Master of Human Settlement Development

Purpose

The purpose of the Master of Human Settlement Development is to provide learners who want to move into postgraduate studies and from related disciplines who want to specialise in this field with the problem solving, innovation and research skills and practice to deal with and address the issues and demands related to Human Settlement Development.

Also, qualifying learners will be empowered with advanced skills and trans-disciplinary knowledge to tackle multi-faceted and multi-scalar challenges of human settlements worldwide. Key amongst these being knowledge for generating effective affordable housing and human settlements policies and identifying their critical success factors, designing appropriate housing delivery systems for specific national, provincial and local government contexts, developing and applying methodologies and theories of designing resource-efficient, socio-economic just and climate-resilient human settlements from scratch including retrofitting the existing townships, advising on or applying effective social facilitation, community engagement and participatory planning and design methods in human settlement development and management in the light of perpetual and sporadic, and at times violent, housing-related community protests.

Rationale

The institution due to its geographic position is serving a province with a huge housing problem and with a need for knowledgeable, competent and innovative researchers addressing problems in the field of human settlement development. The availability of suitably qualified researchers is of cardinal importance to ensure high-level inputs towards the productivity and reliability of human settlement systems.

This qualification will not only address the current gap for Human Settlement Development learners wanting to move into postgraduate studies but also the need for learners from related fields such as Sociology, Management and Economics, to specialise in Human Settlement Development via Postgraduate studies.

The qualification provides a path for developing new knowledge in the field, which will also be a contribution to higher education. Learners from this qualification moving into doctoral studies can be developed as future supervisors within this field.

Learners' research outputs will focus on sustainability-oriented research for cities and settlements aimed at forging new paths to the solution of complex societal problems such as the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities, poverty and inequality in the residential property market, urban fragmentation and exclusionary settlement planning patterns, access to basic services employing different research methods that promote co-creation of knowledge between the university, civil society organisations, industry and international partners.

Within the broader Sustainable Development Goal of sustainable cities and settlements research will seek to provide solutions for challenges of local government capacity:

• To manage human settlement programmes and improve the quality of life of informal settlement dwellers, deficiencies in the prevailing housing policy, human settlement delivery system constraints, environmental degradation in settlements and promotion of a circular economy, the decongestion of densely-populated settlements.
• To improve quality of life and curb the spread of communicable diseases and other maladies, uncovering barriers to uptake of innovative building, water, energy and sanitation technologies in low-income settlements; and
• Promotion of indigenous knowledge systems for community-driven sustainable public housing programmes which aid in stimulating local economies.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Learners who do not meet the direct admission requirements are required to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the institution that they have a qualification plus suitable experiential or work-based learning, which has taken the learner to an equivalent of the entry-level of the qualification specified above. Such learners may be considered for admission through RPL after assessment via a portfolio of evidence of the prior learning been done. Learners who, after such assessment, are deemed to have sufficient potential but need further academic development, may be required to broaden their curriculum by enrolling for preliminary modules prior to admission or parallel modules after admission. This would be done according to institution RPL Policy.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Bachelor of Human Settlement Development, NQF Level 8.

Or

• A Relevant Postgraduate Diploma in the related field, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Bachelor of Arts Honours in a related cognate field, NQF Level 8.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory module at National Qualifications Framework Level 9 totalling 180 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 9, 180 Credits

• Dissertation, 180 Credits.

1. Evaluate the global, continental, regional, national and local human settlement policy and service delivery environment.
2. Select and critically examine theories that underpin housing and human settlement policies and residential markets in developing countries and globally.
3. Examine the existing and proffer effective human settlement delivery and management systems utilising technical, managerial, legal, social, technological skills.
4. Gain knowledge of and employ methods that are followed in other disciplines, sectors and nations in sustainable human settlement development.
5. Develop and research in the field of human settlement development to enable responding to the challenges and demands related to human settlement development.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Evaluate the global, continental, regional, national and local human settlement policy and service delivery environment using the appropriate theory.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Examine the various theories that underpin housing and human settlement policies and residential markets in developing counties and globally.
• Select and apply appropriate theory to a research topic.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Examine the existing and effective human settlement delivery and management systems utilising technical managerial, legal, social and technological skills.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Identify and apply suitable inter-disciplinary sustainable development methods to enable the formulation of locally sustainable development solutions for human settlement.
• Identify and apply appropriate sustainable human settlement development approaches from other nations and sectors to the local human settlement development context.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Identify, research and analyse results for a suitable research problem in the field of human settlement development using a scientific research process.
• Execute a successful research project in the field of human settlement development.
• Disseminate findings to a range of audiences in the field of human settlement development through conference papers and journal publications.
• Report research results in a scientifically accepted format.
• Adhere to the minimum criteria for a dissertation in human settlement development.

Integrated Assessment

Competence in this qualification requires completion of a dissertation or thesis, the learner will be continuously evaluated on the submission of different completed assignments or sections of the whole thesis. Continuous supervision and evaluation by the supervisor/mentor, of submissions leading to the completion of a dissertation and fulfilment of the requirements for the degree. The evaluation of the thesis is formative and summative and synoptically evaluates all exit level outcomes. The thesis is summatively assessed by the research supervisor and examined by internal and external examiners.