Making a Career in Transport Planning

The transport profession today is highly multi-disciplinary. As the policy emphasis has moved away from providing the capacity to meet demand towards finding sustainable solutions to transport problems, the variety of skills demanded of transport planners has widened.

Relevant Qualifications

Transport planning teams today are likely to include people with a first degree in geography, mathematics, economics, or a variety of other social and natural science subjects, working alongside the engineers, town planners and traffic modellers traditionally associated with the profession.

And, while technical expertise is still important and valued, other qualities such as the ability to explain proposals, negotiating skills and project management are needed as well. The result is that people with a diversity of first degrees are being welcomed into rewarding careers in transport planning.

Postgraduate courses

To reach the higher levels of the profession, specialised training beyond first degree level is likely to be needed. Some people acquire this through on-the-job training and continuing professional development (CPD). But to get an early foot up, there's still nothing to beat a dedicated Master's course. It will gain you professional qualification exemptions too.

The good news is that there is now an excellent range of postgraduate courses to choose from

The aim of courses at this level is to equip students with both knowledge of the subject matter and specific skills relevant to practising in the transport profession. Accordingly, courses are divided into core topics with a range of further options providing plenty of choice for students to study topics that particularly appeal to them. In most cases, you will also have the opportunity to demonstrate your new skills through a substantial piece of project work or a dissertation.

Course options vary between universities but may include: Transport and the environment; Understanding and modelling travel behaviour; Application of GIS; Public transport; Transport safety; Planning for non-motor transport; Transport in developing countries; and Transport telematics.

Costs

• The cost of a Masters course will depend on the period over which it is taken as well as the university you choose.
• For a one year full time course, for a student from the UK or other EU country, the fees will typically be around £3,000 (fees are likely to be significantly higher for nonEU students).
• In addition, you will need to make provision for accommodation, living expenses and incidental costs while you are taking the course.
• Fuller information on fees and other costs will be available from the university of your choice.

Many Masters courses are also offered on a part timebasis, typically over 2 or 3 years but in some cases up to 5 years or longer. This option is attractive to those already in employment who are seeking to improve their qualifications. A number of employers recognize the value of Masters courses by encouraging promising recruits to enroll on a part time basis, when some or all of the fees may be met by the employer.

Funding

As with all postgraduate training, funding is a major consideration for most students. However, you may qualify for financial support from one of the following sources:

• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC): A number of bursaries are available through the six universities participating in the EPSRC supported Universities Transport Partnership. These cover fees and make a contribution towards living costs.
• Rees Jeffreys Road Fund: The Fund offers up to 10 bursaries a year at full EPSRC rates for Masters courses in transport related subjects at any university. Applicants need to have achieved class 2.i or better in their first degree.
• Employers: Many leading employers enroll staff on Masters courses, meeting some or all of the costs while continuing to pay a salary.
• Brian Large Bursary Fund: This fund provides a number of bursaries to UK students studying for a full time Masters degree in Transport at a UK university. These bursaries are intended to help students who have no other, or only very limited, funding from grants or bursaries.

For all the above, applications should be made through the applicant's chosen university.

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