B.Planning: An Emerging Course for Aspirants

In our regular lives, we plan for every small detail. From how our day would go to what all we need to accomplish, everything has planning behind it. Ever wondered how these huge cities are planned? How do the urban landscapes come up, given their huge scale? Well, all of it has been planned at its core and students now have the opportunity to learn the art of planning at such a scale.

Bachelor of planning or B.Planning, like it is usually known is a 4-year UG program which has gained popularity among students these days. Anyone who has completed higher secondary schooling or has any undergraduate or even a master’s degree in any science stream course can go forward with this degree.

In India, Bachelor of Planning (B.Planning) has been certified as a 4-year undergraduate course wherein planning regarding architectural sciences and many other scientific fields are included in the basic study structure.

The main purpose of the course is to ensure that the students understand how planning can be used at an urban scale in various sectors. From government tenders to institutional areas are very often designed by planners.

Learn to be a Planner

Skill development is a crucial part of the B.Planning program. Students are taught various skills, be it technical or professional. By the end of the course, students end up being professional designers who are equipped to enter the world of design. 

The program and the course structure have been designed in a way that skills of designing, managing and resolving problems effectively are grasped upon by students.

Everything that students learn revolves around the basic scope of the course, which is planning urban settlements. Moreover, as students move forward into the four-year course, they also learn business management skills which come in handy when launching their firm.

B.Planning Eligibility Criteria

To be a part of the B.Planning course in any institution providing the same, there is an eligibility criterion that has to be fulfilled. This remains the same throughout the country since most colleges follow the same procedure.

• The candidate must be a 50% scorer in mathematics and should have passed his or her (10+2) school examinations with an average score of 50%.
• The admission process is based on entrance tests everywhere. The test could be either a general test given across the country by all students, or it could be a test taken by the university of college on an individual level.
• After the entrance exam round, a personal interview is usually taken by the faculty. Many institutions also chose to skip this part.
• You might also come across colleges that have a cut off percentage for being eligible to enter the course program, but those percentages are not the sole decision-makers.
• Candidates belonging to the science stream who look forward to choosing planning as their career need to perform well in their JEE Main which is conducted twice a year.

JEE Main – Entrance Test for B.Tech/B.Arch./B.Plan

JEE Main score is accepted by the various institutions looking forward to the candidates who want to continue their passion for critical thinking. Dates and schedules are regularly updated on numerous websites. A few other exams that can be given for joining B. Planning exam anywhere is:

• National Aptitude Test in Architecture
• Uttar Pradesh State Entrance Exam
• Jadavpur University Entrance Exam
• Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test

All these exams qualify candidates for applying to a B.Planning course in various regions across the country.

Course Structure of B.Planning Program

Most colleges and universities offering courses in the field have a semester wise system, where students are graded based on the submission of regular assignments. There are mid-semester and end semester exams except for the regular submissions that take place.

Credits are an important part of how the course follows because each subject has a certain weight. These credits have to be earned successfully so that the student can clear the entire semester.

First – Year

The first year consists of semesters in which the students are taught about the fundamentals of planning and structures. Materials and construction techniques are important here, even though that is something that students might not end up working on in their professional lives.

Basic architectural design is also taught in classes, with estimation, calculation, surveying, etc. becoming an important part of the course in the second semester.

Second – Year

As second-year starts, things become more technical for students because they are taught to design with the help of available tools. CAD is a software; students would be working with a lot from this point onwards.

Every semester and year see a different kind of project being executed hypothetically. With this concept, housing and urban planning along with insights on demographics are something any student would work on.

Third – Year

With each progressing year, the scale of work goes up, and students work with bigger projects. Sustainability and landscape design are introduced here, and planning and design lab stay as a constant subject since the first year of study.

The informal sector is the area of work that students are also introduced to in the final semester of the third year. This is done to expand their knowledge on the subject even more.

Fourth – Year

In the final year of study, regional planning comes into the picture, and the scale reaches its peak. Disaster management and human values in planning become an integral part of the work done throughout the year.

Students are taught to be sensitive to the environment they would be working very soon.

Scope of B.Planning Program

A student pursuing B.Planning can even look forward to working in various sectors and not just with basic architecture. Planners have often played an important role in shaping the future of the country and how the landscapes in our cities are shaped.

One may identify themselves as an urban planner or a regional planner or a project planner, but he/she would end up working in one of these fields only. Many other similar streams like architecture and design follow close by.

City Development

City-level planning is usually the scale of work for planners, although the specific stream of work can also be chosen.

Certain planners choose the kind of development projects they work with, be it residential, institutional or public. Skilled planners have designed many great localities.

Public Work Department

Successful completion of a bachelor’s degree in planning can be continued as a successful career in various fields.

The Public Work Department (PWD) services have great scope for successful planners since the construction of various public places and buildings requires a great plan to ensure public security.

Government Tenders

Moreover, many government bodies who look for public welfare require candidates who are good at urban planning and transport planning, which is offered most of the renowned institutions.

National Building Organisation (NBO) offers placements for planners, and they do not even require specific qualifications in integrated planning.

Research

Candidates can even go for the archaeological department, Defence department and R&D department of railways.

Research has been an important part of the process of planning so certain professionals may choose to move forward with the same. All such options are available in the government sector, and one can later opt for a PhD as well.

A bright future in the field of Planning

Many people are there who love to pursue higher education even after completion of their undergraduate courses. For them, there is an option for a Masters in Planning (M.Planning) as well.

The course involves a lot of research and a piece of deeper knowledge in the field of Urban Planning. It is not a replacement for the B.Planning course because it is usually for two years. You can choose to go for it after B.Planning as well.

Further, he or she can also choose to join any university abroad and have a great future as an oriented planning expert with a great affinity towards people who involve more into the thinking process.

The reason B.Planning is an emerging course is that our cities need planners, rather better ones. We have a lot of expectations from the future, and with the help of people like architects and planners, the same future can be better and brighter.

For students, there is a great scope of work and no limitation because once you enter the field of design, there are no restrictions.