Welcome to your course
Welcome to the University of Westminster, the College of Design, Creative and Digital Industries (DCDI) and the School of Architecture and Cities (A+C), where your course resides!
Congratulations on being accepted onto the PG Diploma and the PG Certificate International Planning and Sustainable Development MA programmes. It is a pleasure to have you with us for this academic year, and we are looking forward to supporting you on your academic journey of learning, research and design exploration in this exciting and highly relevant field over the coming months.
Your journey with the University begins with welcome week. More details about this and other key information are set out below. Welcome week is Monday 15 - Friday 19 September. During welcome week we will set out the content of the course: its context, structure, modules, pathways and projects introducing you to the teaching staff who will support your learning throughout the coming year. Most events will be held on campus, except for the walking tour on Friday 19 September, so you will need to arrive with plenty of time on Thursday 18 September for a 11am start.
Please do not hesitate to contact the course team with any queries or concerns you may have. Best wishes for the coming year and we look forward to meeting you in September.
Welcome to the School of Architecture + Cities
During your time in the School the focus is on your work and creative outputs – and we are committed helping you achieve your potential. As well as the full-time teaching staff, leading practitioners teach on our courses, and employers mentor students. The School brings together a variety of disciplines to address future environmental and social challenges – urban and environmental design to architecture, architectural technology, interior architecture, planning, and tourism and events. Our Marylebone campus is perfectly placed for exploring London, and houses some of the most advanced teaching and fabrication spaces in the city.
During your welcome week, there will be a programme of activities arranged for you, so please attend all the events on your individual timetable – as well as the formality of enrolment, you will get to work with your course tutors and fellow students.
Best wishes
Kate Cheyne
Collecting your ID card and completing enrolment
As part of your induction and to complete your enrolment, you'll need to collect your student ID card.
Your time slot for collection is:
3.30pm, Monday 15 September 2025
Marylebone Campus
For more information about enrolment, including related FAQs, visit our Enrolment for new students page.
Course induction schedule
Your course induction events may take place online or on campus – check the details for each event below.
The timing and venue for events may change, so double check this page closer to the date.
School welcome
1–2pm
Room M303, Marylebone Campus
Enrolment and ID card collection
3.30pm
Marylebone Campus
Optional event
Marylebone Welcome Fair
The fair will provide students with the opportunity to see what the student union and University has to offer them, outside their studies.
10am–4pm
Marylebone Campus
Optional: College Social - Outdoor Film Screening
6.30–9.30pm
All students are invited to an outdoor cinema event at the Harrow Campus. The college will be providing one free drink and a choice of snack for the first 300 attendees, as well as a paid bar during the screening.
Reserve your free ticket for the Outdoor Film Screening
All today's event are in Marylebone Campus
Introduction to the course
11–12pm
Room M321, Marylebone Campus
Course welcome, background, and introduction including different routes, and core and option modules.
Giulio Verdini
Meeting the teaching staff
12–1pm
Room M322, Marylebone Campus
Introduction to Electives
Joint session with MA Urban Design students, David Mathewson and Giulio Verdini
Lunch
1–2pm
University Procedures
2–3pm
Room M322, Marylebone Campus
- Introduction to Blackboard platform
- Introduction UoW Library
- Searching for scholarly articles
Joint session with MA Urban Design students, David Mathewson and Giulio Verdini
Introduction to workshop
3–5pm
Room M322, Marylebone Campus
David Mathewson
Welcome drinks
On-campus or at a local pub
5.30pm
Walking tours of Central London and the River Thames
Meet at 2.30pm location TBC
Optional: Harrow Welcome Fair
Timings TBC
Harrow Campus
The fair will provide students with the opportunity to see what the student union and university has to offer them outside their studies.
Optional: WestFest 2025
12–7pm
Harrow Campus (Car Park area)
Registration details to follow.
Course resources
Blackboard
Blackboard is our online learning platform, which you'll be able to log in to after you've set up your University email address and password.
Teaching timetables
Teaching starts in the week commencing Monday 22 September and you can check your teaching timetable to see when and where your classes are being held.
Course handbook
Full details on the course structure, modules and course team are included in the course handbook, which can be found on Blackboard.
Reading list
Your reading list can be found in the course handbook on Blackboard.
Equipment and materials
Digital technology
While you can borrow laptops through the University for 24 hours, it's better to have your own. If you're not sure what to buy, our technical support team can advise you once you've enrolled.
You'll be eligible for a student discount on computer purchases.
A smart phone with a good camera function is very useful for recording your work and for online communication.
Support and services
Welcome to Westminster
Visit our Welcome to Westminster page for everything you need to get started at Westminster.
Student Centre
If you need help with enrolment or have any questions, please use the live chat.
Academic English
If you'd like to hone your academic English skills, watch our Academic English for Disciplinary Study Module video for starters and consider joining one of our Academic English Modules. If you have any questions, get in touch with the Academic English team at [email protected].