students from all Australian states, we try to teach in a generic way, dealing with general principles.
Fees? Places in the Diploma are Commonwealth supported. Most of the units are in Band 2. Two of the first year units, namely GEPL 111 and GEPL 112, are in Band 1. More details
Diploma of Town Planning
Applications for first semester 2008 now open.
Enquiries to Paul McFarland, 02 6773 2821
*Applicants without formal educational qualifications may be admitted to the University through the Alternative Entry Admission Rules. You must apply to sit the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT). Please contact your state Tertiary Admissions Centre for details and provide a copy of your results to UNE.