Transport and Urban Planning MSc
Year of entry: 2026
Course length: 12 Months Full-Time | 24 Months Part-Time
This MSc brings together transport and urban planning in one integrated, cross-disciplinary course, giving you the insight and practical skills to address the grand challenges cities face today and in the future.
You’ll explore the latest thinking in sustainable place-making, transport and mobility systems, and complex urban analysis, learning how to design equitable, efficient and liveable urban environments. Through a combination of research-led teaching and real-world case studies, you’ll develop the ability to analyse, plan and deliver solutions across multiple scales from neighbourhood to city-wide integrated transport and urban development strategies and global policy contexts.
With a strong international focus, you’ll be prepared to work across diverse socio-economic and cultural settings, and to collaborate in multi-disciplinary teams tackling complex urban challenges. The course is suited to graduates from transport planning, engineering, urban planning, geography and related fields, and opens doors to careers in the UK and worldwide across public, private and third-sector organisations.
Top ten
Join a UK top 10 Planning department (Complete University Guide 2025).
Local links
Manchester serves as a living laboratory, showcasing numerous examples of how transport and urban land use planning intersect.
Fieldtrips
Participate in fieldwork opportunities in the UK and abroad, exploring real-life issues on one-day trips, site visits, and optional overseas residential visits.
Meet the academics:
Dr Ransford Antwi Acheampong Senior Lecturer in Transport and Urban Futures
Ransford explores how, new and emerging transport technologies shape the cities of tomorrow. His work tackles everything from AI-driven autonomous vehicles to Mobility-as-a-Service, and Transport Electrification with projects spanning Manchester, Melbourne, Seattle and Hong Kong. In Africa, his research digs into land, infrastructure, digital technologies and mobility services to help create more equitable, connected cities.
Dr Nuno Pinto Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning and Urban Design
Nuno’s passion is creating better places through smart, sustainable planning. Trained as both an engineer and planner, his expertise bridges design and infrastructure, earning him the Breheny Prize for excellence in urban modelling research. Before joining Manchester, he taught and researched in Portugal and Spain - experience that fuels his global perspective on shaping cities that work for people.
Dr Helen Zheng Senior Lecturer in Spatial Planning
Helen investigates how where we live affects how we live, from health and wellbeing to economic opportunity. Her research tackles spatial inequalities, human mobility and sustainable urban development, using innovative multi-scale approaches. She’s worked on projects funded by leading institutions including the ESRC, the Leverhulme Trust and the Alan Turing Institute, and helps guide research ethics in the School of Environment, Education and Development.
Dr Khashayar Kazemzadeh Lecturer in Transport Planning
Khashayar is interested in sustainable transport planning with a focus on active mobility and micromobility safety. He also has expertise in Transport demand modelling and travel behaviour analysis; Digital Twins and Virtual Reality for assessing transport user experience; Shared spaces and vulnerable road user interaction analysis as well as transport electrification.
