Master of Philosophy in Transport Studies

The primary purpose of establishing the Transport Studies qualification in the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment at the institution is to produce learners with the capacity to apply high level skills and knowledge competently in the field of urban passenger transport planning and management. Recent changes in the legislative and policy environment of transport provision have generated a need for learners with an appropriate array of inter-disciplinary skills and knowledge, able to contribute effectively to the planning and management of urban passenger transport systems as a component of the broader process of integrated development planning at the local level. The qualification is intended to address this need directly.

The secondary purpose of establishing the qualification is to enable the institution to capitalise on the opportunity presented by the recent formation of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment to bring teaching and research resources together in an innovative, cross-disciplinary way. This will enable the institution to add value to teaching and research in the transport field both regionally and nationally, in particular through the relationship established with the Southern Transportation Centre of Development (STCD - a consortium incorporating an array of tertiary institutions in the provine and to develop its capacity to engage productively with a field of study which is drawing increasing attention internationally.

Entry requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Cognate Bachelor Honours, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Postgraduate Diploma in Transport Studies, Level 8.

Or

• Bachelor of Administration in Transport Economics Honours, Level 8, 480 Credits.

N/A

Learners of the qualification are able to

1. Analyse urban passenger transport systems across the various modes and the factors affecting supply and demand both modally and in aggregate.
2. Situate urban passenger transport planning and management issues in the specific context of current and projected patterns of urban development in South Africa as a developing country.
3. Understand the implications of recent national (and provincial) policy directives and legislative requirements for urban passenger transport planning and management in the country.
4. Contribute effectively to the preparation of an Integrated Transport Plan (ITP).
5. Undertake assessments or evaluations of urban passenger transport qualifications and projects.
6. Analyse and model patterns of urban passenger travel demand.
7. Prepare proposals for implementing urban passenger Transport Supply Systems Management (TSM) and Travel Demand Management (TDM) measures.
8. Prepare local area transport plans (at the neighbourhood or sub-metropolitan scale).
9. Contribute effectively to the planning and management of urban public transport systems.
10. Undertake the basic design of transport infrastructure in local areas including roadways, footways and cycleways.
11. Promote traffic safety in urban transport networks and operating systems.

Assessment Criteria for Specific outcomes

Assessment tests the learner's ability to

• Identify trends and their probable outcomes in the operating dynamics of urban passenger transport systems.
• explicitly contextualise urban passenger transport planning and management issues in relation to our country urban development patterns and processes.
• Operationalise the relevant policy directives and legislative requirements in carrying out urban passenger transport planning and management tasks including analysis, proposal formulation and evaluation.
• Situate specific planning tasks within the mandatory procedural framework for ITPs and formulate appropriately detailed briefs to direct their execution.
• Apply knowledge of a variety of assessment and evaluation methods including cost-benefit and multi-criteria analysis, as well as more participatory or interactive methods, to assess the impact or consequences of proposed qualifications or projects in the broader decision-making context.
• Select and apply appropriate methods to analyse or project patterns of travel demand; formulate indicators to monitor the performance of transport systems and the impact of policy or management measures.
• Apply knowledge of a variety of TSM and TDM instruments to influence mobility and modal choice within the framework of specific planning and management objectives.
• Synthesise a variety of proposals, including traffic calming measures and the provision of pedestrian and cycle networks, into a coherent transport plan at the local area scale.
• Apply knowledge of the various public transport modes and their operating characteristics to the formulation of proposals to address contextualised planning and management issues.
• Apply knowledge of the relevant design requirements of specific infrastructural components to formulate detailed project proposals.
• Analyse traffic safety performance to identify existing or potential problems; apply knowledge of a variety of traffic safety measures including education, the installation of technical devices and the enforcement of operating standards to improve safety performance.

Integrated Assessment

Learners will be assessed for each course module through a range of methods, including formal summative assessment, but primarily through the vehicle of group and individual assignments or projects. These will be designed to enable them to demonstrate their critical understanding of the subject matter to which they have been exposed as well as their competence to deal with practice-based problems or issues arising out of that subject matter.

In addition, learners registered for the MPhil qualification will be required to formulate a relevant topic for their research project, translate it into a set of detailed research questions, design and execute an appropriate research method, and present their results or conclusions in carefully structured and coherently argued report. This will provide the opportunity for a 'capstone' assessment of their ability to apply skills and knowledge acquired throughout the qualification to a specific issue of theoretical and practical significance.