Why Study/Key Benefits

Massey’s Postgraduate Diploma in Planning develops advanced knowledge and practical planning skills for managing both natural and urban environments. The programme places strong emphasis on critical skills so graduates can respond to changes in political, urban and resource environments.

Key benefits include:

• Advanced study of planning theory, planning law and professional planning practice.
• Understanding of urban development, natural-resource management and environmental planning.
• Opportunities to study policy analysis, transport and urban planning, M?ori planning, climate resilience, natural hazards and GIS.
• Flexible distance and online learning, allowing students to continue working while studying.
• Development of critical analysis, policy, planning and problem-solving capabilities.
• A pathway towards Massey’s Master of Resource and Environmental Planning.
• Planning study that incorporates the Aotearoa New Zealand planning context while developing skills applicable in international professional environments.

Programme Structure and Subjects/Topics

The programme is flexible and requires at least 120 credits.

Schedule A requires students to select at least 30 credits from the following:

• 132731 Planning Law – 30 credits
• 132732 Planning Theory – 30 credits
• 132736 Planning Practice – 30 credits

The courses cover:

• Planning law and the legal framework affecting planning in Aotearoa New Zealand.
• Philosophical, ethical and theoretical foundations of planning.
• Planning ethics and professional practice.
• Plan and policy development.
• Plan evaluation.
• Development control.
• Strategic and spatial planning.
• Practical application of planning knowledge to contemporary planning issues.

Schedule B provides the remaining elective choices. Current options include:

• 132729 Mana Taiao: Advanced Maori Planning – 30 credits
• 132730 Policy Analysis and Evaluation: Foundations and Practice – 30 credits
• 132734 Transport & Urban Planning – 30 credits
• 132735 Reframing Human-Nature Relationships in Environmental Planning – 30 credits
• 132742 Planning History: From Town Planning to Resource Management – 30 credits
• 132751 Planning for Natural Hazards and Climate Resilient Development – 30 credits
• 145739 GIS Principles and Applications – 30 credits.

The elective topics provide opportunities to build knowledge in:

• Maori planning and Te Tiriti-led planning approaches
• Public policy analysis and evaluation
• Transport planning
• Urban planning
• Environmental planning
• Natural-resource management
• Planning history
• Natural hazards
• Climate-resilient development
• Geographic Information Systems
• Spatial data creation, analysis and visualisation.

Disciplines/Specialisations

The PGDipPlan is awarded without a formal specialisation.

However, students can develop a particular academic focus through their elective choices. Potential areas of focus include:

• Planning law
• Planning theory
• Planning practice
• Maori planning
• Policy analysis
• Transport and urban planning
• Environmental planning
• Natural hazards and climate resilience
• Planning history
• GIS and spatial analysis.

Programme Highlights

• NZQF Level 8 postgraduate qualification.
• 120 credits.
• One year full-time.
• Part-time option available.
• Distance and online delivery.
• International students can study online from outside New Zealand.
• Strong focus on both natural and urban environments.
• Flexible course selection.
• At least 30 credits must come from advanced planning courses.
• Electives can be used to develop interests in policy, Maori planning, urban development, transport, environmental planning, climate resilience and GIS.
• Designed as a pathway toward the Master of Resource and Environmental Planning. 

Career Outcomes

Massey identifies a broad range of career areas for PGDipPlan graduates, including:

• Planning
• Policy making
• Economic development
• Nature conservation
• International development.

Potential employment environments include:

• City and district councils
• Regional councils
• Central government
• Ministry for the Environment
• Department of Conservation
• Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency
• Private consulting firms
• International humanitarian and aid organisations
• NGOs.

Massey's broader planning information identifies planning roles such as:

• Environmental planner
• Resource consent planner/adviser
• Transport planner
• Urban planner
• Urban designer
• Policy analyst.

Latest Updates/Special Requirements

The current programme information confirms:

• PGDipPlan remains a 120-credit Level 8 qualification.
• It is available through distance and online study.
• International students can study online from outside New Zealand.
• A bachelor's degree or equivalent is required.
• The programme-specific English requirement is IELTS 7.0 overall with no band below 6.0 where the applicant's bachelor's degree was not taught in English.
• The qualification has no formal specialisation.
• At least 30 credits must be selected from Schedule A.
• Up to 90 credits can be selected from Schedule B.
• Some courses may require attendance at workshops, block courses, field trips, studios, tutorials or laboratories.
• The qualification must normally be completed within a maximum of four years.

International Student Visa Requirements

For an international student who intends to study physically in New Zealand, the relevant visa is generally the New Zealand Fee Paying Student Visa.

Current Immigration New Zealand requirements include:

• An offer of place from an approved education provider.
• Sufficient funds to pay tuition fees or an acceptable scholarship.
• Sufficient funds for living expenses or an acceptable sponsor.
• Acceptable medical and travel insurance.
• Meeting applicable health and character requirements.
• Genuine intention to study.
• Ability to leave New Zealand at the end of the authorised stay.