Besides acquiring knowledge and necessary skills, for their professional accreditation, graduates will be in high demand and will be able to access employment opportunities within and outside Australia. Students complete two trimesters of coursework (48 credit points) followed by one trimester of research (24 credit points) in which the student will undertake a full-trimester research dissertation. The course is fully accredited with the Planning Institute of Australia and graduates are eligible for membership of the Institute's Urban and Regional Planning Chapter.

A candidate shall: (a) hold an AQF Level 7 Bachelor degree in a discipline related to the built environment including architecture, planning, environment or geography; or (b) hold an AQF Level 8 Graduate Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning (including at least one 500-level unit) from the University of New England or equivalent AQF Level 8 qualification (including at least one 500-level unit) and attained at least a Credit average in 48 credit points. IELTS: minimum score of 6.0, with no subscore less than 5.5 or Internet-based (IBT) TOEFL: a score of 79 (writing 22) or Pearson Test of English (Academic): an overall score of 57 with no score less than 50