How to become an urban planner in Australia
Urban and Regional Planners develop and implement plans and policies for the controlled use of urban and rural land, and advise on economic, environmental and social factors affecting land use.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the urban and regional planners group are projected to grow 17.6% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Compiling and analysing data on economic, legal, political, cultural, demographic, sociological, physical and environmental factors affecting land use
- Conferring with government authorities, communities, architects, social scientists, legal professionals, and planning, development and environmental specialists
- Devising and recommending use and development of land, and presenting narrative and graphic plans, programs and designs to groups and individuals
- Advising governments and organisations on urban and regional planning and resource planning
- Reviewing and evaluating environmental impact reports
- Staying up-to-date with changes in building and zoning codes, regulations and other legal issues
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the urban and regional planners group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 86% a degree or higher, 5% a diploma, 3% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria3 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Urban and Regional Planning (Honours) · RMIT, City63.25NSW and ACT10 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Urban Planning (Honours) · Griffith95.70 Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning · UNE73.25 Bachelor of Urban Planning (Honours)/B Science · Griffith74.15 Bachelor of Planning/Master of Urban Management and Planning · Western Sydney66.00Diplomas and other ways in
Diploma in Town Planning · Newcastle77.00Showing 6 of 10 matches. Search every course.
Queensland12 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Urban Planning · UQ, St Lucia80.00 Bachelor of Built Environment (Honours) - Urban and Regional Planning · QUT, Gardens Point71.45 Bachelor of Urban Design and Town Planning (Honours) · UniSC, Sunshine Coast70.60 Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning · UNE, Armidale68.25 Bachelor of Urban Planning (Honours) · Griffith, Gold Coast67.90Showing 8 of 12 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia1 match
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning (Honours) · Curtin, Perth65.05Matched on course names, 26 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Investigative, Enterprising, Conventional.
From O*NET ratings for "Urban and Regional Planners", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.