Master of the Built Environment in Town and Regional Planning
Every candidate for this qualification shall have:
- completed the requirements for the BBEHons or equivalent qualification
or
- have been granted a conferment of status for the above-mentioned qualification.
The Masters Built Environment (MBE), by dissertation, is offered by the Department of Town and Regional Planning at the Durban University of Technology. It falls under the MBE programme offered by the Departments of Construction Management & Quantity Surveying which are currently responsible for the registration and administrative support for the qualification. However, the Department of Town and Regional Planning has specific eligibility enrolment criteria and procedures for the programme in line with its departmental strategic research objectives and discipline ethos. These are in line with the envisaged goals and objectives of the programme which are to prepare students for doctoral research as well as equip them with research skills for development planning. The purpose of the Master of the Built Environment is not for the purposes of professional registration with the South African Council for Town and Regional Planners (SACPLAN), but to further research capacity on planning related issues in KwaZulu-Natal.
This qualification is intended for persons who will make a contribution, through research, to understanding the application and evaluation of existing knowledge in a specialized area of urban and regional planning. They will also demonstrate a high level of overall knowledge in that area ranging from fundamental concepts to advanced theoretical or applied knowledge. This is a one-year research degree.
The primary purpose of the Master’s Degree is to educate and train researchers, in a chosen Built Environment field, who can, under minimal guidance, contribute to the development of knowledge at an advanced level.
The research problem, its justification, process and outcome are reported in a dissertation,